; ; ; ;• Fans in Macedonia seen making 'monkey taunts' ;• Uefa await reports from referee and delegate ; ;Uefa have confirmed they are aware of claims that racist chants were directed at Liverpool's players during last night's Europa League qualifying game against Rabotnicki in Macedonia. ; ;The governing body are waiting to assess reports from both the Uefa...

; ; ; ;• French striker had been linked with a move away from Anfield ;• 'I was pleased that he crowned his performance with two goals' ; ; ;Roy Hodgson was delighted with the performance of David Ngog after the Frenchman's double got the new Liverpool manager's reign off to a winning start last night and said that he...

; ; ; ;As an avid reader of some pretty heavyweight fiction, Roy Hodgson knows opening chapters are extremely important. Just like novelists, football managers benefit from good starts and he will be suitably satisfied with tonight's assured formal opening to his Liverpool reign. ; ;Two polished finishes – one dinked, one volleyed – from David Ngog on a balmy...

; ; ; ;• Young's wage demands believed to be the stumbling block ;• Aston Villa were keen to get the full-back off their wage bill ; ;Luke Young's proposed transfer to Liverpool collapsed today, leaving the full-back facing an uncertain future at Aston Villa. Liverpool had agreed a £2.5m fee with Villa on Tuesday for the former England international...

; ; ; ;Today's fluff knows its way around a lentil ; ;The Mill isn't a regular on this website's ;Making Time blog ;. Creating something new and exciting out of bits and bobs of past-its-best odds-and-ends, though a noble and commendable pastime, is simply beyond our skill set. We'll probably just buy a new one, or get a man...

; ; ; ;• Manager without Gerrard and Torres for Europa League game ;• 'I couldn't have envisaged a more difficult situation' ; ;The handful of Liverpool fans congregating at Skopje's Alexander the Great airport yesterday wore increasingly puzzled expressions as a series of red-tracksuited figures ambled through arrivals and out into the afternoon sunshine. ; ;With Steven Gerrard, Jamie...

; ; ; ;• Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson also to miss qualifier ;• New signings Milan Jovanovic and Danny Wilson will make trip ; ;Roy Hodgson travelled to Macedonia this morning with a makeshift squad for his first competitive match as Liverpool manager. ; ;England World Cup quartet Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson were among...

; ; ; ;• 'Fernando Torres has told us he wants to come back' ;• Roy Hodgson says striker will resume training next week ; ;Fernando Torres has put a spring in Roy Hodgson's step by pledging his immediate future to Liverpool. Speculation that the Spain striker would leave Anfield this summer has swirled around for months, but instead of...

; ; ; ;• Anfield club are short of options in full-back positions ;• Hodgson had previously tried to sign Young for Fulham ; ;Liverpool have made a surprise move for the Aston Villa full-back Luke Young. Roy Hodgson, the Liverpool manager, tried to sign Young earlier this year when he was in charge of Fulham and he has now...

;Roy Hodgson says Fernando Torres 'is looking forward to playing for Liverpool next season', but is the striker more likely to leave? ; ; ;

; ; ; ;• Internazionale the likely destination for Argentina midfielder ;• Hodgson plays down fears over Fernando Torres exit ; ;Javier Mascherano wants to leave Liverpool, the club's manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed. Hodgson has been speaking to the Reds' key players since taking over from Rafael Benítez at Anfield and while Steven Gerrard has indicated he wants to...

; ; ; ;• Player writes letter to club asking fans to forget the past ;• Winger had previously described club as a 'sinking ship' ; ; ;Former Liverpool winger Albert Riera has written a personal letter thanking the club and fans, whom he urged to forget the past. ; ;The Spaniard, who completed a move to Olympiakos last week,...

;This week's bumper crop features Liverpool's new signing as a £10 note, Anthony from the Royle Family and a lump of, erm, coal ; ; ;

; ; ; ;• Argentina midfielder keen to join Internazionale ;• Mascherano set to be reunited with Rafael Benítez ; ;Javier Mascherano returned to pre-season training at Liverpool yesterday, accompanied by his agent, and told Roy Hodgson that he wants to leave Anfield. ; ;The midfielder's request will have come as little surprise to the manager. Rafael Benítez, Hodgson's predecessor...

• Argentina midfielder reports for pre-season training at Melwood • Roy Hodgson faces task of persuading player to stay at Anfield The Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano met up with his new manager, Roy Hodgson, for the first time this morning after returning to pre-season training. The Argentina captain has been uncontactable since going on holiday after the World Cup but...

