A very sad day for Liverpool FC. This is not the Liverpool way of doing things! Gracias, Senor Rafa. You’ll Never Walk Alone!

Unless King Kenny takes over, I wonder what’s gonna happen to the academy Rafa was building! He has been instilling the Shankly Spirit and with the peanuts these Yank bastards were providing him during the summer, the best way forward was to build the academy where players can be groomed and not bought at inlated prices! But these dicks just cudn’t wait till the fruit ripes, cud they? I dread seeing my beloved Liverpool FC do a Leeds United! IN GOD WE TRUST!

And Rafa, thanks for Istanbul 2005 especially .. One of the greatest part of my life as a Liverpool die hard!

I don’t think kenny is the answer we need a modern coach to take us forward.

My ist choice would be rafa but obviously thats not going to happen.

All my other choices are not available.When people talk about hodgeson i would suggest that he’s had a lot more bad seasons than rafa over the years.If he was a young manager i could understand but he’s in his sixties for christ sakes no more than a stopgap in my opinion.Martin o,neill will probably get it not my ist choice but probablly not the end of the world.

My ist choice would be frank rijkaard he probably won’t be interested but of the managers available he would be my preferred choice and having been at barca would be someone the spanish players and coaching staff could relate to.

Which would hopefully mean less upheaval.

PS looking at our goals conceded record in the EPL 35 goals out of 38 matches is not bad we just needed more goals at the other end.

IE 1 more class striker last season and thing would have been different and you have to think rafa wanted to replace keane but was not allowed by the money men.

Who are now trying to blame him for the poor performance last season.

How the fuck are they getting away with it.

I do think some supporters beleive what the sky sports and other pundits spout.

Even Hansen who is my favourite pundit saying the next manager will inherit a worst squad than rafa did.What is he smoking

Rafamuffin, but could you please change your avatar from Hiddink to something else. I am probably out of place here, but why let a bad habit ruin a perfectly good blog.

Sorry for derailing the blog Gerry!

Gerry, thanks again for all your hard work throughout this most trying of seasons/summers!

Thommo has been unusual in that he has been a voice of reason amongst the ex-players. He has spoke out well against the Leeches. For that reason he isn;t the yes-man they’re going to appoint and I don’t think he’ll get a look in.

I’m with Muffin – I want Rafa back…

Is he available?

Sorry lurgan i was pissing about with my profile yesterday and i thought i could change it back straightaway but it seems to take a day to change back i was hoping no one would notice sorry all

No worries Mr Muffin.

Hi Gerry. I left a comment in the last blog. I was going to leave it at that, but having read this blog, I want to comment…
Firstly mate, there is no one to replace Rafa.

I know you’re gutted that he’s gone, and I understand that you, like all of us, have to look to the future – it’s not a pretty picture.

For 2 years we were warned by SOS. I spent far longer in here doing the same thing. Well, it’s come to pass now. And a quick look through the managerial prospects should be enough to tell even the biggest of Rafa haters/doubters, that we were right.

I haven’t came in here to say I told you so though. The good amongst you knew anyway, and the idiots, well, I can’t even be arsed with them. As far as I’m concerned they are every bit as culpable as H&G, Purslow, Bought-man, and the media. But I would like them to ask themselves this…
Why has Liverpool FC – a club famous for not sacking manager’s, even bad ones just sacked the most successful manager we’ve had in 20 years, even though the large majority of the fans wanted him to stay?

Well go on then geniuses… why?

Well I’ll tell you fuckin why… H&G have now removed the last obstacle in their way – at least the only one with any real clout anyway.

Some of us will not lie down. There are things being done. But the one man we had on the inside, the one man who was able to fight them, has no been removed… I hope you’re happy now. But how long before you call for MON’s head when he is jumping up and down like a monkey on a stick because his long ball team have just been beaten again?

Footballing reasons my arse. Rafa was removed for one single reason… H&G are now free to do whatever they want to the club with no whistle blower there to alert us to what is going on.

For god’s sake think…
Bought-man installed to only oversee the sale of the club, offers Rafa Benitez 6 million to leave.

Yes. Rafa wasn’t sacked. We paid him to leave. That’s right. We paid a coach to leave when most of Europe’s top clubs want to give him a fortune to join.

Why?

Why did Bought-man – the Chelsea season ticket holder – fire the bullets?

Well, if you think back as soon as Rafa went on holiday, Boughtman was in all the papers advising Torres that he should leave as it would probably take years to sell the club and get it back on track.

Which no doubt it will, especially with a cunt, a failed cunt an all, working one day a week to sell it.

As for Purse-low… do you know it was him that leaked the “news” to the media – and not only the media, but his mate Bascombe at the News Of The World, or as it’s known in Liverpool – The Sunday Sun.

Make no bones about it, these 2 creatures of the night were brought into LFC with one remit… get shot of Rafa Benitez.

You think I’m talking bollacks… how much did Rafa have to fight them for just to bring in a centre back before the transfer window shut…
Yep. 1 and a half paltry fuckin pound.

But at least we had a manager who was prepared to fight them for it. What now?

Well, that’s that… Hicks, Gillette, Purslow and Bought-man hire who the fuck they want and set about asset stripping.

Far fetched… Boughtman has already pretty much told Torres to join Chelsea, and while he was at it, informed the rest of them that the ship was about to sink and they should jump for the life boats before they were all gone.

So don’t be wondering when it’s all going to start going down the shitter… it already has. It started as soon as that pair of bastards turned up waving dollars in the air and saying bollacks about spades in grounds and Snoogy Doogy. You’ve been warned for at least 2 years what was happening and where it was going. Some of you just stuck your head in the sand and nodded along as Ronnie Whelan and the likes conducted you.

I feel really sorry for the good lads in here, like I feel sorry for myself, my mates, family and all other good reds. As for the rest of you…

Well out of respect for Gerry and the other good lads I’ll leave that alone and just say… it’s not all total dispair.

There are things being worked on. And it’s not boycotts or anything like that. They’d never work with the amount of morons we have following us nowadays. But there are good things that clever people are working on. I can’t say too much, but I’d just like to reassure the decent reds in here that there is some people, people far smarter than me, proffesional people, lawyers, bankers and so on, working on things that could still save the little we have left.

Sadly that proved far too late for Rafa. And that’s a crying shame. I for one, know that he nearly did it, despite all the shite, he had us back to the brink of greatness. And I will always be grateful to him for what he did. I will miss him terribly, and the likes of you bastards who helped Hicks and Gillette stab him in the back… well, decency alone stops me from me saying what I really think of you moronic traitorous bastards.

Usted nunca andara solo, Rafa la’.

FS, is there anyway I can help out here? Do you have a private email where I can contact you at?

Yours fucked off, and angry,
Lurgankop

-o-
Yes. Rafa wasn’t sacked. We paid him to leave. That’s right. We paid a coach to leave when most of Europe’s top clubs want to give him a fortune to join.

Why?
-o-

Also why did H&G spend our entire summer transfer budget on getting rid of the best manager that we have had for the past 25 years. Maybe it makes sense to some of you but not me!

On top of this they wait until Rafa is on vacation until announcing the ‘boards’ decision. Getting angrier by the second.

Maybe some of you think I am a tit, but I can see a foreign deadly force coming my way when I see one. I spent my youth in Northern Ireland and these two fuckers need knee-capped!

Right lads ive not read the comments nor the blog as ive just come back from sunning myself in the Dales ( no TV/phone signal or newspapers ) and ive just found out whats gone on, in the last hour and my gut instinct is telling me the Liverpool Way as just been replaced with the Leeds Way or Newcastle Way if we’re lucky .
G&H and a Chav fan running the show with purslow and Ayres raking it in for them.
My only hope is Kenny can hold the fort untill new owners are found.

YNWA

PS To all those backstabbing b*stards who have aided and abetted the Media and G&H with there little vendetta’s on the forums and phone ins
GO F*CK YOURSELVES

Ok lads time for some reflection, lets remember when Ged went, we thought the world was ending, then along comes Rafa. We always rise.
.
So the situation is we have lost our manager.

1. He was lucky enough to manage the greatest team in the world.
2. He had a lucrative contract.
3. Adoring fans.
4. Left with a golden handshake.
5. Sitting back on a beach waiting for countless offers to arrive. (and they will).
.
Football management is not a long term one job prospect, he and every other manager knows that.
.
Maybe Carra’s rant about not wanting to be in the club, go elsewhere, etc, was aimed at players and management alike. I though since Christmas Rafa has managed like SG played, almost disinterested.
.
Maybe his time was up, who knows, but the issue for the hysteria is the two fucksticks, they are the problem.
.
Also large portion of fan clammering for King Kenny to take the reigns, my thoughts on this, if King Kenny truely thinks the Liverpool Way has been shafted, he should walk out of the club in support of Rafa.
.
Otherwise if he’s prepared to assist the Yanks, then he must have agreed with the outcome. If he then becomes their mouth piece what history and standing he has will be destroyed. (Don’t do it Kenny).
.
Indeed Gerry this is a sad time for our club, but it will eventually turn around and all this will be fabric in our history.
.
And before I get slated, I’m not a traitor, for fuck sake I don’t even own a Torres Shirt, I’ve abided by a self imposed boycott since they took over. I’m am trying to be positive about our future.

As the new blog is up, I’m gonna put my response here to Digger’s unprovoked personal swipe at #149 in the last blog.

Digger, what the fuck is your problem? What else can you suggest on bringing the club back? Are you going to personally buy the club and pay off the debts yourself? Exactly.

I take great offense in your personal dig at me out of the blue just for me voicing my sentiments and I demand an apology at once. I am also formally lodging a complaint against you to Gerry until you do so.

PS Thanks for defending me, FS.

An unusual source for a cut & paste from RAWK:

http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/channel/Leadership/news/1007950/no-rid-manager/

No way to get rid of a manager

Date: 04-Jun-10

“As Liverpool’s treatment of Rafael Benitez shows, the normal rules of business just don’t apply in football.

Top-level football is big business these days – the playground of oligarchs, billionaire oil sheiks, and international financiers. Yet the normal rules of business still don’t seem to apply. The latest in a long list of examples of how not to treat your manager comes from Liverpool, where Rafael Benitez has just been ousted after a long and very public row with his paymasters. If PLCs are ever worried about the shortcomings of their own governance, one look at the likes of Liverpool should be enough to show them what a dysfunctional boardroom really looks like…
Click here to find out more!

It’s not so much the fact that Benitez is out of a job. In football, more than in most organisations, managers are accountable for a team’s performance – so after a relatively disastrous season, in which Liverpool won nothing and finished in their lowest league position for over a decade, there was a decent argument for a change at the top. What really grates is the way this unedifying saga has been played out in the press over the last year or so, with both sides apparently briefing journalists off-the-record and using the media to get their story across – rather than just talking to each other, as they do in normal organisations.

To be fair, Benitez has been just as guilty of this as the club’s much-reviled owners, US financiers Tom Hicks and George Gillett (who are doing their level best to undermine the ‘special relationship’, at least on Merseyside). But this week’s endgame – it emerged yesterday morning that Benitez had been offered a £3m severance package to quit, effectively making his position untenable – was still a shoddy and undignified way to force out a manager who remains popular with many Liverpool fans (unlike the owners, the MD, and their new Chelsea-supporting chairman, BA’s Martin Broughton).

Sometimes, managers have to be moved on. It’s not a nice situation, and it’s difficult for all concerned, so it needs to be dealt with quickly, professionally and in a way that respects the dignity of the leaver. That’s particularly true if you’re an organisation that prides itself on doing its business behind closed doors, in a decent and low-profile manner, as Liverpool does (this is what fans of the club often call proudly ‘The Liverpool Way’). The handling of this situation couldn’t be further removed from that.

We’re not exactly surprised (even financially, different rules seem to apply to football – during the recent collapse of Portsmouth, it emerged that the club continued paying seven-figure wages to its players while reneging on commitments to the taxman and local charities). And, not least because of his rumoured £6m pay-off, Benitez isn’t entirely a victim here. But it’s still no way to run an organisation, of any stripe. We’re going to send Messrs Broughton and Purslow a copy of our new book ‘The Management Masterclass’, and offer them a special discounted rate on the MT/ Mindgym Masterclass training course

Being a non football site, I can forgive them a few popular press induced errors in there. I love the ending though.
Too fecking right”

ps FS you’re a legend!

And Brian Reade has an excellent piece:

“Rafa Benitez was many things at Liverpool but unlike every manager since Kenny Dalglish, he was not a failure. Indeed a majority of Liverpudlians will remember him as a legend.

Because like Bill Shankly, on more days and nights than those expert pundits ever care to recall, he made the people happy.”

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-reade/Why-Rafa-Benitez-leaves-Liverpool-as-a-legend-not-the-failure-his-history-rewriting-critics-insist-The-Brian-Reade-Column-article448527.html

Morning Gents, I’m here now to make an appeal… if you are angry about this go to the SOS site and join. Whether you believe in SOS or not, it’s all we really have. Even if you think you can’t help because you live thousands of miles away – join.

We need the numbers. There is a reason for this, but I can’t divulge why. It will become clear within the month, and if you don’t do it you could be left feeling something like most of us do right now… if only we’d done something, this mightn’t have happened. It’s only a tenner. You wouldn’t think twice about spending that on going to watch a match or buying a shirt… well, do something far more important, and add your weight to something that might just drive the yanks out.

Us normal everyday fans are doing plenty of things to highlight our plight and show the owners up for exactly what they are. I’m involved in several things personally… there’ll soon be an anti-H&G single available on i-tunes. A mate of mine and his band are recording it and if we get enough people to buy it on i-tunes (which is only a few thousand nowadays) it will end up in the charts meaning radio stations will have to play it. It’s actually a great tune, an hopefully you’ll be hearing it a lot on the kop next season.

And keep an eye out at the World Cup. We’ve got lads taking anti-G&H banners to all England games. And I’ve got some New York reds who will hang them at the US’s games. But these things are water off a duck’s back to Tom and George. Make no bones, these people are from a sub-human branch of human beings that have no normal sense of decency. They are blood sucking venture capitalist parasites of the worst kind. They don’t care what they do. They would eat your children if they thought it would bring them another dollar.

But there is a loophole. I can’t say too much, but it is getting investigated, and if it’s possible legal means will be used to drive them from the club. For this to happen we need numbers. I can’t explain why. But, well, I’ve been warning you for years. Don’t be looking back on this in 12 months time and thinking, If only I’d…

So, there you go balls in your court.

I can see from comments in the last blog, and (Sorry Gaz) some in this one that people are still burying their heads in the sand.

