On Liverpool: What their takeover by Kenny Huang means for the Reds and for world football.

Today, it was announced that a Chinese billionaire named Kenny Huang (pictured above standing next to a beverage rich people love: water) wants to buy Liverpool. He's buying it for 240 million pounds, and he's buying the club outright, so all of that money will go into the team itself and none of it will go to lining the pockets of the owners. Here's what this monumental takeover means if it happens:

1. Torres is staying. Also coming out today was the news that Fernando Torres is staying at Anfield. Coincidence? Impossible. Can you blame him though? He's got the financial security here, the fanbase, and the promise of a possible dynasty on his hands. How could he leave?

As a sidenote, I just realized today that Torres has scored 40 goals in 41 games for the Reds. Which is incredible, and really puts into perspective how invaluable he actually is. Hopefully he will have a speedy recovery from his retweeking of his injury recently in the World Cup Final.
And Torres isn't the only player whose security is definite with this move, guys like Gerrard, Lucas, and possibly even Mascherano will also be more encouraged to stay.

2. Anfield: out with the old, in with the new. Anfield is getting on. The stadium hasn't been renovated for almost a century and it's getting a little rickety. These days, it's really unheard of for a Premier League club to not play in a modern stadium.

Liverpool has been pointing to the tradition of the stadium for years to legitimize it's existence, but now it's looking like they're going to have to update things. It's too small, too old, and too clunky. This new money is a major step in the right direction toward a new home for the Reds.

3. Roy Hodgson: the best squad man in the world with the most money in the world. New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is renowned for his squad management capabilities. He's already worked wonders with what limited funds Liverpool had, adding attacking potency with Joe Cole, and some much needed support and defense players in Danny Wilson and Milan Jovanovic, as well as resigning an impressive Fabio Aurielo. He only needed 2 million to do that. Imagine him with 240 million at his disposal.

Here are some players he may go for:

Mesut Ozil. Werder Bremen's young starlet in central midfield Ozil admitted yesterday that he has been tempted by some offers from English clubs. Why the hell not if you're Hodgson looking at aging prospects Lucas and Mascherano, both of him have been speculated to be moving this summer anyway?

Carlos Salcido. Liverpool said they wanted this Mexican star at right back, why not go get him? Sure Aurielo's back, but who's to say he won't drop the ball again this year?

John Paintsil. More defenders, but Liverpool's central defense was a revolving door last year. Maybe you want a big tough African in there. Paintsil has been outspoken about his love for Roy Hodgson, maybe these two can reunite.

Clint Dempsey. This is just something I want to happen. It's kind of bullshit. It'd be awesome though.

4. Manchester City will get their asses kicked. I would just love to see the look on City's faces as they lose almost a billion dollars going after players with terrible attitudes and ludicrous wages to just get completely outboxed by one of the classiest clubs in England. That would just make my day.

On Roy Hodgson: Why he could win the title for Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson took over for Liverpool after the unpopular Rafa Benitez was sacked. Since he has taken over, Hodgson has brought Joe Cole in his prime years, smoothed things over with Torres (to some extent), and has been pumping up his team to make a run for the title. I'd like to use this opportunity to look over what it is that is going to make Hodgson (possibly) succesful this year in the Premier League.

1. Put up or shut up time. There are a number of players on Liverpool's squad who have been in quite a slide as of late. Particularly Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, and Glen Johnson. These players have been basically absent for the Reds, for injuries or otherwise.

For a lot of these guys, it's time to put their money where their mouth is. They're coming off one of the worst seasons in Liverpool's history, and failure this season could mean a long, slow decline for the Reds in the future.

Especially Gerrard and Torres, both of him it is becoming more and more likely are going to stay at Anfield. These two guys have had ample opportunity to explore other options at other clubs, so their decision to stay certainly adds pressure.

Hodgson himself is coming off the biggest moment of his career turning unfancied Fulham into Europa finalists. And his only really big job before this was Inter, where he didn't last long at all. He's got a make a stake to be this club's manager for a long time, and I think he may be motivated enough to do just that.

Anyway, moving on.

2. Man-management, smart financial decisions, and doing what's best for the team. Hodgson is known for being extremely gifted at man-management, and to that end he could be the best of the Big Four clubs at handling the institution of the new Premier League rule that puts a 25 player maximum on each club and that a minimum of 8 of them have to be English.