• Roberto Mancini hopeful of signing Liverpool striker • City to make final offer for James Milner this week Roberto Mancini has confirmed Manchester City are willing to underwrite a British record transfer for Fernando Torres should the Spaniard decide to leave Liverpool. Torres's future at Anfield remains shrouded in uncertainty with Christian Purslow, the club's managing director, holding extensive...

• Liverpool manager fears burnout ahead of tough season • FK Rabotnicki ties will be 'unbelievably difficult' August is still a week away and Roy Hodgson has yet to oversee his first competitive game at Anfield but, already, Liverpool's new manager is talking darkly of burnout and "unbelievably difficult" challenges ahead. The first arrives on Thursday in Skopje, the Macedonian...

; ; ; ;• Rabotnicki defeat Armenian side to set up clash ;• First leg at Anfield next Thursday ; ;Liverpool will face Rabotnicki in the third qualifying round of the Uefa Europa League after the Macedonian side completed a 1-0 aggregate victory over the Armenian side Mika tonight. ; ;The two sides played out a largely uneventful draw in...

• Club cannot match City or Spurs financially, says Hodgson • Manager trying to use money 'sensibly and intelligently' The Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson, is keen to make further signings before the start of the season but admits he has to be realistic in his aims. The Englishman accepts he cannot match the spending power of Premier League rivals such...

Today's fluff felt it pop out According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea have made a £20m bid for Benfica's Brazilian World Cup midfielder Ramires . Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also sniffing about. Ramires's full name is Ramires Santos do Nascimento, which makes him sound a bit like Pele. His nickname is " The Blue Kenyan ", which makes him...

• Mascherano poised to link up with Rafael Benítez in Italy • Manager says last season's troubles cannot be cured overnight Liverpool are in talks with Internazionale over the possible sale of Javier Mascherano after the Italian club made an approach for the midfielder. Roy Hodgson is believed to be ready to sell the Argentina captain at the right price...

• Decision to move to Anfield a 'no-brainer' • Midfielder 'jumped on board' after hearing plans Joe Cole today completed his free transfer from Chelsea to Liverpool and immediately risked upsetting his former employer by provocatively claiming he had joined "the biggest club in the country". The England international, who has signed a four-year contract, dismissed suggestions that money was...

• 28-year-old passes medical and completes move • Cole is with Liverpool at training camp in Switzerland Liverpool have completed the signing of Joe Cole on a four-year contract after he passed his medical – and have handed the midfielder the No10 shirt. The 28-year-old agreed personal terms on Monday having being released by Chelsea at the end of last...

• Rangers will receive £2m up front for 18-year-old defender • Wilson was the SFA's young player of the year last season Liverpool are close to adding a third summer signing after agreeing a potential £5m deal with Rangers for Danny Wilson. The 18-year-old central defender, voted the SFA's young player of the year last season, was pulled out of...

• Midfielder looking forward to linking up with Cole • 'I'm very impressed with [Hodgson's] plans for the future' Roy Hodgson appears to be winning some key battles for hearts and minds inside Liverpool's dressing room after Steven Gerrard effectively tied himself to the club for at least another year. Fresh from signing Joe Cole yesterday, Hodgson was today thrilled...

• Midfielder indicates desire to remain at Anfield • 'It's a great piece of news, ' says new manager Roy Hodgson, the Liverpool manager, has welcomed Steven Gerrard's decision to all but commit himself to the club today. The midfielder, who has been linked with a summer move to Real Madrid, welcomed the arrival of new signing Joe Cole today,...

• Midfielder excited by prospect of playing next to Joe Cole • Gerrard expresses admiration for Roy Hodgson Steven Gerrard has all but confirmed he is to remain at Liverpool by expressing his delight at the prospect of playing alongside Joe Cole at Anfield next season and with the plans of Roy Hodgson, the new manager. Cole yesterday agreed a...

; ; ; ;• Manager reveals captain's role in signing of England midfielder ;• Would suggest that 30-year-old is set to remain with club ; ;Roy Hodgson, the Liverpool manager, has given a clear indication that Steven Gerrard is to remain with the club after claiming the midfielder played an integral role in persuading Joe Cole to move to Anfield....

; ; ; ;• Defender delighted with arrival of England midfielder ;• 'It's a real coup that he has chosen to come here' ; ;Jamie Carragher has welcomed Liverpool's acquisition of Joe Cole and believes it proves that the club "means business" ahead of the new season. ; ;The midfielder was released by Chelsea at the end of the last...

; ; ; ;After years of frustration the free-transfer signing of the summer is aching to prove himself once again ; ;Talk to Joe Cole off the field and the conversation invariably turns to how he is bursting to get back on to it, how he needs to feel the ball at his feet and wants to show anybody and...

