Nah the Henchoz comments were in the questions which Arsenalmania submitted to us and Paul answered. Still the important thing is that it still bugs'em 
My answers for the Gooner site:
Do you think Gerrard will stay beyond this season? Arsenal fans have had
to put up with the repeated possibility of Vieira leaving for Real
Madrid - a depressing chain of speculation which Liverpool had to face
this summer with Gerrard being linked to Chelsea. Now that 'loyalty' in
football has become a dirty word do you think you can really keep hold
of him if success for the team remains elusive?I'm not sure how he could leave now - if he was going to do it, it would have been this summer. I'm sure he is too worried about his credibility in Liverpool to leave the club he loves. He only signed a new long-term deal this time last year, so he needs to at least see out the majority of that.
Unless Liverpool actively look to sell him - perhaps if the club fails to qualify for the Champions League and needs to cash in (but I doubt it) - then I can't see him leaving. However, like Owen before him, I won't expect him to sign another contract - and therefore leave himself in a good position to leave if there's no improvement at Anfield in two or three years. If we improve, he may stay beyond that.
Gerrard's not stupid - he knew Benitez wouldn't turn things around overnight. But he can't have failed to have been impressed with some of the football we've played this season, and I firmly believe he will form the best midfield partnership in the world with Xabi Alonso (a player many in Spain felt Real Madrid should have continued to pursue, ahead of Vieira).
What do Liverpool fans - who had such great sides to watch in the 70s
and 80s - think of the current Arsenal team? Can we ever win the
Champions League and really seal our place in history? What changes
might we make to help us?I can't speak for all Liverpool fans, but personally I am a big admirer of Wenger's side - I'm sure plenty of other Reds admire your lot, too. (Unlike the Graham-era Gunners, who were hard to love, especially as we were such close rivals).
I think Arsenal's problems in Europe are mostly psychological. I think they were clearly the best team in Europe last season, but they didn't go on and prove it once it got to the knock-out stages. Each year it will get harder, as it becomes a millstone - everyone talks about it. I did have sympathy for your club, given that the Chelsea games coincided with other tough games against United. But all clubs have to navigate through those mad fixture jams if they're to succeed.
I also felt that Arsenal were under massive pressure to not let the historic season they were having go to waste - that they were a victim, in terms of pressure, of their own success; whereas, ludicrously, Chelsea were allowed to play the "underdog" card and treat the event like they were a non-league side merely there for the day out. It reminded me of our situation in 1988, when everyone felt we "deserved" the double as testimony to our amazing football, and Wimbledon (a top six side, which people forget) were allowed to approach that FA Cup Final as if they were a Sunday League side - and when there's that much of a gulf in the pressure on the two sides, it can have dramatic results. Underdogs always have the benefit of less pressure.
Teams can get lucky and win the European Cup once; the sign of Liverpool's undoubted greatness was reaching five European Cup finals in nine seasons, and winning four of them.
When will Liverpool become real contenders for the league again?Next season, hopefully. There have been signs that Benitez has improved many aspects of our play, but he is still working mostly with Gerard Houllier's signings - not that they were all bad, but every manager has his own ideas on players he'd want. Benitez has got massive improvements out of players like Djimi Traore and Igor Biscan, but the squad is still very thin in certain areas. Also, Benitez planned to have Owen, Cisse and Baros as his three main strikers this season - Owen left (with no time to find a replacement), Cisse is out for the season, and Baros' hamstring has gone twang just as he moved into double figures for the season.
As much as I think there is depth to Arsenal's squad, I don't think they'd challenge if they sold Henry, lost Reyes for the season and Bergkamp was out for an extended period - while missing Patrick Vieira for a couple of months with a broken foot (as we did Gerrard). Your youth team graduates can play with freedom in the League Cup (as ours are), but coping with Premiership pressure is another matter.
We've also got long-term injuries to key squad players, and have a lot of players out on year-long loans - it would be nice to be able to call the promising Le Tallec back.
Much will depend on who Benitez can bring in over this winter, and next summer - so far he seems a shrewd judge of a player. Luis Garcia has three league goals (and two further ones wrong disallowed), and Xabi Alonso is the best passer we've seen since Jan Molby - and further signings of that quality (and value for money) will be a great help. Nunez, from Real Madrid, is nearing fitness (at long last).
