£80million Liverpool FC deal

Today Liverpool have announced, as expected, a new shirt sponsor from the 2010-11 season. Standard Chartered Bank have agreed to pay an estimated £20million a year for a four year contract with the Reds. With the transfer window now shut till January Rafa Benitez obviously cannot spend any of the money. The question is, will he be allowed to spend any of the cash when the new window arrives or will he have to wait till the Summer of 2010? Perhaps more pertinently, will he be allowed any of the money at all or will it go to servicing our astronomical debt?

The deal certainly is a positive step for Liverpool as many aspects of the clubs commercial side have been woefully inadequate. You have to say certain people over the last twenty years at the club have sold LFC short commercially, so well done to those at the club who have managed to pull this off. The problem of Tom Hicks and George Gillett still remains. The debt is still significant and the new stadium is still only on the drawing board, with some recent reports suggesting that it might not be ready until 2018. While 'they' are at the club, the future does not look bright, sponsorship deal or no sponsorship deal.

Must win scenario for LFC: Sotirios Kyrgiakos (and the lack of ambition)

Liverpool are already off the pace in the league and we've only played two games so far. Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Man City have started strong and we can't afford to be playing catch up. Tonight's home game with Aston Villa is quite simply a must win for everyone concerned at Anfield. No mercy must be shown and we must go for the jugular with attacking play down the flanks. Benayoun must start and Voronin should not even be on the substitutes bench. A repeat of some of our pedestrian displays of last season cannot be tolerated. Our record against Villa in recent times has been excellent. More of the same is needed tonight.

Onto our recent addition. Our odious owners have stitched Rafa up by giving him relative peanuts to spend on transfers this Summer. One thing a lot of fans hadn't talked a lot about in pre-season was the exit of Hyypia and its implication. Quite frankly now the matter is serious as we look woefully stretched at the back. Of course the likes of Lescott and potentially Upson are ridiculously overpriced and overrated but, surely Hicks and Gillett could have given Benitez more than the reported £2million he was given last week. I'm hoping the new signing of Sotirios Kyrgiakos pays off but it would be a brave man to claim he's fit to replace Sammi Hyypia. A lack of ambition could end up costing much more than £2million. I'm reminded of a saying about peanuts and monkeys...