;Today's questions are remembering where they were ; ; ;Jacob Steinberg ; ; ; ;

; ; ; ;• Former Chelsea midfielder signs £18.7m, four-year deal ;• Hodgson hopes capture will also appease Torres ; ;Liverpool hope Joe Cole's arrival at Anfield on a four-year deal worth £18.7m can convince Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to commit their futures to the club. ; ;Cole agreed to become Liverpool's second summer signing today when he rejected...

Everyone has a soft spot for the England midfielder but at the age of 28 he is on his last throw of the dice Now that's more like it. Joe Cole signing for Liverpool is by some distance the most interesting move so far in a distinctly slow-burning summer transfer market. In part this is because player and club seem...

• England international moves to Anfield on a free transfer • Cole becomes Liverpool's second signing of the summer Liverpool today signed Joe Cole on a four-year contract, subject to a medical due to take place "in the next 48 hours". The 28-year-old England international has moved on a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea expired at the end...

; ; ; ;• Hodgson wants to make Londoner his first signing ;• Lure of first-team football may be crucial factor ; ;Liverpool hope Joe Cole will resist the lure of remaining in London and agree to become Roy Hodgson's first signing as their manager on a deal worth £90, 000-a-week. ; ;The England international has held talks with Anfield...

• Hodgson told it would be 'very foolhardy' to field tired players • 'You have to follow the guidance, ' Liverpool manager says The Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson, may have to choose a squad for the club's Europa League third qualifying round tie without any of the players who appeared in the World Cup. Hodgson today said he would not...

• Insúa leaves Liverpool's training camp in Switzerland • Exit means a new left-back is Roy Hodgson's top priority Liverpool's Emiliano Insúa is set to discuss personal terms with Fiorentina after the clubs agreed a fee for his sale. The Argentinian's imminent departure, combined with Fábio Aurélio being released after his contract expired, means manager Roy Hodgson's priority is finding...

• Manager has spoken to Torres and Gerrard • Mascherano has not responded to messages Roy Hodgson has told Fernando Torres that Liverpool have no intention of selling him or Steven Gerrard. However, the manager has been unable to outline his revival strategy to Javier Mascherano, despite repeated attempts to contact the Argentina captain. Hodgson met Torres in Madrid this...

• Uefa hold Champions and Europa League qualifying draws • Liverpool face either Rabotnicki or Mika Ashtarak Celtic will play the Portuguese side Braga in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The Scottish Premier League club will play away in the first leg of the tie on 27 or 28 July with the return match at Parkhead on...

• New manager wants to 'get enchantment back' • Has not yet spoken to Mascherano and Torres Roy Hodgson, the new Liverpool manager, has said that the club are having to work hard to persuade some of their disenchanted stars to stay this season. There has been speculation about the futures of the Spain striker Fernando Torres, the England midfielder...

• Manager says Frenchman 'is a player we are interested in' • Says move unlikely before end of July The West Bromwich Albion manager, Roberto Di Matteo, has confirmed his interest in signing the French forward David Ngog on loan from Liverpool. However, the Italian said that no deal was likely to be done before the end of his club's...

• Spanish Football Federation diagnoses World Cup final injury • Scan reveals 'grade one muscle fibre rupture in the left thigh' Spain's Football Federation says the Liverpool and World Cup-winning Spain striker Fernando Torres has ruptured a muscle in his left thigh. In a statement on its website the federation said Torres had a magnetic resonance scan yesterday at the...

• Spain striker wore Liverpool scarf during World Cup celebration • Torres has been linked with a summer exit from Anfield Roy Hodgson feels pictures of Fernando Torres celebrating his World Cup success wearing a Liverpool scarf have given the club a lift. The Spain striker has been the subject of constant speculation over his future throughout the summer but...

• Argentina captain wants a reunion with Rafael Benítez • 'For him to be linked to Inter has a magical taste, ' says agent Javier Mascherano has begun agitating for a move from Liverpool for a second successive summer, with his agent describing the prospect of a reunion with Rafael Benítez at Internazionale as "a dream". The Argentina captain has...

; ; ; ;• Liverpool midfielder wants to rejoin Rafael Benítez in Milan ;• Argentinian under contract at Anfield until 2012 ; ;Javier Mascherano's agent claims the Liverpool midfielder would jump at the chance of a reunion with Rafael Benítez at Internazionale. ; ;The Argentina captain is reportedly one of the top transfer targets for Inter this summer. And Mascherano's...

; ; ; ;• Liverpool's head of sports medicine impressed by Italian ;• Aquilani 'has looked very sharp', he says ; ;The Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has completely recovered from the ankle problem which hampered his first season at Anfield, according to the club's new medical chief. ; ;The Italian had to wait more than two months for his Reds...