Since Liverpools dominance of English football was broken by Arsenal
(and then usurped by the Mancs) in the late 80's early 90's they haven't
once challenged for the title. Do you think the new manager will change
that, and do you think the Mancs are on the verge of a decade in the
wilderness?What do you define as challenging for the title? We've not won the title, but on a couple of occasions we've been up at the top in the final weeks of the season, only to tail away (2002, when we finished seven points behind Arsenal, and 1997, when a loss to Wimbledon in early May ended our chances). So that's "challenging".
I'd like to see the Mancs in the wilderness, but a lot will depend on whatever new manager they get in, when the time comes. They have the financial might to buy their way out of trouble (like Chelsea), and have already paid over £28m for a player on three separate occasions. (Our record buy remains just £14m).
Personally speaking, if not ourselves I'd rather see Arsenal dominating than United (for obvious reasons) or Chelsea (for the sour taste the bankrolling leaves in the mouth, and Mourinho's arrogance). Arsenal's youth team policy is clearly very special, with gems like Fabregas emerging, and that will help keep you at the top for a few years (as will retaining Wenger).
However, I think there will be four sides competing in the coming seasons - once Benitez sorts us out. He proved at Valencia that he could work on a smaller budget than the 'big boys' and overtake Real and Barca with his skillful and hard-working Valencia side. They hadn't won the title for 31 years when he arrived; in his three years there, they won it twice, and the UEFA Cup. We'll be the outsiders of the four teams next season, but I feel we can at least mount a serious challenge.
Why did you buy Kirkland when you already had Henchoz (ie, did you get
lucky in the 2001 FA Cup Final)?How very droll! Actually, I felt we totally deserved to win that day - inasmuch as we had the striker who didn't freeze on the day; Owen scored from his chances, while Henry fluffed his. There is no better all-round striker in the country (possibly the world) than Thierry Henry, but whenever I've seen him in the biggest possible games, he's never looked anywhere near as assured as he does week-in, week-out. I'd always take Owen over Henry to score in the biggest games, although over the course of a season Henry will do a lot more.
Arsenal were the better team on the day in 2001, but if you don't take your chances you can't expect to win games. As for the Henchoz incident, indeed it was a cracking save. But your boys still took the lead later in the game, and couldn't hold onto it, so you only have yourselves to blame. I've never known a season like this one for major decisions going against Liverpool, so maybe we're paying for that day in terms of karma!
With Arsenal moving to a new stadium and increasing its capacity, do you
think Liverpool will move to a shared stadium with Everton as has been
muted in some quarters? Would you be opposed to such a move?Well, planning permission has been granted for our move a few hundred yards to Stanley Park (legal appeals pending) to a 60,000-seater Anfield, so we are in the same situation as Arsenal (although not moving far from our heritage). In fact, Liverpool will have to follow the Arsenal blueprint - both clubs have similar budgets to work with, so we need to get the best value for our money in the transfer market, and develop our own players/pick up cheap overseas kids.
Everton's many off-the-field problems are their own, and they are welcome to keep them.
Who's departure do you regret more, Fowler or Owen?Owen's, without a doubt, as he left while still young and with plenty to offer. We also didn't get much money for him, but £8m more than we would have a year later. By contrast, £13m for Fowler now looks great business. But both were legends.
Owen scored goals on the counter-attack, but I always felt he'd do even better in a passing side - as looks the case at Real Madrid. As Liverpool became more predictable under Houllier, it meant Owen was too; while we tried to play to his strengths, it was obvious what our tactics were - get it to Owen over the top - and therefore made it harder for him. I believe he would have found his best form again under Benitez, although the one upshot of it all is that it has allowed Milan Baros to step out of his shadow. And Baros is pretty special, too.
Fowler's departure was the most shocking, as he seemed set to stay at Liverpool for life; whereas Owen would always follow his ambition to experience football abroad at some stage. Most Liverpool fans (myself included) loved Fowler more, for a myriad of reasons, but I'd have Owen back in a shot, whereas Fowler's best days are almost certainly behind him. Both left after over 150 goals, and left a lot of good memories.