I know some of you (Gaz and so on) are just trying to be positive and hope for the best. The other idiots, well, they aided and abbetted H&G all along, and they’ve now got their way. And they probably never will learn. I wouldn’t be arsed asking for an appology Kinny. These people don’t even appologise for what they’ve done to the club. I’d just forget and ignore them.

As for decent people who are just trying to look on the brightside… there is no brightside. There is one chance though… join SOS.

It’s okay saying LFC will rise again… believe me, if we don’t drive them out, it may never get back.

People go on about Bill and Bob leaving and the club surviving… they left the club in the hands of good people who cared, competent people who knew what they was doing.

Times have changed. And believe me, if Tom and George drag this club down to the depths they will if we don’t shift them… LFC may never recover.

People say no one is bigger than the club… bollacks. It’s a nice soundbite, it’s a good way of reassuring ourselves that it will all be okay. But it’s bollacks… Tom and George are now far far bigger than the club. The club is at their mercy and they are wringing every single last penny they can get from it… it might aswell be it’s life blood.

So this isn’t about Rafa. You all know how much I loved the man and, far more importantly, rated him as a manager. But it’s past that now. Yes. It’s really sad. And Kinny, I shed a tear too. I know thousands of grown men who did… why. Because we love the club, but yes we also loved Rafa. We knew he was one of us. We knew he got it. From the day he walked in the alehouse and bought us a drink we knew he had it… he was/is one of us. We don’t let our own get treated in this way, and people who don’t understand this really aren’t one of us.

If you want to read a bit about the truth of Rafa’s legacy, here’s about the best thing you will find in the media…
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-reade/Why-Rafa-Benitez-leaves-Liverpool-as-a-legend-not-the-failure-his-history-rewriting-critics-insist-The-Brian-Reade-Column-article448527.html

Brian Reade is a national journalist, but he’s also a good match going kopite. Sadly, he’s also employed by the club. So he can’t come out with the truth…
And the truth is, we are fucked.

I hope none of you have taken offence at any of this. I’ve already had my swipe at the fools. I won’t bother again. Now they have helped complete the damage they started I have no time for them whatsoever. I hate them, and I always will. I will hold them just as responsible as Moores, Parry, H&G, Purslow and Boughtman… they are just as guilty. They may still turn out to be the people that killed LFC. But I won’t waste anymore time on them.

But for all other reds I have one message… join SOS. Don’t sit on your hands being optimistic, looking on the bright side and hoping for the best.

If we don’t do something, this club is going to die a slow lingering death until Tom and George disappear probably carrying the last of the furniture with them. Don’t believe a word they say…
In fact, where are they?
We all know the gargoyle has learnt to keep his head down and do his damage in hiding.
But what’s happened to the other fat twat?
Normally he can’t help himself. At the slightest chance the fat kunt is there, in front of his fire, telling us how much he loves the club, and how well off we are, and what he’s going to spend on us.

Well, where is he know when we’d like to hear why he done this to Roffa?

FFS lads please don’t be conned again.

Rafa has been sacked for one reason only.

Hansen might tell you it’s for assembling the worst squad in 500 years.
13 players going to the world cup sort of contradicts that.
In fact, every myth, every lie, every snide report in the papers/telly/radio, and even the shite spouted by our own “Support” is easily proved wrong…
Gerry mentioned rotation and zonal marking as how they first set about Rafa. That’s true.
What they forget to add to it nowadays… both things are now used by all top clubs, but not a word is said how Rafa was the inevator behind these systems.

So like I said earlier… we have just paid a coach to leave when most of Europe’s top clubs, at one time or another, have offered him a fortune to join.

Yes. Gaz, there is no doubt Rafa will walk into another top job. He will do more than survive. I’m not so sure about us lot though as a club.

So ffs get off your arses, do something to fight back. Join the union. It’s your union. It’s your voice in all this and your only weapon. It costs a tenner. You would spend that on dinner and not blink. Get in it now before it’s too late.

Thanks Mc, but I’m actually a bit of a knob. But anyway, popped back into say… when the tune comes out, all money from sales will be getting donated to SOS and HJC.

Just wanted to make that plain… there’s no profiteering on this side.

(Fuckinell I’ve been in here a lot for someone who’d given up and was determined to not come back.)

Good to see you back here FS.

And good on you other lads for fighting (Aitch etc, you know who you are)

Ive just signed up at SOS.

Let me know when the itunes song comes out, ill buy it and get all me mates onto it

Union member #516

Went to a North Wales supporters club event last night where Phil Thompson & Roy Evans were the guest speakers.

In the Q & A session, after Thommo and Roy had both spoken very passionately about their playing/management stints at LFC the question was asked to Thommo what he felt about the present situation. He had no hesitancy in slagging the two “Clowns” that are currently controlling are football club and referring to the SOS forms that had been placed on every table offered his full backing to the union and encouraged people attending last nights event to sign up to speed up the removal of the “clowns” from our club.

He also went on to say that apart from Aldo & Digger, who have spoken out publicly that a majority of ex-players are currently employed by the club in some shape or form and it is there only source of income so are having to bite their tongues but they want rid of this cancer in our club as much as any supporters.

Keep up the good work FS and how much support has the July the 4th march to Stanley Park currently showing. Is this something the union is backing, encouraging?

Thanks for a lot of good times Rafa.

I’ve signed up to SOS as per your advise FS. I sure hope what you’ve suggested works.

Alright, Digger, I won’t ask for an apology as FS has advised (but my complaint to Gerry still stands), but you’re absolutely FUCKING DELUDED if you think everything is gonna be rosy from here on as long as those two goons are here.

Signed-up to the union yesterday FS. Looking forward to working with ye.

However, don’t abandon kopblog. You are needed more than ever to get rid of the cancer that is ruining our once great club – yes past tense.

Also, ditched the LFC.TV membership as well and I encourage like-minded LFC supporters to do the same and put an appropriate comment whilst doing so.

Yanks Out!

From the Union:

http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Tom,-George,-and-the-Two-Bankers-_-Go-Now!.html

I’m also signing up for the union. Have been considering it for a long time, but haven’t been sure about it since I’m from a different part of Europe. FS has convinced me it’s well worth my time and money to join.

And please FS, stay on here and supply us with your thoughts on everything surrounding the club. Just ignore what the traitorous bastards say and don’t let the rest of us loose out on your insights. It would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, did any of you supply a farewell message to Rafa via the Tomkins Times? I wrote a message there and at least it gives me some relief to know Rafa will read it and remember there were a lot of supporters who wanted him to stay and appreciated all he did for the club.

as ever FS i take onboard everything your saying about the yanks and im joing the union to get rid of the yanks (i dont agree with everything the union does but its the best we’ve got for now) but as for the rest of ye brandishing everyone who thinks rafa had taken us as far as he can “fucking idiots” “morons” and “traitors” its obvious that torres, gerrard and mash were not on his side anymore as some of us idiots and morons suggested in december and were shouted down for saying as much well after listning to FS i try ed to stay out of the manager debate until i seen were we ended up FFS we were awful and finished 7th why did that happen with the team we have? because the players were not playing for the manager where are they now? are they coming out in defence of the manager? no there not so the reason he’s gone is because it became a choice between rafa or the top players do you think those players should have been got rid of or the manager should?

just seen mashes comments!! fuck sake you’se are right i am a fucking moron and quit possibly a 1st class idiot (im not a traitor though)
i still want to see what nando and stevie has to say.

guinnessdrinker

Do you have any kind of evidence to support your hypothesis that the board had to choose between the manager and the top players? It does seem a bit like a false dilemma to me. From what I’ve gathered of late I would consider it much more likely that they had to get rid of Rafa in order to sell off some of our stars and presumably use that money to pay off some debt.

fair enough sachem that may well be true but you have to say it is odd that stevie and nando our two “superstars” and come to think of it carra have said absolutely nowt about rafa going. if they come out and say what pep and as i’ve just read what masch have said well then i’ll know for sure that he had’nt lost the dressing room or at least a large chunk of it. which to my mind is why we were so so painfully shite last season.

Referring back to Phil Thompson he stated last night that if Benitez had stayed it was his feeling that Gerrard & Torres would have both left the club. He is now hoping that Kenny will be able to influence at least Gerrard if not the both of them!!

Nice one Gerry “the guy has had more knives in his back then Julius Caesar ” the thing is all those senators who stabbed Caesar got paid back in full. So how long will we have to wait for a Octavian Augustus to settle some scores and get rid of the board?
As for Kenny or Thommo taking over at least they’ll fight tooth and nail to protect LFC
Dougle Sorry for your loss mate
FS Good to see you back wish it was under better circumstances.
Digger you mention Leeds fans in the last blog i know about a hundred Leeds fans who’d disagree with you. and while your away this weekend i hope it rains and you go on a “whitey” :]
YNWA

Gutted!! I can’t sleep these days, and find myself snapping at my loved ones. I want to thanks Rafa for everything he did and tried to do for Liverpool FC and its fans. ‘You will walk on’ with all our best wishes and continued support.
The hope was dying in my heart, but thanks to FS I have somewhere to channel my efforts and also hang on to a glimmer of hope. I’m off to join the Union.

Thanks Rafa for everything. You always were too classy for the club management and media. You didn’t deserve the crap the club put you in. You will always remain a true Kop legend in my book. YN(Ever)WA(Ever)!

Decstarr, it’s been the same for me. I find that I’ve been snapping rudely at strangers as well for the most trivial of matters lately, because I’m just mentally exhausted from all this injustice.

I find it ironic that this injustice takes place on the anniversary of another injustice, the Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing in 1989.

Of course, the Betrayal of Rafa pales insignificantly in comparison as it involves massive loss of human lives, however, both these injustices have made a rather huge hole in my heart for me.

Guiness Drinker: excuse the crudity, but let’s put this into the easiest terms I can…
If two men gained entrance to your home under false pretences, raped your bird and stole all your money… would you pay them to stay there and keep doing it?

I know what I would do… I would fight them off.

Now as I said earlier, I had my say on the idiots and traitors, and I’d like to leave it at that. I warned them since the Klinsamann affair. SOS has been warning them for 2 years, they carried it on to the bitter end and they aided and abbetted the 2 burglars/rapists/thieves.

I think that’s enough time wasted on fools and traitors, but do you really want to be amongst them?

I’m sorry mate, I don’t want to insult you. If I did I would come straight out with it. But the thing is, if you look at the posts/opinions of the idiots, it’s easy to see how these opinions were formed.

They’ll scream until they are blue in the face, that they come up with all this genius logic themselves when it’s plain for all to see that they are nothing but the moronic outpourings that we are force fed on a daily basis by the media.

So onto the media, and the gossip of senior players not backing Rafa…
I know a lot more than I’m able to say right now, but let’s put it this way… yes. There was a bit of smoke to that fire.

It’s not the blaze the media would like you to think it is. In fact, it’s basically 2 players. Take your pick. I’m not divulging names. But put it this way… one of them that you are naming isn’t one of them.

However, Mr Boughtman is doing his best to persuade him to join Chelsea. He even went as far as to suggest it in public through the media.

There’s a lot I could say, but I’m going to ask you something…
Why do you think most match going, long standing reds are gutted at the sacking of Rafa?

Do you think, we are blindly backing the man. Or do you think there might be some chance that we are telling the truth…
We have just lost our only ally on the inside. The only one with any real clout inside the set up.

To be honest, in a way I’m quite relieved for Rafa. This was obviously taking a toll on the man’s health. God only knows how badly it was affecting his lovely wife and daughters.

And yes, I use the word lovely on purpose but not just for affect… Montse was a well loved figure in Liverpool. She done some great work for local charities and she will be sadly missed in a community that could do with more good people like her and her husband.

However, they are gone now… just like Gerry said with more knives in their backs than Julius Ceasar…
are you that surprised that one or two of them are from young, uneducated, spoilt, rich young men who happen to believe the media – and the hype they give them?

Wake up mate… if you have any interest in keeping this club where it belongs, you will do the only things you can… join the union, and take part in anything else you can.

I will keep popping in here from time to time as we need the help of all good reds. I will be asking some of you lads to do just that.

Don’t worry…
It won’t be anything major. It won’t cost you anything, or even take up much of your time… And let’s face it, spending a few minutes trying to help save something you love is time far better spent than bollocking fools – no matter how enjoyable that is from time to time.

I know there’s loads of you who will jump right on it, Lurgan, Aitch, Keith, my old friend Knight and too many others to mention. And I know there’s some who will question it…
Think back to the ding dongs me and LB used to have. But it wasn’t because the man is a fool or traitor… quite the opposite.
In fact, what he did was rather smart. He always took time to question things first and then made his mind up.

Well, I haven’t looked at LB’s posts since god knows when. I can imagine them though… yep. A good old moan about the footy we endured last season. A good old moan about tactics, teams, formations and substitutions. I dare say, he even had a good old moan up about a winger and a striker – even though we couldn’t afford them.

But I bet you one thing else… at the end of the day, even if the lad had lost all faith in Rafa, I still bet he knows exactly where the blame for this situation belongs… Guiness Drinker, Gaz, I’d like to think of you as lads who are just thinking things over, but I hope you come to the right conclusion.

Sorry to speak for you LB, but you’re the best example I could think of in this blog.

Anyway, you may think Traitor is a very harsh word to use for the others. And to be honest, even I don’t think they deliberately set out to help do the damage that’s been done. But when you continually stab someone in the back – someone who is on your side fighting your cause – then I’m sorry… to me that’s the definition of a traitor.

Lastly there’s those who just won’t get it.. The Fools. I can almost forgive them. They know no better. But why did they refuse to learn? And why do they still not see what’s going on. So, no. Sorry, I have no sympathy for them. They’d probably pack the money up in a bag for H&G while they continued to screw their bird.

So, I hope I have explained that clearly enough. There’s only two sides to the fence. You can be on one or the other or sit on the middle. But when my grandkids learn of all this and asked me what I did about it… I can look them in the eye and say the little and best I could.

And I’m really sorry to be nagging. I can remember laughing and joking in this blog. But I haven’t the time to keep doing this over and over.

Nevermind Rafa, I’m about to get the sack myself. I’m doing this practically 24/7 and it’s not going down too well with Missus FS, the grandkids or the dog. In fact, I’m just about to take them all out to dinner and go for a nice long walk.

But I’ll be back when I have some more news. I’ll also be back with a list of things you can do. Obviously with us all being scattered to the 4 winds, some won’t be able to do somethings. But that doesn’t matter… if we all do the little we can, everything will get done.

But as for the Rafa discussions, you all know what I think of the man…
but he’s gone now. It’s over. I’m very saddend by that, and I probably will be thinking “if only” for the rest of my life. But this has got nothing to do with Rafa or how disgracefully he was treated. It’s about what is happening to your club and whether you are going to stand idly by, arguing over things that don’t really matter, and so let it happen without putting up a fight.

