In an Instagram Post today, she said shed be having time out to get happier again. Ten points clear, two games in hand. 2019 was a year to remember for liverpool fans but 2020 could top that if theyre able to win their First League Title in 30 years. Tonight, they can stretch their lead to 13 points with a win at home to Sheffield United. Well hear from anfield in just a moment, but first Patrick Gearey takes a look at what a year it could be for the red half of liverpool. Once upona once upon a time, this was normal. Predictable, even. Between 1975 and 1990, liverpools trophies and parades came around in a carousel of celebration. Ten league title is up to 15 available, then the party stopped. It has been 30 years since. Liverpools lead at the top now seems beyond any footballing gravity. Nobody can catch these now. We may as well give them the trophy. We cant lose. Its going to be a royal red procession. The man in charge is concerned only with points. We have really to fight with all we have to win football games. We are not the team with every kind of playing the other team pretty much from their own stadium so we have to work and we are ok with that. The caution comes from psychology but also, perhaps, from history. Three times in 11 seasons, liverpool have led at christmas but melted by spring. Six months ago it was steven gerards slip. Wanting moments. If you slips, famously, and a few times when we havent been able to
get over the line sol times when we havent been able to get over the line so i dont think anybody will quite believe until we can see that trophy in their hands. It is undoubtedly looking very, very good for liverpool. Theyve already seen trophies in their captain sanz, of course. Liverpool go to twenty20 as Club Champions of europe and the world, so champions of europe and the world, so why does becoming champions of england when so much . The answer is in ageing but powerful memories. The league title has been a 30 year wait and when i was a very young boy and my dads generation, they are used to winning year after year. For people in liverpool, there was the best football team. We would love to go back to those days. Liverpool might not yet be willing to a cce pt liverpool might not yet be willing to accept their coming crown but they rivals have conceded it. It would take something dramatic to stop the title race becoming
liverpools lap of honour. Conor mcnamara is covering the game for match of the day later he sent us this preview from the ground. Its already been a very good festive period for liverpool. Their lead at the top of the premier league has only strengthened and now people are beginning to turn their attentions towards whether or not the team can go on to become premier league and principles. You have to go back to the 3rd ofjanuary 2019 for the last time liverpool were beaten in a premier league game so as long as they dont lose to Sheffield United tonight, they will com plete Sheffield United tonight, they will complete a full 12 months unbeaten in the top flight. Youve got to go back 50 games here at anfield since the last time liverpool were beaten in the league at home. Watch out. Every clu b in the league at home. Watch out. Every club has complained about the difficult fixture list but for Sheffield United it has been particularly gruelling. Beaten by Manchester City away at the end he had and now they have to go back to
anfield. The players have theirfeet on the ground and theyve had a lot of praise as a newly promoted club. They were brought out to stanley park, the public parkjust outside anfield for their warm up routine and of this game and there was normal park grass and even a local dog tried to get in on the action. An unconventional training method, and well see later on if it has any effect on the performance tonight. Deducted 35 points, and fined over £5 million, the premiership champions saracens have a job on their hands to salvage their season after being found guilty of breaching salary cap regulations. The Club Chairman nigel wray has now retired but said hed continue to support the club financially. Lets get more on this with our rugby correspondent chris jones. Chris, good to see you. What does this mean for him and the club . Its a Big Development because wray
has been mr saracens for the last 25 yea rs, has been mr saracens for the last 25 years, buying the whole move into the professional era. His reputation and the reputation of the club has been battered by the salary cap scandal. We have seen wray not travel to away games because there are suggestions he wont be welcomed by opposition boardrooms and funds. This has taken its toll and even though in statement wray says twe nty20 though in statement wray says twenty20 is time to move on with a fresh start, he decided to step down as chairman so soon after one of the biggest scandals in club history. Is this really a pr effort to deflect attention from the club . Ever since the start of november when this came out, saracens have been trying to move on. They said they were considering a review of they were considering a review of the findings and then they decided
not to do that though they copped the punishment and find and accepted it. The exeter director of by accepted it. The exeter director of rugby was again critical of saracens the other day and the way they had spoken up against saracens and betrayed them as the bad guys. I wonder if this is wrays way of saying, i dont want the players and staff being tarnished by this and i will stand down and move away from the day to day running of the club and saracens can move on. This will bea and saracens can move on. This will be a club thats going to exist for the whole season and people want to see whether saracens are taking any steps to be under the salary cap Going Forward over the course of the season. The big talking point. What do you think this move means for wrays legacy . Fascinating question because of a 25 yea rs fascinating question because of a 25 years hes been at the heartbeat of the club game and european and english rugby as a whole. He has