Hodgson so far added Danny Wilson, who is a very talented young central defender who is more than likely a long term replacement for Jamie Carragher. This probably means that Reds veteran Daniel Agger will be pushed out to the left, where Liverpool are notoriously short. But this was a very cheap, very money concious transfer, and it's exactly what Liverpool needed.

But, I just learned that the Reds are looking at Mexican defender Carlos Salcido from PSV to go to Liverpool to play left back. Great. I love Salcido, he's really good. A problem though: Salcido is also adventerous as hell, and with him and Glen Johnson constantly being out of the barn, who's going to guard the prize horse? And Mascherano won't be around next season to clean up the mess, either. Though I think Hodgson is fully capable of instating some discipline, so maybe we won't see a problem there.

Another one I've heard muttering about is German left back Marcell Jansen, but apparently Hamburg are just having none of that.

Then he added Joe Cole. Cole is going to have to be Hodgson's boy. Wenger had Fabregas (and Thierry Henry), Benitez had Carragher, Sir Alex Ferguson had Giggs, now Hodgson's going to have to have Cole. Cole's raw potential is, apparently, practically bottomless. It's said that his ball skills rival Messi, which I'll still have to see to believe. The attack of Torres, Gerrard, and Cole is potentially so star-studded and powerful, that no one would stand a chance, but it's all theoretical at this point. It's all riding on Cole. He knows it, and I think it will drive him. He's been riding the bench at Stamford Bridge behind Saloman Kalou for three years, I think he's ready for his shot.

Now, speculation is afoot that Hodgson will add Park Chun-Young, the South Korean goal maniac. Chun-Young could be the magic touch for the Reds this season. Let me explain: Hodgson uses a 4-4-2. That "2" in the front means "Torres can't be alone anymore." And I think that's good. I really think that Torres works better when he's splitting time with someone else, he's just that kind of striker. And Chun-Young could be just that "2." This is another example of Hodgson being a money concious manager that still has the best interest of the club in mind.

3. Finally, Hodgson knows how to motivate a team. Liverpool may need a kick in the rear end. I think a lot of their guys are tired, unmotivated, and discouraged. And we're looking at a season that could see a lot of younger guys stepping up for this team, like Aquillani and Wilson. I think Hodgson has the ability to get these young guys to use their heads and really learn how to win.

I think he can also pull Gerrard and Torres up by their boot straps and give recent transfers like Cole a real fighting chance in the starting eleven.

These are my basic indicators as to why Hodgson could be able to drive Liverpool on to win the Premiership.

On Joe Cole: What his move to Liverpool means for the Reds, for himself, and for English football

Before I start breaking down what I think of Joe Cole's move from Chelsea to Liverpool, I think it will help if I give a bit of a background on Cole.

Joe Cole is now 28 years old. He has spent his career in the English Premier League playing mainly for Chelsea, unfortunately, that career was rife with injuries. Cole came into the EPL as one of the most hyped players since Lampard. And by all accounts, he is capable of delivering. Cole's potential is pretty massive, he's got all kinds of skill and the pace to go with it, along with a traditional fighting spirit you would expect of an English national.

At the World Cup, Cole seemed to be one of the brighter points of a dismal English side when he got his chance to play. The problem for Cole has always been staying fit, a scourge of many other potential greats, most recently Fernando Torres.

Now, I'm going to break down what I think of this move.

I have no idea why Liverpool did this. They just spent so many resources keeping attacking midfielder Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and acquiring natural wide midfielder Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid. And they've still got Dirk Kuyt in the starting line-up. Really the only reason I can think of that they would do this is to replace Yossi Benayoun, whom is on is way to Chelsea, so I guess it was what we in America would refer to as a "trade."

But there are other reasons why I don't like this for the Reds. Chief among these reasons is the fact that they've added a player who is infamous for being injury prone to a club side already absolutely devastated by injuries with Torres' fitness again in question after he hurt himself again in the World Cup Final.

It is being said that Joe Cole made this transition because he was promised playing time by new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson. But with the condition that Liverpool is in right now, who's to say how long Hodgson may last as the manager? And even if he was, would you have any difficulty working him in with new signing Rodriguez in the mix? Or even Liverpool stalwart Lucas in the middle? I think not.

This is a major major gamble for me from manager Hodgson, but I do like it for one big reason: Cole is English. Liverpool for me was a club in the EPL that you could particularly pick on for not fielding English national players, so for that, I think this is a good move.

I wish Cole the best of luck, because he without doubt deserves it, but I don't have the highest hopes for this one.