FS im fully behind whatever you and the local support need to do to get rid of the parasites. im looking at the sacking of the manager in pure footballing terms, team performance and attitude but look its been done a billion times i think its fair to say whatever anyones opinion on the manager is the real fight is with the owners. im off to see one night in istanbul tonight id say it’ll be a strange atmosphere but im gonna join the union while im there. surly some sos members around, and ill do whatever else is asked of me as a supporter of the club and the city.(not of individuals)

hi guys, i wish i could join the sos right now but unfortunately due to some financial reasons i can’t do it till next week. Hope it won’t be too late.
I’m a bit surprised that the likes of Gerrard and Carra haven’t got time to comment about the situation.It’s clear that the England cause is more important to them than the club, which made them what they are today.
I’ve been reading for a while Gerrard quoting that he will play anywhere for England and Carra hailing Capello as the greatest. But the same Gerrard when deployed in a different position for Liverpool kept on moaning.

#34 Good man.
#35 It’s never too late.

One of the things that makes me smile, in a wry fashion, is the love in for Capello, the stubborn disciplinarian, the man who plays people out of position, the man who refuses to put an arm round players…

…isn’t that precisely what Rafa was slated for so consistently by the same media?

Sickening really.

Sorry to post long but I’m on holiday and have time on my hands at the moment to scour articles and this gem was (re)posted on RAWK without a credit so I don;t have a link for it:

“i’ve been saying since the spurs defeat on the opening day of the season that the summer hurt us

i’ve been thinking since the spurs defeat that gerrard didn’t look that interested and that torres came out like a big petulant moaning jinny-ann

something was wrong right there

what was it

what was it that happened over the summer to turn a squad that nearly won the league to one that bitched and moaned and couldn’t beat spurs

it wasn’t rafa

it was the loss of belief

the players we had, whether rafa is a man-motivator or not, played out of their skins in the season before last and pulled plenty of results out of the bag after going behind – they played for him – just like they played for him 2nd half in istanbul

what turned them into non-interested 7th place dross almost immediately the season started the year before

it was that summmer

that summer when we should have pushed on

when we were so close to getting the league

when the ‘usual 20 million’ on top of player sales would’ve gotten us there

just when we were that close the owners pulled the plug

they cut the knees from under rafa, from under the fans, from under the club

they took their positive transfer balance after the alonso sale and gave it to the bank

and the players that should’ve come back to pre-season thinking ‘this is our season’

came back thinking ‘this club will never go anywhere with those two as owners’

those players are winners – they should be winning things – and they knew they most likely wouldn’t here -

the writing was on the wall after last summer and the players lost heart

you could see it in the first game

now fair enough rafa didn’t bring them round – he’s not that sort of manager – but in ordinary circumstances he’s one of the best – but I don’t think he’s really a siege mentality-backs to the wall- mourinho- type of psychologist

he expects players to be professional and get on with it – this season they were all feeling sorry for themselves and he’s not equipped to deal with it

but personally I don’t, and never will blame him for it

he was put in an impossible circumstance where a team that was on the crest of a wave and should’ve gone on, got a boot in the bullocks by the owners in a way that I can’t conceive has ever happened in football before

i blame them, the two tumours, the two ***** – they are what’s ruining us

and if rafa made bizarre substitutions/ selections last season you have to think that he was probably trying to balance those who looked interested and least affected by the owner’s cancer against those who were most talented

but it’s still them, the two tumours, the two ***** – whoever the next manager is, we still need rid of them before anything will ever feel right at this football club again.”

oh, and off to join SOS…

Thanks FS I have also joined SOS.

Just read Robert Martinez on Rafa. Knew he was a good man and understands the broader perspective. Very shocked to read Hansen. He was the same guy who said in Aug last year that we were 2-3 signings away.

Fatty good to have you back in here mate rallying the troops as we are in a war.

I joined SOS last year and have encouraged everyone else to do same.

I think i`ll go on facebook and start dropping links around to reds on there and encourage them to sign up in a bit to save our club.

There`s an idea for a demonstration on the 4th of july too lads if anyone can get over.Its a march from town to stanley park via anfield.
Someone on RAWK suggested it.
I don`t think it was an SOS idea origionally but i`m sure they`ll get on board.

I`m not sure where the idea is at maybe you know if its nailed on to go ahed Fatty?

Gerry,excuse my ignorance i kinda swayed off the topic of the blog which was essentially a good luck and thank you message to Rafa.Spot on pal.

I did my thank you and goodbye message to him in the last blog.He`ll never be forgotten.

Right, now that’s done…

…FS you dropped a little bomb back there and it’s got me thinking.

If it’s not the obvious player power figures then:

Gerrard had a face like a slapped arse because of his persnal circumstances (or lack thereof) – so not him

Pepe was the first to come out in support of Rafa – so not him

Masch has since made supportive noises – so not him

Riera? well that’s just too obvious (and how predictive was he by the way?!) – so not him

Insua? too young – so not him

Skrts? No-one in their right mind would cross him anyway – so not him

Maxi? too new – so not him

Yossi? Torres? Carra?

Well it looks like one of those three…

…plus…

…LUCAS!!!

He’s to blame for even more things than Rafa! It must be him!!!

Please feel free to prove me right.

Oh, and I urge you to grow Rafa goatees like me in order to show Hick & Gillett your true feelings. I’m turning in to a proper militant, me!

Oh and for those who are joining and can make it:

Spirit Of Shankly EGM – Saturday 12th June 2010

The Management Committee of Spirit of Shankly are calling a mass meeting of members, to take place at Noon at Zeligs Restaurant in Liverpool 1

More info on the site…

I get where all the wrist slitting is coming from.
I understand why some of the statements of utter despair have been made.
I get the anger toward the owners.
The continued support, in-memorium, of Rafa.

I get all of that. I think its justified. All of it.
But aside from some brief anger following the announcement, I’ve largely been more disappointed, disillusioned, mildly depressed…. I don’t know the right word for it… apathetic toward the club… in spite of spending hours trying to gleen information about the goings on and what may now happen…
… I find myself in simple terms… just fuckin heavy hearted.

I don’t see the point in anger…
…Rafa has gone and that decision has placed us on the verge of a precipise…
Now, those who want to “look on the bright side” are correct when they say things might work out…
Severel extremely crucial decisions need to be made this summer…
The first decision was, in my mind, categorically a mistake!
It is a decision that I see as putting us furthur out over the edge of that cluff…But it is a mistake that, givent he right decisions to follow, we might claw our way back from.

However… a dark looming cavern decends below us… where one or two wrong decisions could see us plunge into a future that could make the 90s look like a fuckin picnic.

Scaremongering some will say.
When Shanks left we were fine.
When Paisley left we were fine.
When Fagan left we were fine.
When Kenny left…. err… ooops!

That’s all true… great men left and great men tookover and continued the dynasty.
But Paisley was alreqdy in place, and was a continuation of Shanks reign.
Likewise Fagan.
Likewise Kenny.
That is NOT the case now…. (don’t even get me started on how monumentally different the circumstances are today.)

But what I do not understand…
what has been irking me for at least 5 months now….
what really does light my fuse in all of this…

… has been is how the fuckin players have largely escaped their very healthy portion of blame in all of this.

So, rumor has it that Rafa was the victim of a power struggle with the players?
That he had somehow “lost the dressing room”?
That specifically, “one or two senior players” were unhappy with him, and so he had to go?

And yet, none of you have a problem with that?
(well okay, not “none or you” but you get my drift!)

Firstly…. we came 7th NOT because Rafa is a poor coach… but because professional footballers lost the ability to play simple 10 yard pass and move football.

you can talk all you want about it being the Manager’s job to motivate players… but that’s to be better… if they can’t motivate themselves to even show up…
…I don’t care if you’re the genetically engineered love child of Maurihno, Ferguson, Cappelo, and O’Neil (that last one was thrown in there as filler… just for fun… kinda like the frog DNA in Jurassic Park) there’s no motivating a player in those circumstances. That’s just unprofessional.

the idea that any of us would side with a player… any player… be it Riera or Gerrard… under such circumstances, over a Manager who has indisputably (if you read facts rather than listen to SkySports) brought success to the club and improved it from top to bottom.

No one is bigger than the club…err… unless t involves criticism of Steven Gerrard.

I don’t buy that the players actively sought out Rafa’s destruction. They’ve all vocally supported him in the past, and stated that he made them better players.
(granted when we were winning… not so much when we weren’t… which maybe tells you everything you need to know about players and their mentality?)
(funnily enough this sorta mirrors fan reaction to a certain extent?)

It just makes for a convenient explanation for a season that can’t easily be explained.

And there is no real mystery in current players’ silence.

Pepe has said what he said… and I praise him for it… it was welcome to hear… but he signed a contract, just months ago… his future is not in question.

SG, and Carra, on the other hand… well both are at a stage where they (on a personal level) “need” (and I use that word loosely, and put it in quotes coz its how they would phrase it, not how I would) to assess their futures. So I can completely understand why they are keeping schtum.

I don’t buy that whole “concentratig on playing for England and the World Cup” bollocks… its just that… bollocks… a very convenient excuse to avoid saying anything, while they wait for the Anfield fallout to settle, have their agents feel out options and make sure they at least have a reservation on the life-raft (whether they eventually use it or not) so as not to tie themselves to a sinking ship.

I don’t really agree with living your career/life that way, but that’s just me… I understand why they are doing it… and it is unfortunate fact that most people would behave in this manner.

but let’s not be giving them… not just the names I’ve named… but all the players at Anfield… a get-out-of-jail-free card for this past season.

Lucas is largely thought of… at best… as nothing but a squad player… so what does it tell you that our best, most consistent performers of the season, were the goalkeeper and him?

I watched a little program the other day. Great Rivalries. Liverpool vs Man Utd.
Many players were interviewed… but during the section that dealt with the teams/games of the 80s, the comment was made… by several Reds players… that “no one was bigger than the club”!

I found that telling… coz they meant it in a completely different context than we say it today.

Today it means that Liverpool Football Club is the big thing.

What they menat… and Phil Neal actually spelled it out in the following way… and I quote…
“and what that means is that their were no big heads. Even if there were, it wouldn’t have been tolerated, but there weren’t. We were a team and we all worked for each other. Kenny was the big man, Rushie was the big man. But they were no more important than any one else in a red shirt. And that’s why we were so dominant. We all worked for each other.”

Certainly not the same mentality as SG or FT stating to SkySports cameras that “we need better players.”
… or perhaps… players supposedly not playing as well this past season… because we didn’t buy a couple of big names in the summer!
I mean seriously… What The Fuck…?

To quote a character from “Charlie Wilson’s War”…
“Grow Up You Fuckin Child!”

The next time… if there is a next time… you see Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres, take it all on themselves and score (or not) from an impossibly angle… while a much better placed teammate stands ignored in the center of the box, spare a thought for the following quote from Ian Rush… (from the program Legends: Kenny Dalglish, also broadcast this week)
“there were plenty of times when Kenny could have scored. It was on and he had a clear shot, but instead he slipped the ball through for me to tap in. That’s the man he is… He always put the team before personal glory.”

Those days are gone… but in so many more ways than we think of, when we normally make such a statement.

Rant Over!

One of the reasons it’s such a depressing tie at the moment is that, rather than mourn Rafa and then get excited about speculation as to who might be installed as (puppet) manager, we can all (or mostly) see that it doesn’t make the blindest bit of difference who the next manager is because, according to the manual of the good venture capital model, the asset stripping starts here.

Any manager worth his salt will know this.

Any that don’t get this or that believe the lies of the Leeches are either too stupid for the job or haven’t been paying attention to all the other lies propagated by the malodorous pair (try typing that when you’re pissed!)

Because of this, as so many keep saying – we’re fucked!

And that’s me, the rosest of rose-tinted Reds saying that. I’ve got rose-tinited glasses, but I’m not stupid!

And Aitch, I had a bit of a rant in the other blog thread about the same thing. Where was the player-power to pass the fucking ball to a Red shirt when we needed it.

I’m involved in sport to a degree (at a national academy level) though not in football and it’s strange to see the number of players who would semi-deliberately underperform (to the detriment of the team!) rather than let their coach get the credit for victory. Madness, but it happens.

All last season I’ve been wondering if that’s been happening. But it’ll never come out in the biogs because they’d get slaughtered for it and, realistically, probably don’t know they’re doing it anyway.

I just can’t shut up. I’ve got LFC news tourettes.
I don’t agree with all of this but an attempt at an analysis of Rafa’s tactical legacy:

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/06/04/rafael-benitez-liverpool-legacy/

Right, no more from me for now. I promise.

Yeah don’t misunderstand my previous statement… I am angry.
I was when I heard the rumor… was when it was confirmed and still am.

I get angry as I read each bullshit article… like the one Alan Hansen comically… no make that criminally wrote.
(I like Hansen. I don’t think he is stupid or full of shite, but he does tend to blow with the wind at times.)

I found it utterly comical that Jamie Redknapp…
… having strongly held for the better part of 2 seasons now, the opinion that Rafa Benitez was a) ruining LFC and b) the wrong man for the club…
…and having publicly criticized the man up, down and sideways in a major national forum, after virtually every game, even the fuckin ones we won…
…had the audacity to actually step back from his position this week…
… and admit that Rafa was not entirely to blame (mighty white and big of the man,)
…that he’d not been backed by the board (though wasn’t specific,)
…and had been shamefully treated…
…though he couldn’t resist finishing his thought with a turrets-like reaffirmation of points a & b
… but nah…. I’m wrong again… there’s naught comical about that… its fuckin criminal!

But that ship has sailed.
We can bitch and moan and complain and correct all we want… until we’re blue in the face (sorta like Everton fans when they saw their new Pink shirts! and we think we’ve got problems)
… but the inmates are running the assylum.

SkySports got what they wanted.
They convinced a section of our support that it was what they wanted.
And its a done deal.
The barn door was opened… the horse is long gone now… and there’s no turning back.

Where we go from here is a very large, yet to be answered question.

So as I do when analyzing games and players… I try to step back from the emotion… stifle the anger of this decision… and try to analyze where we are.

There are right things to do for Liverpool Football Club.
And there are wrong things to do for Liverpool Football Club.

And I’m sorry but if you think for one moment that firing Rafa…. under the current regime… under the current financial circumstances… under the current ownership… was the right thing to do for Liverpool Football Club… you are deluding yourself.

But like I said, that decision has been made.