• Spain striker sustained adductor problem in World Cup final • Chelsea monitor fitness of transfer target Fernando Torres will undergo a scan on the groin injury he suffered during the World Cup final within the next 48 hours amid concerns that the Liverpool striker and Chelsea transfer target will be out of action for up to two months. The...

; ; ; ;• Liverpool website calls it 'the best pic you'll see all year' ;• Injury may scupper move to Premier League rivals ; ;Liverpool were guaranteed a World Cup winner ahead of last night's final, with Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina in the Spain squad and Dirk Kuyt starting for Holland, with Ryan Babel on the bench. However,...

; ; ; ;• 'There is one reason I left – Rafa Benítez' ;• 'If I played well, I never felt he gave me credit' ; ;Yossi Benayoun has accused Rafa Benítez of trying to break him at Liverpool. The midfielder said the former Liverpool manager was the sole reason for him wanting to leave Anfield. ; ;The Israeli midfielder,...

; ; ; ;• Manager says captain gave him no indication he would leave ;• Hodgson will meet Fernando Torres after World Cup ; ;Roy Hodgson is confident Steven Gerrard will resist the lure of Real Madrid and stay with Liverpool this summer following his first meeting with the club's captain. ; ;The new Liverpool manager, who was joined at...

; ; ; ;• Forward scored Serbia's winner against Germany ;• Move lined up by Rafa Benítez before he left Anfield ; ;The Serbia forward Milan Jovanovic has finally completed his long-awaited move to Liverpool after signing a three-year contract. ; ;The 29-year-old was a free agent after his deal with Belgian club Standard Liège expired at the end of...

; ; ; ;• Club captain gave 'no indication' he wants to leave ;• First meeting 'went splendidly' ; ;Steven Gerrard has given "no indication" that he intends to leave Liverpool, his new manager, Roy Hodgson, has confirmed after his first meeting with the club captain. ; ;The former Fulham manager held talks with Gerrard, his deputy Jamie Carragher and...

; ; ; ;• Spain striker wants assurances before deciding his future ;• Roman Abramovich returns to South Africa to pursue signing ; ;Fernando Torres will hold talks with Liverpool after the World Cup before making a decision over his future as Chelsea prepare to step up their interest in signing the Spain international. ; ;Torres, 26, who has endured...

; ; ; ;• I will speak to Liverpool and they 'will explain the real situation' ;• Striker will wait until World Cup has finished before talks ; ;Fernando Torres says he wants to know what is really happening at Liverpool before committing his future to the team. ; ;Torres has been linked with a big-money move to sides including...

; ; ; ;• José Antonio Martín denies saying striker will leave Anfield ;• 'Fernando's deal is for the present and the future' ; ;José Antonio Martín, one of Fernando Torres's representatives, has denied saying that the striker could leave Liverpool this summer for another Premier League club. ; ;"Now is not the moment to speak about this issue because...

; ; ; ;• Representative working on Spain striker's future ;• 'We cannot guarantee he will stay, ' says agent ; ;Fernando Torres says he is 'happy' with Roy Hodgson's appointment as the new Liverpool manager but his agent last night hinted that the Spain striker could be playing for another Premier League club next season. Torres said yesterday that...

; ; ; ;• Roy Hodgson hopes Tom Hicks and George Gillett can sell up ;• New manager admits change of owner could affect his position ; ; ; ;Roy Hodgson has said it is imperative that Liverpool's co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, sell the club this summer even though a takeover could affect his own position at Anfield....

; ; ; ;• Israeli joins Premier League champions on three-year contract ;• Made 172 appearances during three-year spell at Anfield ; ;Yossi Benayoun has completed his move from Liverpool to Chelsea. The two clubs agreed a fee for the player last month, believed to be in the region of £5m, and the deal has been confirmed this afternoon. ;...

; ; ; ;• The 62-year-old was sacked by Blackburn 12 years ago ;• Keen to work with Kenny Dalglish at Anfield ; ;Liverpool's new manager Roy Hodgson has defended his record in English football and insisted he has learned from failures earlier in his career. ; ;Despite his relative success with Fulham, making them a solid mid-table Premier League...

; ; ; ;From keeping his top stars to signing some new ones and dealing with boardroom uncertainties, the new Liverpool manager has plenty in his in-tray ; ;1. ;Convince Gerrard, Carragher, Torres and Mascherano to stay at Anfield ; ; ;Only one piece of Liverpool's uncertain future was resolved yesterday, and Hodgson showed where the next priority lies by...