given so much and without benefactors like mac, english professional clu b benefactors like mac, english professional club rugby wouldnt exist in its current form. On one hand his legacy will be that of a man who has transformed english club by man who has transformed english club rugby but on the other, people will look at the scandal and question whether what saracens has done has been fairand whether what saracens has done has been fair and legal and above board. As you would expect, this news today has split opinion and even though his legacy will be tarnished and affected by what has happened with the salary cap, he will also be remembered as a man who has given a huge amount to saracens and english by huge amount to saracens and english rugby in general. Chris, thank you very much. Thats all from sportsday. Well have more throughout the evening. Now the rspca are searching for a home for a dog thats been abandoned in a church in blackpool with a note from its owner saying im so, so sorry. The dog, authorities have named cracker, was found before christmas. Its previous owner left a note saying their decision to abandon cracker was not taken easily. Mark edwardson went along to meet the dog. Yes, meet cracker. A year old staffordshi re yes, meet cracker. A year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier and you can see, he is placid and well kept and a little bit chubby. Currently looking after him is well from the rspca. Tell us what happened to cracker . I was called a couple of weeks ago toa i was called a couple of weeks ago to a church in blackpool where u nfortu nately to a church in blackpool where unfortunately cracker had been found by staff in the morning, tied to the altar in the church. When they went and got him they found a rather sad note attached to his collar that just explained that the previous owner was in a very difficult time
in their life and they were going to struggle to keep them, and they were worried that if they did so, he would end up on the streets with them. Having read this, the church got in touch with us and i went down and went to see cracker. It was clear that he had been through a bit ofa time clear that he had been through a bit of a time but with a bit of coaxing he came with me and got into the van and we had him for a couple of weeks now, coming out of his shell a fair bit. It sounds to me like his previous owner was quite a caring person to have left him in a secure place with a note explaining why. I guess what youre trying to do now is find someone equally caring to look after him in the future . Ido him in the future . I do have sympathy with the owner, it does sound like she was doing. They were doing what they felt was best. I would say if they are out there and they do want to get in touch, we will more than happily speak to them about how we can maybe best to help them and cracker going
forward but if we dont get any further contact we will look to get cracker a new home. He will get his literary bits and pieces that he needs before he needs to go and then hopefully we will find the money to give him a loving home. Ijust wish i was that person. Back to you. Hopefully a new home on the way. Lets have a look at the weather forecast. It was quite mad for the time of year today with temperatures widely in double figures but there was a fairamount of in double figures but there was a fair amount of cloud around. This photo sent in by someone from staffordshire. More in the way of sometime tomorrow, but without a noticeable dip in temperatures. We see the drop in temperature starting to feed in as we go through tonight. These two weather fronts think their way gradually south and east, bringing a spell of rain and cloud
and opening the doors to fresher air from the north and west. As we go through tonight we will see cloud and outbreaks of rain, gradually spreading south across england and wales. Clear spells feeding in towards the north and a couple of showers. The winds tending to fall lighter than we seen throughout the day although there is potential for gales across the Northern Isles and marked difference in temperatures. Temperature is really dipping away but holding up where we have the cloud across the south. A mile start to the day on friday across southern parts of england with clouds and patchy rain. That was clear towards the south and east and plenty of sunshine across the board. A scattering of showers feeding in from the north west, wintry over high ground or lower levels, and with temperatures noticeably cooler than we have seen today with highs of around nine celsius. Temperatures dipping away across the south after
a cloudy start. Into the weekend High Pressure takes charge and plenty of dry weather the further south you are. The best of the brightness in the southeast with more cloud as you head further north and the potential for some outbreaks of rainfor and the potential for some outbreaks of rain for northern parts of scotland. The temperatures on saturday not doing too badly. A maximum of nine or 10 celsius. Not a great deal of change on the way as we move into sunday with High Pressure remaining in charge across the south. This weather front towards the north bringing outbreaks of rainfor towards the north bringing outbreaks of rain for parts of scotland, perhaps feeding into Northern Ireland and more in the way of cloud in the north. Brighter spells with the best of them in southern and eastern areas. Temperatures fairly similarto eastern areas. Temperatures fairly similar to what we are looking at on saturday with a maximum of around ten or 11 celsius. Youre watching beyond one hundred days. Hundreds more american soldiers are on their way to the middle east after protestors stormed the us embassy in baghdad. The violence marks a new turn in the standoff between washington and iran. The us defence secretary says america will do what it takes to protect its interests in the region. Enoughis enough is enough. This is part of arounds malign behaviour that they have been spreading across the region and into afghanistan now, for 40 years. With one month to go until the first 2020 election contest in iowa its donald trump who is raising alot more money than his democratic opponents