Now as I said though… while I view it as a monumental mistake… one that could signal a pending, unmitigated disaster…
…there IS a way back from it.

the problem is… key decisions need to be “got right”…

… and the people making those decisions are G&H, Martin Broughton, and Christian Purslow (with Ayre and Nash)

… Kenny Dalglish is the window dressing to relax all the Punter’s anxiety.

I’m sorry Kenny lad, you’re a fuckin legend, but you’re being used.

Do you know why Magicians’ Assitants are always… always… sexy, pretty girls in Playboy Bunny Costumes?

Coz we all look in his direction and cooo “awww it Kenny Dalglish. Number 7. A Fuckin Legend. Gerrin Lad. He’ll sort them….errr… what the… ay… where’d me fuckin wallet go?”

We’ve been force-fed the blue pill and we’re about to find out how far down the Rabbit hole goes!

Critical…. Key… Vital decisions need to be made for the health of this football club.

…The club is on the operating table in the Critical Care Unit

…and instead of leading Surgeons making the decisions for the benefit of the patient…

…we have hospital administrators mulling over the cost of the care, before making the decisions…

… an insurance company concerned only with the continued receipt of their payments…

…and at the moment…
…only a Paramedic and a Boy Scout with a First Aid Merit Badge standing by ready to try CPR and maybe a Heimlich Maneuver!

There may very well be a light at the end of the tunnel… but right now, I’m inclined to believe that it’s Tom Hicks Jnr with a flash light, standing on the edge of a cliff, softly calling “walk this way” under his breath.

… actually, come to think of it…
all hope is lost… … we’re pretty fucked!

AARRGGGHHH!

See this is the kind of shit we have to deal with.
From teh article McrRed posted at #49

“Part of the problem with Benitez’s reign was his formation as a whole. Liverpool have become accustomed to playing with a 4-2-3-1 system, but it actually took Benitez three and a half seasons before this was installed as the primary formation (which was strange considering he had experienced such success at Valencia with this system).”

How can his “formation as a whole” be part of the problem…. if he didn’t play the same formation for his entire tenure?
Lazy? For Sure.
Just Fcukin completely ignorant of facts… and football tactics as a whole?
FOR DAMN SURE!

“Until then, he had largely persisted with a basic 4-4-2 for league matches, which didn’t suit his two most talented players. Steven Gerrard was not disciplined enough for a central midfield role and was playing too far from goal, whilst Xavi Alonso is a deep midfielder but not a holding one – they clearly both needed a destroyer alongside them.”

WOW… okay…
First… Steven Gerrard was at that time, largely considered by most to be the BEST BOX-TO-BOX central midfielder in the country, with only Lampard as his main challenger!
It wasn’t until he was moved forward, and coincidentally struck up a one-season successful partnership with Fernando Torres, that “the hole” suddenly became regarded as his “best position”. And this in-spite of the fact that he hasn’t duplicated that form, in that position, now for 2 seasons. (granted mitigating factors, but still…)

Secondly, its fuckin Xabi Alonso, you tit, not Xavi Alonso. (maybe that was really all I needed to say about this article, but…

“whilst Xavi Alonso is a deep midfielder but not a holding one – they clearly both needed a destroyer alongside them.”

Two Words… Didi Hamman you pratt!
Okay that’s 4 words, but Didi played alongside each of them, as a holding midfielder, during Rafa’s first 2 seasons, which brings me to…

“Instead, Gerrard was sometimes shunted out to the right and Alonso struggled for form”
…er… you obviously missed the page, during you’re extensive research for this article, that contained the stat where Steven Gerrard scored a fuckin shedload of goals while deployed … err… sorry “was shunted” out to the right. Isn’t it still his record haul?

And it was the following season Alonso struggled most for form.
As with the spelling of his name, Christ, at least get the facts right.

“the shift to 4-2-3-1 suited them both, but it was late in arriving. The delay probably set Liverpool back a couple of seasons.”
… but you neglect to include, or simply overlook coz it suits the agenda, that…
… Didi Hamman Holding and SG in the hole was what facilitated that remarkable 2nd half come-back in Istanbul…
… that this took place in Rafa’s 1st season… (you dickhead)…
… that this wasn’t the only time we used such a formation in the first two years of Rafa’s tenure, despite the personnel on offer…
… and that put simply, the playing personnel… all of them, not just XA and SG… were more suited to the formation in later seasons…

…oh… and that it set us so far back that we went to 2 more finals, 3 semi finals, one quarter-finals, and came 2nd with the largest points haul of any 2nd place team in the history of the Prem…

but how many people will read that inacurate, misleading, and just plain wrong, steaming pile of shite, and not question any of it?

Such are the current generation of “most knowledgeable fans in the world.”

FS, I haven’t been moaning about the management, tactics or anything like that recently. Most of my criticism of late has been against the players. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks having arguments with all my mates and colleagues at work about Rafa and why it was wrong to sack him.

There really are some fucking deluded people out there. “Fools” is the best word to describe them. They just don’t get it or refuse to get it.

I think Rafa’s inability to fully express himself in English goes some way to explain why many just didn’t get him. It also made it easy to ridicule him and it made it difficult for him to defend his record to the media.

What I find amazing is the utter nonesense that is spouted by idiots such as Alan Hansen and Jamie Redknapp. I can’t find the words to say how moronic these clowns are. And the way the majority of the public lap up the bollacks is just fucking ridiculous. It’s amazing what the average person just laps up from media. I have guys at work pulling out the Daily Mirror and quoting morons like Redknapp as if its gospel truth. I just have to shake my head.

Another thing I have to shake my head at is the notion that everything will be alright because we have King Kenny back. You know, I thought Newcastle fans were morons and I used to ridicule them as such. Screaming for Keegan and Shearer as if the 2 legends would make all their problems go away. Well I look a right idiot now because most Liverpool fans are just as fucking dumb.

Its Newcastle all over again. People like Redknapp and Aldo thinking we’ll be alright with Kenny at the helm – all will be well. We’re Liverpool, we’ll have no problem attracting a top manager and top players. This is the same crap that the likes of Malcolm McDonald said in the lead up to Keegan and Shearer appointments months before they were relegated.

Look on the bright side? What bright side? No manager, no money, massive debt, owners and board members from your worse nightmare….

2 years ago I thought FS was going well over board with the scaremongering. I just didn’t see it. Well fucking hell do I see it now. Like Samuel Jackson said in Jackie Brown “My ass may be dumb, but I aint no dumb ass!” Unfortunately there are some real dumb asses around. They still have their heads in the clouds thinking either we’ll get a top manager or Kenny will bring back the glory years, our top players will stay no matter what and we’ll find money from somewhere to add to the squad.

People try to seperate the state of the club off the pitch from the performance on the pitch as if the former is just an empty excuse to explain the failings of the latter. Whether we play with 2 holding midfield players or 5 strikers. It matters not one fucking iota when the club is being bled absolutely dry.

Stupid debates like Rafa should have prioritised a back up striker over a first choice right back for Liverpool Football Club. Which is a bit like me having a full time job and yet having to prioritise whether I should buy toilet paper or food this month.

In a way I am glad Rafa is out of the firing line. Eventually the blame will have to be pointed towards the real culprits.

There are more questions than answers…[hums tune]

Aitch, yeah, now that you say it, I don’t agree with ANY of that article!

I’ve said it before, one of my problems with the Fool supporters is that they appear to accept standards from other teams’ managers that they criticise from ours. I will always criticise our manager for doing stupid/bizarre/indefensible things – but not without roundly denouncing other managers who do the same things:

Benitez and his accent/man-management style;
Capello gets away with his.

Benitez buys crocked midfielder;
Fergusin gets away with his.

Benitez etc etc

I’m getting obssessed with these rumours that it was Carra who was engineering against Benitez (and allegedly calling himself “club senior source”).

But no-one will break cover and say anything.
Can’t work out if this is ’cause it’s rubbish or that people are afraid for some reason.

An answer to either of these points from someone who knows would help…

Sorry to sideline the wrist-slashing discussions guys but Sven Moron fucking Erikson touting himself for the Liverpool job, gimme a fucking break!
Let me tell you if that Swedish fuckhead ends up in charge at Anfield the shutters will be coming down on Kopblog because I will most definitely be out of here.

Gerry

I happen to be Swedish but I’m not a fan of Eriksson’s either. I did feel some sympathy for him when he got crucified by the English media back at the end of his days as head coach of England (quite a lot similar to the unfair and disgraceful treatment given to Rafa during his reign with us), but that doesn’t excuse all the strange choices he’s made. At the end of the day, he’s simply not good enough to manage Liverpool. On the other hand, I don’t think Roy Hodgson or any of our other realistic targets are, either.
Fuck it, I already miss you Rafa.

Gerry, sorry mate..but it doesn’t matter who manages us next. With those two clowns (puppeteers) in control we’ve been bent over, trousers down without any lube

Ah shit, McrRed…. I just dropped the soap!

Mommy! (trembles uncontrolably)

Guys,

I just joined the SOS.

1 down… 12 to go…
Martin Skrtel rushed to hospital with an ankle injury!

And the fuckin World Cup hasn’t even begun!

Rio out, Drogba out (mind… not that I give a fuck about them)… they’re dropping like flies and we’re still a week away.

Ya Aitch seems like Robben is gone too.What is it with the modern day footballer.Are they too fit?Are their bodies primed so much that it dosen`t take mch for something to go?

Feckin crazy.

And Gerry get a load of this,never mind Erickson,our pal Curbishly said he wouldn`t say no and he`d be interseted.Then when asked if the boardroom uncertainty would put any potential managers off he said…”Na,its liverpool,any club could be within three days of uncertainty”
People,even former managers and guys involved in the game like Curbishley really don`t realise whats going on at the club do they?

Sachem, I’ve nothing against Swedish people in general, in fact I have an ABBA CD somewhere and I think Ulrika has a fine arse, but it’s just that completely over-rated useless fucker I can’t stand. Hurdy Gurdy!
McrRed, I did say in my post that I was sorry to sideline the wrist slashing, so please feel free to continue but don’t expect me to join in.

great show in the grand canal tonight cheered alot of depressed heads up for a few hours. man,man, man istanbul? the stuff of dreams that night was. never to be seen again methinks.

Firstly, thanks to all you lads that joined SOS. I know it must seem like pissing into the wind, but realistically it’s all we’ve got.

And it seems you agree with Sven on one thing Gerry… he rather liked Ulrika’s arse an all. Other than that I can’t really think of much the man got right.

LB, I might have got bits wrong but in general… I had you pegged. But here’s the rub on that… people do listen, if you talk sense. Not all of them. I’ve learned that. I just ignore them now as I nearly got meself into quite a few fights last season by kicking off on morons… I’d still do it but at 54, with a belly like this, taking on gangs of young lads at the match or in the pub for spouting shite, isn’t the best of ideas.

But me point is, and it’s to all of you, people will listen… spread the word, look at how many of you joined SOS in the last few hours. Not because I told you to, because you know it’s the right thing to do.

Guiness Drinker I’m glad you enjoyed one night Istanbul, and I hope you took a moment to think who gave you that… it could be a long long long time before you see the likes again. Meself, at my age, I know if we don’t get shot of the owners and get shot of them sharpish I will probably never see anything like it again in me life time.

And a quick reminder why…
Why are we still spreading media driven gossip?

As many have pointed out, there’s no proof of any of this bad man management. And also like they said, not being all paly paly with players is seen as a good thing when done by other managers.

Cappello gets lionised as the Strong Man for taking the Ingurlund arm band off “Brave John Terry.”
Rafa gets castigated and accused of alienating “Cara and Gerro” for saying senior players had to start performing at the beginning of last season – at the beginning of last season when they was playing like shit but things were still savagable.

The qouation marks on the nick names are courtesy of the English media… silly little point, but still proves a point. It used to drive me mad to see them pundits/experts/journos using all the good old boy nicknames, saying Big Sam, Fergie, Our Arry etc, with a big smile on their face, and then spitting out the word Ben-ee-tezzzz as if it was a bit of shit stuck on their lip… it was all subtle brain washing… don’t fall for it.

I know of one senior player that turned crook on Rafa. But do you honestly think Rafa was sacked for that. Tell me any organisation were the staff are behind the boss to a man? Tell me of any organisation were the boss – a hugely successful boss, a boss that has made the skint company multi-millions, a boss that is wanted by most of your main competitors – is paid off for losing the support of one of his staff?

It doesn’t happen.

Take a look at Hicks track record. He done the same thing at the Corinthians and Texas Rangers… sacked hugely succesful and respected, successful coaches because they wouldn’t adhere to his business plan – “onfield success not being necessary to succeding” – and then ran the clubs into the ground.

At Corinthians he sucked it dry, sold off what was left, the shrivelled shell of the club, and dissappeared.

They got lucky.

He done the same at Rangers but he’s still there, sucking them dry, even though they have filed for bankruptcy. He has refused to sell to all legitimate buyers, took them in Chapter 11 (American bnakruptcy) which allows Rangers to keep on trading and still repaying massive interest on the loans to Hicks that he made to them much in the same way Kop Holdings “lent” LFC money – money he had already borrowed from the banks. He’s told you himself that this is what he does.

So, are you going to keep believing the likes of Jamie Redknapp who actually put his dad forward for the job on Sly the other day, because… yep. You guessed it Our Arry is a good man manager who all the players love… funny enough, I haven’t seen the likes of Robbie “Not good enough” Keane or Darren “My wife could have scored that” Bent joining the love in after being belittled by good ol’ ‘arry.

As I said, I can’t keep going on like this. I’ll be getting binned meself if I keep it up. You either get it or you don’t and probably won’t until we are in the championship with championship players, under a championship manager, with H&G still getting their few bob from the suckers who will continue to pay their loans and interest to them.

No matter how much I miss it, not another match for me.
And I would love to buy my grandson his first LFC kit. He’ll have to wait. But hopefully by doing that, he’ll have a club to support when he grows up.

Spread the word. Talk to other reds. If you use other forums, get them to join SOS and/or take part in all the protests they can.

I’ll be back sometime today with a list of people at RBS. Remember it is government owned. We can force their hand in this. And as for the government, have faith… something is being done. We might just be able to force their hand too.

Thanks again for joining. Keep the faith.

Sorry I forgot who asked but… No. The 4th of July March is not an SOS organised event. It was, as you said, started by a lad on RAWK, and it seems to be growing quite well. I’m going to try and get there myself. It might be the only way I get to see old match going mates, have a laugh and a few pints with them, for quite some time.

Just popped in to say thanks Rafa for all the memories you will be sorely missed,

Found this on the main site might bring a much needed smile in these dark times

http://www.thisisanfield.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20875

FS, I’ve joined SOS all the way from Australia. It’s nice to feel like I can do something from here. Yanks out!! YNWA.

