who went 54-28 and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals

Phil Thompson has high hopes of Liverpool finally ending their Premier League trophy drought this season, but says its too early to call them title contenders. The Reds currently sit top of the table but last won Englands top-flight in 1990, and have finished as runners-up three times since the Premier Leagues inception in 1992.Thommo appeared on Sky Sports Now on Wednesday morning to pick his Liverpool runners-up XI, made up of Liverpool stars from 2001/02, 2008/09 and 2013/14, as well as some from Jurgen Klopps current squad... Thommos XI comprises of Sami Hyypia and Michael Owen from 01/02, Pepe Reina and Xabi Alonso from 2008/09, Luis Suarez from 13/14 and Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho (who also played in 13/14) from the current side.Also included are Jamie Carragher who played in 01/02 and 08/09, and Steven Gerrard who featured in all three Liverpool sides that have finished second in the Premier League so far. Steven Gerrard featured in all three Liverpool sides who finished second Thommo believes Liverpools impressive start gives them a chance of glory, but did move to play down expectations.I cant say Liverpool will win the title, he said. Theyve got as good a chance as anybody else but its only 11 games in. Hopefully by the time its 25 games we can sit here and say theres a real chance.Weve done extremely well so far, and its not only great to be top of the league, its also the quality of the football that this side has played which has been truly fantastic to watch. Thommo believes the Liverpool players understand how manager Jurgen Klopp wants to play [Klopp] has had plenty of time now to work on this high pressing and intensity game. They all understand what the manager wants and the signing of [Sadio] Mane has brought that extra pace which the team was lacking up front, hes been nothing short of sensational. [Roberto] Firmino has been truly magnificent as well.People say you need one player who will get you 25 goals and a secondary striker who will get you 15, but this side has players who are all chipping in, and weve also seen goals from the likes of [Jordan] Henderson and [Emre] Can. Its also how many chances theyre creating at times, against Watford they scored six but it could have been far more. Philippe Coutinho (R) has been one of the standout players for Liverpool so far Thommo also reckons that Manchester City and Chelsea, currently second and third in the table, will be Liverpools biggest threats this season.[City are] the best-equipped squad, he said. Ive been impressed with the manager and how hes handled the problems theyve had. I love Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva is great and [they have] Sergio Aguero as well.Chelsea also have a great chance but its a case of whether they get found out somewhere along the line. The one thing for [Antonio] Conte is his big players like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are enjoying their football now whereas they werent last year. Liverpool 6-1 Watford Also See: Cresswells Liverpool rejection Klopp keen to create history Henderson hails world-class trio Liverpool-Chelsea top rankings Cheap Nike Nike Zoom Online .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No. Nike Zoom Cheap Uk . Sources tell TSN that union executives travelled to select CFL cities Monday to open dialogue with players and answer questions. After the tentative deal was reached Saturday night, several players posted messages of frustration and disappointment on social media - and that carried over into Sunday on both the web and the field. http://www.nikezoomoutletuk.com/ .com) - Former foes from the Mountain West Conference battle in the 23rd annual Las Vegas Bowl, as the 23rd-ranked Utah Utes clash with the Colorado State Rams at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday. Wholesale Nike Zoom . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Zoom Wholesale Uk . Whenever United loses, its crisis. When other top teams slip up, its the quirky nature of the Premier League. The predictable reaction speaks to the sky-high expectations for a team proven perennial contender and 13 times Premier League champion.PORTLAND, Ore. - With no picks in this years NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers still made news in offering All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge a maximum contract extension. The offer was confirmed Thursday by a person close to the negotiations who could not comment publicly because the team had not formally announced it. The offer, made to Aldridges representatives last week, was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. Aldridge, in the fifth and final year of a $65 million contract, is set to become a free agent next summer. The Blazers hope to lure him to stay with a five-year, $108 million extension. Aldridge averaged a career-best 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds last season for the Blazers, who went 54-28 and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals before losing to eventual NBA champion San Antonio. The move does not come as a surprise after general manager Neil Olshey emphasized the importance of getting tthe deal with Aldridge done.dddddddddddd "The most important thing is everybody, including LaMarcus, knows hes the number one priority in the organization right now," Olshey said when the season ended. There was talk last summer that Aldridge was interested in entertaining other offers, but as the season drew to a close he said several times that he was happy in Portland. The Blazers have been known in recent years to pull off draft night surprises, but the team was quiet with no picks this season. It was the third time that the Blazers had gone without a selection, but first since 1999. The team surrendered its picks in this years draft because of earlier trades. The No. 24 overall pick went to the Charlotte Hornets as part of a 2011 trade that brought Gerald Wallace to Portland. The No. 56 pick went to the Denver Nuggets in the 2011 trade that sent Andre Miller to the Nuggets. ' ' '