Ya Fatty that was me on about the protest on the 4th of july.
Seems like a good idea,we have to do something and hope it brings in some media attention with it being the American independance day,now our independance day so to speak.Its a free day in the world cup too so there.

If anyone can get over,please try.Flights out of ireland are cheap at the moment so if you can then do.
I`m down to work myself that weekend but i doing all i can to get the weekend off.

Its quite sad that we cannot even come in here and discuss the footy.It is what these two parasites have reduced us to.Our only focus now has to be on ridding them and saving our club.
Its sad when someone says to me “who`ll they bring in?” or “who will we sign” and all i can reply with is “it dose not matter,its irrelevant now,bigger fish to fry”.

Its sad i cannot sit down in work or the boozer and discuss some footy with the lads.I love having a good debate about the game with guys and i miss it.Weather LFC is winning or not.

As Fatty said i miss coming in here and having a laugh even i silly season when we used to dream about who`s signing.

Now with all this depression around we can only focus one one thing.It`s not pretty,we all don`t enjoy these e-mail campaigns and protests,but we have to do it.We`re not prepared to stand idolly by and watch our club go down the drain.

If we succeed finally,then it will all have been worth it,while now we can`t see any light at the end of the tunnel,we must never give in.

Fs, regardless of what you may think, i am remaining positive, when your club anthem, the very same one that gets belted out week in week out, is riddled with optimism and hope. Then why should I not remain strong in a time of what appears sheer hopelessness.
.
I have wanted the twats out since they arrived, but unfortunately, they are just a long standing succession of fucking stupid brain dead boards and directors.
.
When Morgan let the cat out of the bag about Moores and Co cooking the books, he was castigated by just about every section of LFC support, however the writing was on the wall then.
.
I haven’t got my head in the sand or visa versa half way up my arse, I am fully aware of the damage being instilled on this great club.
.
However regardless of whether my team is a championship team, with championship players and a championship manager they’ll still be my team. Afterall I supported them as a premiership team, in the premier league with a world class manager, even when they lost to Reading, Portsmouth, ect.
.
Sorry lads but I refuse point blank to give up hope, I do not belong to the twats, nor the board, I belong to the team who is Liverpool.
.
I am taking a positive out of a negative. If its a struggle and I face adversity then its worth doing, so I am not losing all hope. We will rise, just like Istanbul, that was not a half time speach, it was what Liverpool is famous for, rising.
.
Ps everyone here knows my success rate with liking people, when I like them, there gone, fuck I wish I could like the twats. (I just can’t)
.
Please don’t give up hope.

I am hurting so, so much right now.

FS, really appreciating your posts and I’ve just joined SOS – sorry I didn’t join sooner.

Usted nunca andara solo, Rafa la’.

p.s. FS – I’m a Huyton lad living in Scotland, if there is anything I can do let me know.

Good man #70.

Gaz, sorry mate, but you are missing the point…
We will all still follow LFC no matter how low they sink. That’s not the point.

You can be as optimistic as you like… try singing YNWA to Tom Hicks and see what happens.

You either see the wood for the trees or I’m sorry… you are being a fool.

That is not meant as an insult. I think we know each other better than that by now. But you have to face up to facts…
What do you think has the more chance of success…
Telling all yourself, all your mates and anyone else who’ll listen that everything is going to be okay, or…
joining the fight in any way you can, whether that’s by joining SOS or helping out in other anti-H&G initiatives?

Sorry mate, but I know what will have more chance.
And even that sometimes feels like pissing into the wind.

I’m off out now. I’ve got to do somethings. But firstly…
Thanks to every one of you that’s joined the union and more importantly the fight. I’ve been trawling the web whipping up support and you lads have been the best by far. Thanks again.

Timmy, the date of the march was picked specifically for that reason… Independence day has a good ring to it, but more importantly there’s no World Cup on that day… so hopefully we’ll get a good few out the pubs and onto the streets.

Anyway, got to go, will be back with some details later.

Just joined SOS. I will spread the word to all my Liverpool supporting mates and whatever little else I can do. Words fail me when it comes to the sacking of Rafa the great. What people forget about the saying that “no one is bigger than the club” is that Rafa made the club big again in the world’s eyes especially europe (ranked no.1 in europe anyone?). The club has fucked up big in sacking this honest, decent and trustworthy icon of a man, who through all the shit with the media, still had our best interests at heart. If people can’t see that, then I’m sorry they don’t deserve to support this club no matter where they are from. UNBELIEVEABLE. Thank you Rafa for giving me moments of true joy and happiness in my 36 years of existence. YNWA.

FS, I’m already a member of SOS and have been for some time. I’m not delusional or infact deluded, I want them out ASAP. However I will not give up my belief in hope, at the moment my friend thats all I have to hold onto. I know you’ve been around long enough to understand that.
.
If I can’t believe we will get out of this, I don’t deserve this team. Anyway I’m pissed now so keep up the good work. There’s a name on the 96 which never allows me to give up, sorry FS.

Anyway back to football, what do we all think about SG being named captain of England, I thought he was Scouse. Anyway it means I have two teams to follow at the world cup plus 13 players, now thats one lucky world cup.

Gaz,

I’m not English, and England is one of the first teams I wish that gets knocked out first during any major competition.

The reasons are simple:
1) They are the darlings of the English Press.
2) The unfair treatment handed out to Liverpool players by both the press (especially) and the managers for as long as I can remember: John Barnes, Jamie Carragher, Glenn Johnson, and to a certain extent, Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard.
3) Their constant living in the past, i.e. 1966. Think of all the hype of “this is going to be our year” each and every major tournament for as long as I can remember. They didn’t even realise that their tactics and style of play were outdated as illustrated during Maclaren’s and Graham Taylor’s days.

Sadly, I’m not watching this World Cup due to the exorbitant prices quoted by my local (Singapore) Telcos as a sign of protest that I’m not going to be suckered.

Gaz… drop the bottle then. Get pissed off not pissed. You’re still missing me point mate… I’m not telling you to give up all hope. Far from it… I’m trying to point you to our best hope.

Come on you daft get. Do you think I’ve been around LFC for neigh on 50 years just to throw the towel in now? Of course we all live in hope.

But we have to be realistic too…
If you think The Liverbird is going to magically rise like some bloody phoenix under the likes of Sven with no bloody money… need I go on?

We hope for the best…
We plan for the worst…
We do our bit.

But just came into say this… I’ve been told to hold off on the addresses for a while. Doing me fuckin head in this and if someone doesn’t shift soon, I’ll fuck them off and risk it on me todd. But they do have reasons. So please bear with me. There will be positive things you can do soon, and you don’t have to be an SOS member to do them.
We can all have a go from anywhere in the world.

But we still need to get SOS numbers up. This has nothing to do with the addresses I’m going to put in here, but the reason for needing to up the numbers will become apparent soon.

And in all honesty, I know/understand why I’ve been told to slow down. I’d like to go down there with a tanker full of petrol and a fuckin big box of them dead big matches yer Ma has in the kitchen. But yes Gaz… it’s because there is a ray of hope in all this but it has to be done properly and at the right time.

And in relation to what FS is saying, here’s a couple of numbers for you… and they don’t even require higher math skills this time

500,000
The number of Liverpool “Fans” who lined the streets to welcome home Number 5 that memorable May.

500
The number of Liveprool “Fans” who showed up at Anfield the other day to protest Rafa’s sacking.

I was going to do job advert but i came across this

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-corrigan-in-debt-nothing-to-spend-stars-may-leave-and-owners-hated-interested-1992585.html

UNAS Rafa

In order to tackle this fat pig scum known as Hicks, people will need to take him on where it hurts the most – money.

Besides boycotting, someone needs to play his own game and buy some junk bonds and then do a hostile takeover of Hicks own personal assets, and then load the debts on him personally, and see how he feels about being sucked dry.

The more I think about Digger’s insult, the more ridiculous I think of him. Seeing as Digger’s nowhere to be seen, I might as well modify what I just said previously:

Digger, you acted as though you were a grown up in your insult to me, well, let me tell you this: If it’s anyone that needs growing up, IT IS YOU! For being blind to the truth and what’s going on, and for that, you’re being an idiot and a fool.

Forget him Kinny. It’s a waste of time and energy. Do you remember a few weeks back, Boughtman had to go to the Premier League and beg/plead/appeal to them and convince them that Liverpool FC were able to meet their commitments for the rest of the season… he even had to promise that we could complete our fixture list.

This was done before he showed what a real snake he is, but that shows what serious schtuk the owners are in… The premiere league were terrified that they had another Pompey on their hands and a giant one.

Well believe me there is things being done to undermine them with their creditors and I’m going to put you all onto it as soon as I can.

That’s why I say don’t worry about the odd fool. I’m proud of you lads in here. I’ve been bouncing all round the net whipping up support and I’ve had a good bit of success… But you lads are far and above the best of them. No messing about. Straight on it. So, take a bow, pat yourself on the back and don’t waste energy on those that won’t learn.

As I said, I had me rush slowed down a bit, but here’s something we can all do. It’s a list of sponsors. I know. I know. It’s a drag and I am sick of it an all. But this is only the beginning and – while others are working on other things – it’s the best way us ordinary fans can pressure the owners at the moment.

(Fuckinell remember supporting LFC was fun – even when we was really krap it was at least a bit of a laugh.)

Anyway, here’s a list of the main sponsors. Take a moment to knock up a polite letter, be brief, but firm, let them know you will not spend a penny on any product until H&G have gone. Tell them why you won’t buy any products, that you are encouraging all your family and friends to do the same and also tell them there’s thousands like you all doing the same thing. Pain in the arse I know, but it will ruffle a few feathers and scare some people.

I’ve done them all. It only took a minute. Knocked one letter up, then adjusted it for each sponsor. I’d put mine up as a template, but they suss that out and ignore them. That’s why I have included mailing addresses. Snail mail carries more clout. And believe it or not, it doesn’t take that long or cost that much… less than a few pints. So do what you can. We can still affect these bastards while we are waiting for bigger guns to be fired.

Sponsors…Standard Chartered

FAO CEO
Standard Chartered
1 Basinghall Avenue,
London,
EC2V 5DD,
United Kingdom

For electronic contact https://forms.online.standardchartered.com/public_website/group/contact_us/en/

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7885 8888
Fax: +44 (0)20 7885 9999
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 5.00pm, Mon – Fri

Thomas Cook

Thomas Cook Sport (Sales Office)

Thomas Cook Sport
Level 3
1 Tabley Court
Stamford Street
Altrincham
WA14 1EZ
Tel: 0870 752 0924 (lines open Mon – Fri 09:00 -17:30)
Calling from outside the UK: +44 1924 42 8106
Fax: 0161 941 3890
Email: [email protected]

Thomas Cook Sport (London Office)

Thomas Cook Sport
3rd Floor
Sterling House
6-10 St. Georges Road
Wimbledon
SW19 4DP
Tel: 020 8739 2360 (lines open Mon-Fri 09:00-17:30)
Fax: 020 8739 2301
Email: [email protected]

Adidas

http://www.adidas-group.com/en/local/meta/contact/contactus.asp

adidas AG
World of Sports
Adi-Dassler-Straße 1
91074 Herzogenaurach
Germany

Bank of America
Chester Business Park Chester CH4 9WW

ian o’doherty is the CEO of the europe card services (the folks who do the LFC credit cards)

Lucazade (GSK)

Global Community Partnerships
GlaxoSmithKline
980 Great West Road
Brentford, Middlesex TW8 9GS
United Kingdom

UK corporate switchboard:+44 (0)20 8047 5000

118BET

Cube Limited.
Clinch’s House,
Lord Street,
Douglas,
Isle of Man
IM1 1JD

Phone number: +442032869991
Fax number: +442070228668
Email address: [email protected]

MAXXIS

Maxxis International – UK plc
Carr Rd
Felixstowe, Suffolk, IP11 3RX
UK
Tel: (+44) 1394 604040
Fax: (+44) 1394 604041

Maxxis Tech Center Europe B.V.
Weverstraat 5
5405 BM Uden
The Netherlands
Tel: (31) 413-245801
Fax: (31) 413-245979

Maxxis International – USA
545 Old Peachtree Road
Suwanee, GA 30024
USA
Tel: (800) 4-MAXXIS
Tel: (678) 407-6700
Fax: (770) 962-7705

Carlsberg
Carlsberg UK Ltd, Jacobsen House, 140 Bridge Street, Northampton, NN1 1PZ
Contact telephone number:

0845 7820 820 (Calls charged at local rate)

Contact email address:

[email protected]

RBS

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc,
Registered in Scotland No 90312.
Registered Office: 36 St Andrew Square,
Edinburgh,
United Kingdom,
EH2 2YB.

Premier league[/u]

The FA Premier League,
30 Gloucester Place,
London,
W1U 8PL.

Barclays[/u] Premier league sponsor

Barclays PLC
1 Churchill Place
London
E14 5HP

Phone: +44 (0) 20 7116 1000

Budweiser[/u] Prem league sponsor

Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
One Busch Place
St. Louis, MO 63118

THE FA[/b]
FA HEADQUARTERS
Wembley National Stadium Ltd
Wembley
London
HA9 0WS

UEFA[/b]
UEFA
Route de Genève 46
Case postale
CH-1260 Nyon 2
Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0) 848 00 2727
Fax: +41 (0) 848 01 272

FIFA[/b]

FIFA-Strasse 20,
P.O. Box 8044 Zurich, Switzerland
Tel : +41-(0)43 222 7777,
Fax : +41-(0)43 222 7878.

And as you can see, there’s some non sponsors or none product selling sponsors, ie FIFA.

Don’t worry about that, just leave the won’t be buying your product bit out. Say with FIFA The FA or The Prem, just tell them what’s happening at your club and tell them your concerns and how H&G are abusing their positions of trust inside their organisations…
As I said, it’s a pain in the arse. But it don’t underestimate it’s effect. It does have one, a big one. And we can still win this.

Gerry… I made a post with multiple email addresses in it. I forgot they didn’t go up. Will it appear later like it used to do?

And thanks for letting me use the blog for this. It’s much appreciated. I will stop if it’s affecting anything. But look at the post I just sent. I stand by what I said and I’m not just saying it here for effect…
I’ve been bouncing round the internet, whipping up support. I’ve had quite a bit of success an all, but without a doubt the lads in here have been the best.
Take a bow lads, take a bow.

FS, you BEAUTY!!!!

I`ve been texting fella`s too Fatty around the place just telling them to take a tenner if they have it and put it to some use.I told them that they are the first to have a moan when the team aren`t playing well or whatever o they can do something to help now.
I never asked them to get directly involved or anything or even agree to some of the stuff SOS do,but as you said its our only hope.

I also hipped a few links around facebook.It might be a bit tacky but if it helps then….

I usually only use that site for connecting with the boys ho have emigrated but its handy for spreading the word too.It can also attract some of the idiots who claim to be reds just so they can stick the knife in but who listens to them eh?Well i don`t but they love hearing so called reds go on about Rafa and whatnot on SKA SPOTES NOOOZZ !!

See them outside Anfiels the other day interviewing the “fans”.They probably interviewed 20 and 16 of them backed Rafa,so they didn`t make the telly but the other four who were well pleased got on.

They don`t know they`re born do they??

Just got home there.Took a trip to the beach today with the kiddies.We had a bll.It was windy as fuck and we`d a barby on the go and all.15 Euro a pop 2 packets of sausages,a couple of packets of burgers and buns and a slice pan and a lash of red sauce,the brother in-law brought the beverages and we tucked into charcoal sausages and burgers.
Typical irish day at the beach.Kids collected loads of shells and all.Sorted.

So i came home there now,kids wrecked so they went straight to the sack,she`s gone over to her buddys place for a chin-wag.

So i`ve pulled up the swivle leather chair,stuck on the darts,logged on and rolled a long one.
I`m ready to resume the war with Tom and george.

Right so Fatty,where`s them addresses,or has Gerry taken them and gone home for his dinner?

There you go Timmy/FS it’s post number 81. Bunch of miltant fuckers in here, poor old Tom and George.

Nice one here we go its war.

FS just one thing mate,the snail male? I never heard of this,how does it work?

(hope i just haven`t made a tit of myself just there!)

Snale MALE?

Knew i shouldn`t have smoked that joint

Alright,so only 500 people turned up for the protest, not a great deal, FS how many supporters does the Union have, Iv’e been told less than 10,000, and thats world wide support. Is that true, less than a quater of Anfield.
.
Also Gillet has been so quiet, has he sold up and we don’t know yet. Anyone got any information on him.
.
Ps Lads, especially those who go to games, SOS has T-Shirts for sale, or should I say did have.

Timmy …. mind that hydroponic gear !

Thanks everyone who spared a thought there for me and by extension my friend’s family. Sorry if I was a bit dramatic last blog. Don’t worry Lurgan ye ain’t got rid of me yet !

Not got a lot to say that hasn’t been said.

I never felt anything like the dis-interest I have in “the new man, kenny kingmaker, torres/gerrard will they/won’t they go (personally I don’t care at this stage. No way can I see Torres there anyway. At least if they stay they won’t have the excuse of Rafa when they play like shit). It’s all Sky-sponsored fluff and quite irrelevent.

Gaz – before the Union (the first ever of it’s kind) was formed it had no members. The maybe it had 10/20. Then it hit the 100′s. Now it has hit the 1000′s and when I joined a few weeks ago was up to 5,000. What’s gonna bring it to the 10,000′s ? Who’s gonna bring it there is the real question.

Here is what I think each of us can do. Just find one Liverpool supporting mate/boozing friend/work colleague/whoever and explain to him what is really going on. Encourage him/her to join the Union and then ask them to do the same. Educate one person to educate and soon you have a tribe.

Then find another one. If all of us here took it upon ourselves to do this well ….

As we have all seen here. Since FS took the time to make a plea and give people a way of doing something the response, just from people who have posted has been emphatic and very positive.

I did this myself. Last Friday a young, very enthusiastic ‘Pool supporter walked out of a chat with me with Kopblog and RAWK and SOS written on a business card. He was delighted to find some authentic source of information. He didn’t know anything at all about any of this. He’s studying business at University but such is the lack of real analysis out there he never put 2 and 2 together. He got his information from Sky Sports and LFC websites. He’s normal and of the vast majority. He’s a smart lad and he’s joining the Union and he’s part of a new generation of supporters. He’ll pass it on.

We can do this. Then maybe we have the right to call ourselves supporters.

From what i gathered Gaz the protest was a YANKS OUT protest organised before Rafa went.
In addition to the links FS put up http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/contact or just reply to one of the E-mails they send you trying to sell you something.

On another note if gerry was to run a poll on the question of
Legalise it Yes/No i’m thinking most of you would know what “it ” is and vote Yes am i right?

ps
Just heard Happy Harry’s in the frame for manager, which makes a change from tax evasion
I suppose he’d find time to do the job in- between his court cases and his work for the S*N

YNWA

Haven’t posted in ages, but just to say I’ve joined SOS.

Wow I see Robbie Fowlers come out in support of Harry, He’s over here of course. This should just about send FS in heart spasms, one of the recognised good old boys of English football, now I’m getting depressed.
.
One thing though, we’re still an attractive prospect for any manager. Maybe he could off set his tax with claims against his lack of budget funding from dumb and dead dumber.

Off to bed now, if she’ll let me in, but just popped into post something.

But first, thanks for getting that post with the links up Gerry…
Timmy snail mail is what us hip old Grandads call the old write a letter, stick it in an envelope and post it mail… I’m more hip-op than hip-hop nowadays, and I only smoke “it” now and again for me glacoma and arthritis – premptive strike like – but get with it eh, lad… catch the snail mail trail.

Arsing about aside, I know it’s a pain in these times, but one letter to cover all bases and then adjusted for each sponsor before printing… it really doesn’t take long or cost much.

As for getting people into the union…
I’m sure we all have a bit on the side, outside the marital blog. So any forums you go in, just pass the word on. The proofs in here. People are angry enough now and are finally facing up to the fact that we have to fight back… it’s not going to all just go away. So ask and they will join.

Want a sure fire way of getting some support…
ttp://bit.ly/ap4SQR

Just put that up for people to read. And make sure you read it yourselves. It’ll bring tears to your own eye, nevermind the Liverbird’s.

As for the reason why the numbers are growing so slowly…
No media coverage and really bad press when it is covered… a lot of people have been put off.

Also I know for a fact, and they admit it, they haven’t made the best job of getting people in and some reps have fucked it up when making appeals… as I say they know that themselves and are working on correcting that.

You also have to remember that this was formed by a band of well meaning, concerned amatuers, but amatuers all the same. They are all learning as they go along. And like I’ve hinted at, there are some professional people at work now. And there could be a big breakthrough on that front very soon.

Oh well, that’s me done for the night… add the h to the link (I remembered) read it and pass it on.

Dougle I don’t know what’s going on but I hope you’re okay. Don’t mean to dredge anything up, but if you or a friend’s family have had a loss, my condolensces to you and yours. Times are bad enough as it is.

Oh well, that’s me.

It’s nice to be posting in here again, but believe me it was for the best that I stayed out for awhile.
Night night.

Good man MTMMC.

Gaz… Robbie is a good lad but he’s daft as a brush. Me cousin Mark knows him really well. They grew up together in Tocky, went to school together and still stay in touch. He’s told me some stories… nice lad, but.. oh well, there’s nothing to worry about really…
Our Arry hasn’t got time what with all the scams and writing for the sun.

PS… Gerry did you see where Sven first made his I’m a life long Red come and get me plea…
Yep. The current bun. Unbelievable, eh.

Oh well that’s defo it.
Tara for now.

FS, good to see both you and your humour back in here, all the best.

Oh forgot to say, but isn’t it convienent that Harry’s contract at Spurs is up for re negotiations. Lucky his sons on the ball, more money for Harry just out of rumourish interest and media speculations.

That’s an impressive mailing list, FS.

Anyway, Standard Chartered has a larger presence here in Asia, so those on this side of the world might consider posting it to their local branches instead, with the Hong Kong and Singapore offices their main regional HQs here.

Oh, FS, I’m through with Digger. Just wanted the little fucking CUNT to feel extremely embarrassed and regret that picking a fight with a vindictive person with a righteous anger is a serious mistake should he ever dare resurface and give me that kind of bullshit.

Plus it makes me feel better to put him in his place, I don’t care if that makes me childish, but that’s the least he deserves. (So Digger, one more time, FUCK YOU. )

James Corrigan: In debt, nothing to spend, stars may leave and owners hated. Interested?

The Last Word

Sunday, 6 June 2010
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When Kenny Dalglish – or as he will soon be renamed “Kingmaker Kenny” – conducts his first interview for the role of manager of Liverpool Football Club it will be interesting to hear him set out the job description. We can only pray he speaks very slowly and very honestly. For it is only fair the candidates be made completely aware of what is expected of them.

But then, we all know Dalglish won’t really be involved in the process and that he’s only been called upon to douse the anger of the mutineers. It’ll be down to whichever puppet the owners/board choose. Whoever it is – whether it’s the chairman, chief executive or a £10,000-an hour headhunter – they will have to be some salesman. A smooth-talker whose next assignment will not be to sell sand to the Arabs but sell a debt- ridden club to the Arabs. Perhaps the spiel to the prospective gaffer should go something like this…

“Right let’s get down to it – the last chap was a disaster. Rafa Benitez failed dismally. In six seasons he reached only two Champions’ League finals, winning only one of them to go alongside his one FA Cup. How dare he? And don’t even get us started about the Premier League. Do you know it took him five seasons to lead the club to its best League season in 19 years. Five seasons? I ask you, how much time did he want?

“Yes, yes, 2008-09 was rather promising on the face of it, losing just two games and collecting more points than any other runner-up in the history of the League. But we found out what he was about in the next campaign. Way down in seventh, a whole seven points off the fourth-place finish with which we would have been satisfied. It couldn’t go on, so it didn’t. Particularly when the press came on side and started printing the myths dressed up as damning statistics.

“Benitez signed more than 70 players for more than £240m. True, 30 of them were youth players and he did sell quite a few, too. In fact, when you do the actual maths his net spend is more like £80m, less than Spurs and, of course, less than Manchester City in the same period. But £240m sounds better, don’t you think? And the wages? Well, yes, ours are about three-quarters of United’s and Chelsea’s, but what’s that got to do with anything? This ungrateful man thought just because the new owners have given him virtually nowt to spend since they took over in 2007 he could whinge about it. Couldn’t he see we’re all suffering here? That even poor old George and Tom, as hard as they have tried, have been forced to put the club £350m in debt.

“So, you’ll understand, we had to get rid of him. He would definitely have caused a fuss when we sold Torres and Gerrard and gave him £15m for squad strengthening. You wouldn’t mind managing without those two would you? After all, Rafa effectively had to last season, with the Spaniard always injured and the new England captain in the worst form of his career.

“Still, there was no need for anyone to focus on that when they could blame him for selling Xabi Alonso and bringing in Alberto Aquilani. The most outrageous thing was that we only made £10m because of that piece of dreadful business. No, he had to go and now we have to go for a manager able to mask the cracks as we move ever deeper into the red and try to sell this club for a price it is simply not worth.

“So here’s what we expect from the new boss in a nutshell. You must qualify for the Champions’ League every year, winning it more often than once every six years and reaching the final every three years; you must do better in the Premier League than simply finishing a better second than any team before; and you must do all this on a smaller budget than your rivals, despite the fact everybody will claim otherwise. Do all that – and more importantly do it without moaning – and you’ll be a hero in Liverpool and Texas. And please don’t suffer one bad season that may or may not be a blip. Because you’ll never be able to prove it was a blip. Because we’ll get rid of you straight away and Fleet Street will applaud us for doing so.

“The fans? To hell with them. Thanks to those who we will soon have to call our ‘friends in the press’, the Anfield faithful can be dismissed as being more deluded than those cultists in Waco. Didn’t you know they only stuck by Rafa because they had made him the figurehead for their protests. Well, that’s what the columnists said anyway. It soon became accepted as a journalistic truth that the Liverpool support was ‘in denial’ when it came to Rafa and that in their hatred of the Americans they couldn’t spot his inadequacies. Insulting? Perhaps just a little bit, considering we’re talking here about fans who have consistently proved to be among the most knowledgeable. But it did the trick. They were talking rubbish – Rafa was rubbish. Had to go.

“So that brings us nicely on to you. How can you say no? Liverpool is a massive club, as you well know. And if we’re bought out by some rich Arabs one day we might again have the finances of a massive club. To be honest, I wouldn’t expect that to be Dubai now as they’re more skint than we are. But someone with bottomless pockets will turn up. You just need to give off the illusion this club are as big as they ever were while we’re waiting.

“So if you will just sign here, Mr Hiddink? Mr Hiddink? Mr Hiddink? Please don’t slam the door, we’ve only just mended it from when Souness left…

“Valerie, get me Dalglish on the phone. Ask him if he would be kind enough to stop the fans from rioting, will you?”

Fuck this: cant sit around any longer. Been putting all my red mates onto SOS and encouraging to boycott official merchandise. Joined SOS this morning. Time to get stuck into these 2 cancerous cunts. WIll be e-mailing the above sponsors now and letting them know the real truth about cunto and cuntee.

Skeat, here’s the sad sad thing… some of our fans would read that, especially the part of why Rafa had to go etc, and believe it was the gospel truth.

Sad times mate… but we don’t all fall for it. Some of us are fighting back.

Time to level with you lads, well, give you the little I can… finally there’s proper legal avenues being persude. I can’t say much but pressure is being brought to bear on the relevant people – the owners, the bankers/creidtors, politicians – by experts and professional people. That’s why me and others are rallying the troops and trying to get the numbers up…
1: Your tenner helps to pay for the fight.
2: Unity is strength… the more numbers we have, and can show we have, the more weight it carries and the more notice has to be taken.

I think it’s our only hope. But as the foot soldiers in this war, we must keep up the pressure we can.
How?
Well, you lads are doing it… joining the union, getting others in, putting pressure on the sponsors, boycotting official merchandise, informing the club and sponsors of this and why, getting others in to help, and do the same…

That’s a huge help. Don’t underestimate yourselves or what you’re doing. If we all do a little bit – the lot gets done.

Like I said, you do something, get someone else to do it, they do something, get someone else to do it, they do someth…
You get me drift.
So I know it’s a pain in the arse lads. I can’t wait to go back to talking footy and having a laugh. But if we don’t do it, it might be a long long time before we get back to what we like doing.

And I’m off now, but positive note… It’s working. There’s more and more each day. It’s not a waste of your time. We are having an affect.

PS: Don’t forget to read this and pass it on…
http://bit.ly/ap4SQR

If that doesn’t rile people up, nothing will.

PPS: That link to Well Red, as well as being a good way to get the truth to out to other Reds, it is a great source for facts when you write to the sponsors.

Page 4 and 5 are brilliant. Facts… in quick easily digestable snips…
Be warned though, it paints a pretty grim picture – but it’s the truth. We can’t let it get any worse.

Bascombe, hang your head in shame, again.

http://robbohuyton.blogspot.com/2010/06/liverpool-fc-reponse-to-chris-bascombes.html?

Keep up the good work FS.

Oh ffs. I’ve got to turn this gizzmo off and get out of here… getting cabin fever, being drove mad.
But…
some lads have just emailed me. They’ve designed an alternative LFC shirt. They’re just finalising a few things. I’ll be back later with a link to the finished product.

Hats off to them. It looks brilliant. Far better than the official one. And it is going to go ahead… their in discussion with manufacturers and it looks like it will be available quite soon and quite cheaply, something like £15 including P&P.

Tell you what, we’ve got some clever, resourceful bastards on our side. Now they’re riled I wouldn’t want them coming after me… in fact, they are. I’ve got to get out. I’m being drove mental.
Later.

Posted this on my blog, hopefully it gets through to a few people:

Plea to all LFC Supporters: Do Your Part and Join the SOS

Our club is being sucked dry, slowly but surely, by two leeches. The amount of interest/money being paid to service the debt is enough to pay the wages of at least 5 top players. Rather than forcing a sale, the bank looks to be happily allowing the owners an extension of the loan taken as long it gets the lucrative income from the massive interest. How long until there comes a time when all our assets are stripped i.e.: players sold off and replaced by mediocre players (not to say that it has not started when the manager had to sell to buy) on top of all the income we make going towards servicing the debts and we are put into administration and relegated?

The only man, who is on the side of the fans in the whole set-up, has been removed. A man who gave the fans a hope for the future, being the most successful manager in the last 20 years and was wanted by so many big clubs which he declined for the love of LFC. A man that had 13 players in his squad good enough to be picked to play in the World Cup. He may have had his flaws but he was never a yes-man the owners were looking for.

Rafa Benitez stood in the way of the owners whose interest in the club is pure business. It is a lucrative income for the owners given the size of our club and its fanbase, and LFC doesn’t need to win any trophy for it to become a cash-cow for the owners. Just being at mid-table is good enough. Check out the few ‘investments’ the owners had made before LFC and you will get the drift.

The whole mess created by the owners smells so terrible it makes a public toilet feel like a perfume store. All the promises made were just lies and the media has had a hand in the smear campaign against the manager and unfortunately some fans fell for it and helped in his ousting (someone actually used the word ‘traitors’ to refer to this set of fans). It was so bad that some fans had this idea that all will be okay after Rafa left (I am actually glad that he left seeing the crap he had to take whilst being at LFC — he doesn’t deserve all that) and we will get the likes of Hiddinks to take over. Well, where is the Hiddink now? All we have left now is a board made up of more businesspersons working for the owners and King Kenny as the feel-good factor to hoodwink the fans, yet again before a yes-man is in his place while money being channeled out to the banks and to the Caymans.

What’s next? Torres being sold by the Chelsea trojan horse? Gerrard deciding to abandon ship? Benayoun forced to go look for greener pasture? Will we ever see any of the money from the sales go towards strengtening the squad? Forget about the title, will we ever qualify for the CL again?

These are the uncertainties that hang like a dark cloud over the club at the moment. As for the owners, I don’t think they care. As long as fans fill up the stadium and buy the merchandise, they will be happily laughing all the way to the bank. Even if the locals decides to boycott the games and the merchandise, no problem because the seats will be filled up by tourists who will visit the store before and after the games. And it will continue as long as the owners are not forced by the banks to sell. But why would the banks do that when they themselves are getting a fair share of the whole deal, 1M a week in payable interest is good business.

We the fans are the victims in this whole mess and we will surely witness further decline of the club we love dearly given the circumstances. Fans from all around the world should reignite what used to be the notion of us being the most knowledgeable fans and start supporting the efforts for the survival of OUR club. We should not just sit aside and watch our club crumble and, heaven forbids, becomes another Leeds or Newcastle. Just like the few efforts put up by individuals recently, for example the recent letters sent to all media stating our thoughts, there are more efforts being put into place. According to sources close to this whole mess, things are not so gloomy if everything goes according to plan. We might, at last, get rid of the two viruses. Even if it doesn’t happen quickly, we can at least look back and say that we tried our best.

One step being discussed towards this is not buying any merchandise because this indirectly puts money into the pockets of the greedy leeches, so I will not be buying the jersey. The second step is to start boycotting everything that is related to the two twats. The third would be to start writing to entities related directly or indirectly to the two twats and LFC stating our thoughts and what we intend to do.

But the most important step is to sign up as a member of SOS. It costs only £10 a year but it would be money well spent as SOS needs the numbers behind them and they have something prepared up their sleeves. Doing this is simple, just go here and do the necessary: http://www.spiritofshankly.com/join.html

Hopefully the Phoenix will again rise from the ashes with the help from all of us, true to the sacred words of You’ll Never Walk Alone!

Good man SOAK… we need to spread this as wide and far as possible. We are having an affect. In fact, I’m just doing the rounds telling lads what’s going on…
The union membership has jumped by over a 1000 this weekend. I haven’t got a final figure because the counter’s still whizzing round… Fuck the media. They won’t do anything but slag us. So we’ll advertise ourselves.

Demand for SOS shirts has been so big that they can’t cope. They’ve had to suspend sales until they get it better organised…
They’ve probably asked the old boy in Stanley Park to drop his shovel, lock the porta cabin and get a real job, packing T-shirts.

But arsing about aside, that’s good news… shows how interest has shot up.

The alternative kit is being finalised and should be available within a matter of days. I’ve seen the mock ups… It’s a belter.
Standard Chartered has been turned into Standards comprimised, and it looks the business. My days of tight hugging nylon are well gone. Well, they never really began. I don’t mind the night’s like, but that’s another story… but I will be getting one of these kits. Great keepsake, and handy when the Grandkids ask…
What did you do in the war, Grampy?

And arsing about aside… The letter/email campaign is already getting responses from sponsors…
They are saying words like “Concerned,” let’s turn it to “Worried panic.”

The march is growing. It’s been made official. Insurance has been taken out. Police, Ambulance and Fire services have been notified. Permits have been applied for. It will go ahead without them if needs be, but it should be all legal and above board. The media has been alerted… let’s see them ignore this one.

The new official kit launch has been announced… pickets will be there handing out anti-H&G literature telling people exactly where their money is going. Flyers are being made up for this… It’ll be all the facts from pages 4 and 5 of Well Red, with some artwork, either the Hicks baseball bat picture, the Liverbird blood bag or hopefully my favourite, the crying Liverbird. But whatever it is, I’m sure it will be educational and effective.

Bank accounts with RBS and BofA are being closed. And there’s other things going on. I can’t think of it all right now, but the point is… results are being achieved and more and more people are becoming involved. But most importantly… the money people are becoming concerned. Well wait until they see what’s going to hit them in a week or so… they’ll shite.

So keep it up lads. Keep dragging people onboard. Seems like we aren’t pissing into the wind after all.

Oh yeah…
I’ve heard the anti-Hicks song. Me mate’s finished it now. It should go down well with you Irish lads. It’s an adjusted version of this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54PDlicm_94

We Are The Sons Of Anfield.

There’s no speaking bit on it… we couldn’t get Liam Niesen to do it, said he’s boycotting all merchandise. Well, you know what them Paddies are like, eh

Nah. It’s just a few of the lads on guitars and drums. They’ve done a great job though – especially considering they’ve never even played together before, by all accounts the equipment wasn’t exactly state of the art, and they played, cut and mixed it all in a matter of hours.

And one of the lads is working on a video to go with it… That will have the spoken bit on it. It will also have some great artwork and anti-H&G facts.

A few of us have been onto all the local media, the papers, telly and radio. And if we get them interested, I’ve got to get onto the supporters club and there’ll be a launching there… hopefully getting it loads of exposure.

So things are happening. It looks like the phoney war is finally over and we haven’t even got the big guns out yet.

So fingers crossed lads.

On a sour note… if you want to see what we’re up against, tune in to Panorama on BBC1 tomorrow night…
It’s devoted to that great people’s uprising and Norwich City scarf selling operation down the East Lancs.

That’s why it’s down to us to keep this going. We won’t get help. We have to do it all ourselves.

heres a link to the full tune sons of anfield is based on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHn5As1SPCY

feckers on youtube have deleted it!!!

Oh My God!
Gerry if you know Andy Harvey, go kick him in the balls for us would you?

I cannot believe the absolute Fuckin Deluded tripe he just trotted out on the mainpage in his “What Now” article.

THAT… is what we are up against!

If the file in youtube got deleted,y dont you use megavideo?

Agreed Aitch

If opinions are like arseholes then we shouldn’t have to smell all of them….REALLY!

Kopblog and SOS are the only places I can go now for some sanity

FFS ‘getting back to basics” and ‘wheeling and dealing’ are what people want

forget the Man who has re-vamped our whole club from top to bottom and tried to make a REAL future for Liverpool

“Fuck it dude lets go bowling!”

Over and out

HI guys,

Its impossible to login into blogspot from CHina. Can you copy ans paste the article out from Lurgankop #103

http://robbohuyton.blogspot.com/2010/06/liverpool-fc-reponse-to-chris-bascombes.html?

Thank you.

FS, its nice to know so much effort is put on to save our club. I’ll surely try to contribute wherever i can

Hi FS. Glad to see you back in your full gladiator gear! Haha. Just signed up as SOS member after several frustrating tries. Cheers, mate!

Hi Skeat, my fellow Malaysia friend. Quite a good article this. Here it is, the one posted earlier (#103) by Lugankop:

Monday, 7 June 2010
LIVERPOOL FC: A response to Chris Bascombe’s hatchet job
TEAR apart a poisonous presentation of something at Liverpool FC and you’ll always get the same response: Why does it matter?

Just ignore it, will be the cry. Don’t buy the newspaper, give the website a swerve, turn the telly off or change the radio station.

Admittedly for my own blood pressure it works a treat (I’m a much calmer man since I stopped listening to Talk Sport and those dents in the steering wheel have started to recede).

Adopting that strategy is all well and good but when apathy rules, people start to take the piss. And then you realise – misinformation does matter.

It matters because it’s a distraction. A noise. It’s like someone waving something shiny on the hard shoulder of the motorway – you end up looking when you should be braking to avoid the crash.

The latest distraction comes from Chris Bascombe. And the something shiny in his case is a freshly-sharpened hatchet.

Bascombe, formerly of the Liverpool Echo, and a Liverpool fan, now writes for the News of the World.

I don’t buy the paper, I don’t visit their website – not just because of their obvious link to The S*n but also because I don’t enjoy their particular brand of journalism.

But it’s still relatively easy to be exposed to Bascombe’s work – it’s a reoccurring thread in one of the Liverpool forums for instance. And like it or not, the NOTW is the biggest selling newspaper in Britain.

So Bascombe’s words carry weight with some. Many will pick up that paper without knowing the background and believe every word.

I’m not one of them. In fact, I’d go as far as to describe his latest piece as a joke.

Coming just a day after a brilliant warts-and-all summing up of Rafa Benitez’s reign by The Mirror’s Brian Reade, Bascombe couldn’t resist the temptation to plunge the knife into Benitez, the man who helped him win awards at the Echo – and secure a move to a national in the first place.

Because in journalism, contacts are king. Being a competent writer is only half the battle. To win the awards, to impress the big boys, you need a man on the inside. And who better than the manager?

But that was then. And when the Benitez-Bascombe relationship soured, the former Old Hall Street scribe didn’t like it.

So when he kicks off his bitter, one-eyed piece with the line about Benitez forgetting about the players, about him having “minimal support”, what’s that based on? Because it’s not fact.

Bascombe probably does still have some contacts at Liverpool – his key one isn’t hard to work out, he wrote his book. But one player’s view isn’t necessarily the view of the whole squad – and shouldn’t be presented as so.

So for Bascombe’s yin in that he claims Benitez had little backing in the dressing room, I give you Tony Barrett’s yang from a recent webchat he did for The Times.

Asked if player power had played a part in Benitez getting the sack, Barrett replied:

“This myth is being perpetuated to ridiculous levels now. I spoke to a very senior Liverpool player today, one who has been outspoken in his criticism of the owners, and he told me the Liverpool dressing room was no different to any other.

“There are players who don’t like Benitez, there are others who do like him and there are those who change their opinion of the manager according to variables such as whether or not they are in the team and results.”

So there’s a view from the inside, from a player – and to him the Liverpool dressing room was no different to any workplace.

Yet to Bascombe, it’s the frontline of a warzone.

The alleged evidence of how Benitez mistreated the players, too, is laughable.

Rafa Benitez signed Fernando Torres’s hat-trick ball against Hull with ‘Keep working’.

Funny how that sentence evokes no emotion when written on its own. Yet Bascombe dresses it up like Benitez had pulled down the striker’s shorts and smacked his arse in front of the rest of the players.

It’s the same with Henry Winter, a journalist that moves in similar circles, with his constant reference of the ‘cold detachment’ of Benitez.

I don’t know about anyone else, but in my working life I’ve never had a manager that wraps me in a fur coat, puts me in front of the fire and tells me how good I am every five minutes. Why does a professional footballer need that kind of treatment – particularly one as good as Torres?

If signing a ball ‘keep working’ is the best evidence Bascombe can present that Benitez is ‘cold’ after six years, is it unfair to suggest he is clutching at straws?

Then there’s the suggestions that Benitez was/is deluded, is some kind of crank – like his attacks on the owners were almost out of order, something he’d dreamt up and exaggerated.

Suggestions which, coming from a Liverpool fan, are startling. Bascombe, more than most, should be all too aware of the perilous position the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett has put the club in – yet it’s almost swatted aside as a side issue.

So while Bascombe admits: “He had much to complain about due to the owners…” he goes on to say “Working for mad chairmen is an occupational hazard but most managers deal with it in a shrewder manner.”

But most managers are not dealing with chairmen whose sole aim is to line their pockets. Most managers can rely on some modicum of support from their chairmen, and most chairmen have some idea about football and know, for instance, that if you need a centre half when you are trying to mount a title challenge, you don’t go scouring the bottom end of the market.

The vindictive attack goes on and on, tempered only by the sentence: “He was and still is a world-class coach.”

My guess is that came afterwards, probably just as he was about to hit send, when he thought: ‘Hang on – let’s make this a balanced piece…”

That lines appears before he walks off down another avenue – a route where it is clear on which side of the divide he was when the recent public battle of Anfield was taking place.

“Benitez thought he’d won his war. Instead he came up against Christian Purslow at a time when key players’ form dipped and injuries took their toll.”

Ah Purslow, all hail the suited-up bean counter – our saviour. Ask yourself this, have you ever known a managing director’s name appear in the press so frequently? The Telegraph’s Winter, the Daily Mail’s Ian Ladyman, The Mirror’s Dave Maddock – all time and again tellling us what a wonderful job this man is doing while at the same time attacking Benitez and often barely giving a nod to the club’s off-field problems.

Anyone would think that some kind of briefings have been taking place…

And what of Purslow? Why is he still here? What’s his role? And why is he now getting involved in football matters?

Wasn’t it his brief to sell the club (or at the very least bring in some new investment)?

“Vulnerable, Benitez became more confrontational. Purslow soon found himself cast as panto villain amongst the clan referred to in Anfield circles as ‘the Rafa mafia’. The poisonous leaks against Purslow were assisted by the careful manipulation of Benitez’s sympathisers who laughably complained when the boss became the victim of his own smear tactics.”

So what “poisonous leaks” are they then, Chris? Is it supposed to refer to the incident with Spirit of Shankly when “Cecil” tried to release some more spin to fans and SOS felt it was time to reveal what was really being said by a senior official about the future of our club?

Quite how that constitutes Benitez attempting to smear Purslow, I don’t know. But it seems the only logical explanation. Otherwise I’m struggling to understand the reference, as are many others.

Whereas if you want evidence of leaks about Benitez being put out to the press by Purslow, well we can go back as far as November when Winter wrote:

“But it is known around Anfield that Purslow has talked to Benítez about his style of management, notably his cold detachment from the players”

Now THAT’S a poisonous leak, as is suggesting the former manager was deliberately missing meetings with Martin Broughton, the new chairman, when he in fact was preparing for a mammoth journey across Europe to Madrid.

Tearing shreds off Benitez isn’t Bascombe’s only agenda in his latest piece, either. He decides to have a go at fans, too:

“His departure should not only leave fans assessing where the club goes but cause some to re-think their own role. There’s a flaw in the ethos of a club which too readily makes gods of managers.”

“There’s a well meaning but misguided element of Liverpool’s support seduced by Benitez’s chippy approach. They want Liverpool as a club and city to be belligerent street fighters and their extreme view of what the Scouse mentality is rooted in militant caricature. Benitez bought into this which is why his behaviour became so erratic.”

There’s also a flaw, Chris, in journalists who too readily accept the viewpoint of one player, or one boardroom suit, without considering what their agenda is; without questioning it; without offering balance.

As for telling fans how they should behave, what they should believe in – even what their politics should be, well who appointed you God, Chris?

Perhaps these fans who you mock recognise the state their club is in. Perhaps they recognise that there is a fight taking place and in Benitez they had an ally – what do you want, a puppet? A man who will watch as Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and maybe even Torres are sold from under him, and will say nothing? A man who won’t make a murmur when the promised budget disappears, or when yet another signing goes to the dogs because of tinkering and money watching?

Well not for me, Chris. There’s problems enough at the club and Benitez, love or hate his football, was well used to dealing with them.

As you say, he was and is, a world-class coach – something Liverpool now look unlikely to attract.

But it’s OK Chris, instead of asking the questions we really want answering – like why spend £6million giving one manager the boot, and £3m to attract an inferior one when we’re skint; like why sack the boss without having a replacement lined up; like why target one-season wonders, second-rate nomads and men with less than desirable links and track records that don’t stand up when you had a European Cup winner on board?

Instead of those, let’s tackle what’s really important: that the manager stopped giving you stories, you didn’t like it and you couldn’t wait to stick the boot in.

That makes you a much better Liverpool fan, Chris. Much better.

The article was “Posted by robbohuyton”

Finally able to get back on,

First of all well done FS for fighting the good fight- can’t say you didn’t warn us,

Aitch yes just read that article loved the comment ” I think theres a lot of cause for excitment and optimism now” WTF

But I do believe one of our own kop bloggers (Chris Duigan)left a good comment setting him straight – I was going to say Steve the Red but that doesn’t make sense

And reading the comments on the Robbohuyton article, I came across one which is quite telling:

Comments by Ash
Well written article (by Robbo Huyton). Agree completely.

Rafa was our defender. He battled against everyone for the good of the CLUB.
Parry, Moores..all had to go.

What has Purslow done so far?
Broughton is a self-chelski fan – So what can we expect from this guy?

Rafa was the only MAN to have risen against powers stronger than him and he was no coward by any means to stand up against the likes of Fergie, Mourinho and the Anfield hiearchy.

True, he made mistakes in the market. But then who does not? Secondly, he showed that his buys were good when he was given around 10 millions to spend on a player. Johnson is good and Aquilani will be too.

Rafa made the me a very very proud fan when I watched the Liverpool of 2008-2009 tearing into sides like manure, chelsea, real madrid and co with aplomb and an air of invincibility, yet so much guile and above all the work of a tactical genius manoeuvring from behind. That was the Liverpool of Rafa, The Machine, that’s how he liked his team to play when he has all the players available and fit.

Sadly we were all the time punching above our weight, considering lack of investments. But we did not feel it in the season 08-09 as all the ingredients for success were here. That’s mainly few injuries to key personnel.

Rafa has been sacked because he asked too many questions and he wanted to bring success to us. How would he be able to achieve this without “quality signings”?

Would Mourinho or Hiddink or Van Gaal or any world class manager accept to come to Liverpool without any financial guarantees available?

They have now sacked a world class manager who loved this club and was ready for the challenge for the new season.

Now bring on the second best!
Shame on the Americans, Shame on the Anfiel Hiearchy, Shame on the so called football pundits who know it all supposedly and SHAME on the Ex-Liverpool players from their sofas on a saturday night think they can come out with all rubbish on TV!

Sadly, the future does not look bright.

Good to hear from ya Knight

wish it was under better circumstances

Lads you just have to look at the reactions of the 2 people who have commented on Rafas sacking

Riera – delighted

Reina – Gutted

now ask yourself which one is the good and evil?
Which one actually cares about what happens to the club you love?
(rhetorical question)
and which camp are you in?

Over and out

Dirk Kuyt was interviewed here in SA during a Netherlands training session. The inevitable question was asked: ‘what do you think about Rafa’s departure from Liverpool?’
He was diplomatic – couldn’t say too much, could he – but said he was very dissapointed to hear that Rafa was gone, but that was football & managers, like players, come and go.
Would have liked to have seen something a bit stronger from him, but I think the question caught him by surprise a wee bit.

Hiya Knight me old mate. Congratulations on taking the plunge and joining… I know you had reservations about SOS. A lot of people do, but their good people, just like us, just concerned fans trying to do their best and they have been working hard on putting right some of their mistakes. And more importantly, they’re taking the fight to the next level…
It’s not complete doom and gloom just yet. Well, yeah it is and it has been since H&G walked through the door. But at least, everything possible is being done to boot them back out.

Knight…
I sort of know the lad who wrote that article. He knows Jock and I sort of know him through that, but not properly. He’s a good red though. And if you haven’t read that link to WELL RED…
In fact anyone who hasn’t you really should.

Here goes again…
http://bit.ly/ap4SQR

You should all read it. Pages 4 and 5 nutshell things, and come in very handy for reference… when writing to sponsors or just putting idiots in their place.

As for SOS… Knight, in fact all lads overseas, you can start your own chapter now. It’s been set up so that concerned over seas reds can run their own chapter in their own backyard.

I don’t know too much about it. I’ll go get something and get right back with it.

Here you go…
[email protected]

That’s the direct email to the secretary. His name’s Graham Smith. If you fancy setting up a chapter of your own, get on to him.

The ordinary email addresses are jammed up to fuck and it’s taking people ages to work their way through them. So use that if you want to have a go.

But please, please, please…
Don’t use it to just say Hiya Graham great work or any of that.

That’s why the emails are so jammed. They are having to sift through tons of it and good info, etc, is probably being lost in the process.

But if you want the information on how to set up a chapter of your own, use it and feel free to tell Graham you know me. He’ll point you in the right direction and help you out.

Anyway, got to go. Keep up the good work, don’t forget to wallop them sponsors… we are starting to worry them now.

PS…
Told you days ago. It’s been announced today…
Season tickets are going up by 7%.

It’s all part of the plan. The singers/local blocks on the Kop are being broke up. It took years of negotiations to set them up. They’re being dismantled in minutes. The ordinary and local fans are being broken up and forced/priced out. The ground will soon need a karaoke man singing United roads of Anfield rd or some such shite.

Sorry for banging on. I don’t enjoy this either lads but it has to be done.

Well in FS. Great to see people getting up of their hole and doing something positive.

And if any more proof were needed that the club are in dire straits……

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liverpool-takeover-Tom-Hicks-scuppers-two-perfect-fit-offers-for-Anfield-club-article452141.html

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/06/08/liverpool-fc-announce-7-rise-in-season-ticket-prices-100252-26609977/

These two fucking parasite amoeba are reallY taking the pish now. On top of mortgaging our club to the hilt with debt this greedy fat bastard Hicks is now holding out for the highest price possible. This is something educated fans all ready know and it just hammers home that we are in it up to our eyes.

On top of that the greedy bastards want more money of us for season tickets. They really must think we are the dumbest fuckers in the world. Do not, I repeat do not give these cunts any more of your hard earned cash. Stop and think. Help save Liverpool FC. Join the union. Do something. But please do not sit on your hands and watch our club go down the drain. Everybody needs to get on board. This is some serious shit. We cant let this go on any longer.

SAVE LIVERPOOL FC

Dion Fanning wrote another excellent piece in the Sunday Indo

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/liverpool-dancing-in-the-dark-without-guidance-of-benitez-2209743.html

E-mailed those sponsors. Didnt take long at all. Just needed to sit down and devote a bit of time to it. I advise anyone and everyone to do the same. Even if you can only do that small bit. Everything helps. And believe me when i say, fuck do i feel good after it. It feels good to do your bit. Also get on to the union and join them. They are doing some sterling work over there and may be the only object standing in the way of a total meltdown at the club.

SAVE LIVERPOOL FC

Came in to post something for you lads to read, but firstly…
Good man Artful.
See lads it’s true…
It doesn’t take long and it feels like you’ve done something. Great stuff Art.

Here’s something you should all read…
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-maddock/Why-RBS-and-Barclays-Capital-should-stop-being-a-bunch-of-bankers-and-force-Hicks-and-Gillett-to-sell-Liverpool-The-David-Maddock-Column-article452955.html

And the funny thing about it…
The author, Dave Maddock, is a complete prick and absolute LFC/Rafa hater.

He was one of the worst for slating the club, but especially Rafa.

But – and this is a well known fact amongst some reds – he’s Purslow’s little media gimp.

Yep, he’s the fella who Purslow leaks things to and uses to stir up the shit.

So, I have to wonder what’s going on here. Did Purslow slide him this info and tell him to print?

I don’t know, but it’s very strange.

I suppose all we can do is keep chipping away, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is about to happen.

Let’s just hope it’s not going to get any worse, if that’s possible.

But 2 articles in a matter of hours, from the same source…
This one and the one saying 2 perfectly good buyers had been found only to be knocked by Hicks because he wanted more…

Well, something must be going on – even though it’s in the arse wipe Mirror.

I mean, Boughtman, brought in to oversee the sale – even if H&G disagreed to it – saying nothing to deny the rumours that perfectly good buyers had been found.

And then this from Purslow’s gimp…
something’s going on.

Fatty,One of the lads in the job today pointed that article out to me.
At first i just brushed it off as another journo filling space during sumer time then i realised it was Maddock,who in turn is Purslow`s gimp as you said.

There have been so many false dawns in the past i think i can be forgiven for thinking this is more shite.Well we`ll have to wait and see.

Got those e-mails off to the sponsors done yesterday.Today i round up a few lads too in work to join up SOS.Even one who wanted Rafa out the door all last season had realised in the close of the season that it wasn`t for football reasons but he`d rather that Rafa be kept on to fight the tumours.
Then shortly after that Rafa gets the door.Feckin Jonah!!

Anyhow around 6 said they`d sign up weather they will or not is another thing.I can`t do any more.

Did the Facebook thing too hope to get a few soldiers from there too.

That’s brilliant Timmy, and that’s all you can do… you know, you can lead a horse to water, but..

So, well in mate. I’ve been told the membership is still climbing steadily after it bombed up on the weekend. They can’t keep up with it all… even T-shirt sales have had to be suspended, while they try and catch up on it all…

I think they sent the aul fella from Stanley Park to get a few of his mates to help out.

As for the Maddocks thing…
Yep. It’s really strange mate. I can’t get me head round it yet. But I think we should capitalise on it.

As I said, things are going on with RBS. I’ll explain that later, but it’s Barclay’s Capital that are dealing with the sale of the club.

I think we should blitz them with a short note of our own and attach Maddocks article. The only problem with that is…
I’ve got the list of the top brass at Barclay’s Capital but no email addresses, just an actual adress for the company… there’s two, one in London one in Manchester.

I think letters to the head honcho are the way to go. I’m trying to find the actual fellas who are handling our business. But I think a quick email blitz would do no harm, problem is… I only have the email for the company relations person. Blitz them and they’ll just get fed up and bin them without even mentioning it. But I suppose it’s still worth a try.

Hang on, I’ll get the email if anyone fancies having a go.

Here you go…
[email protected].

But as I said, how much affect it will have, how much heed they’ll take, what use it is, etc…
Fuck knows.

What I’m going to do is just cut and paste Maddocks article, put the facts and figures in off page 4 and 5 of WELL RED, and a few lines of me own… Do you really want to be smeared with all this, etc.

And then I’ll fire it off and see what happens.

But tonight I’m writing a letter to the head fella at the company. I’m too busy to go rooting around again. If you want to do the same…
Put contact Barclays Capital in your search bar, and have a mooch round in thier site. There’s a list of the top executives. I don’t know which one’s dealing with our business. If I find out, I’ll post it in here. But I’m just going to have a go at the top fella… somebody Diamond Jr.

Looks like he’s the one to go for.

Ya Fatty if you can,we`ll all give it a go.

We`re willing to try anything now at this stage.

Just back to the Article,i wonder did purslow have a falling out with Hicks and instructed Maddock to paint him as the lesser of two evils?

Looking at that it looks like Gillette is ready to roll but Hicks is the real blood sucker of the two.

Some will fall for that weather its the truth or not.

Somethings Fishy Alright.

Great work FS. Interesting point about Maddock’s article. He used to write things against Liverpool. Suddenly there is a change.

There’s no great mystery about either of those Maddck articles lads.

Go read them again.
But go sentence by sentence… and think about what is written in each sentence… seperate of the rest of the article.

We are fast approaching the time whent he music will suddenly STOP…
… and nobody wants to be the one without a chair.

In the current situation, everyone is still making money. Everyone!
RBS
G&H
Broughton
Purslow
They are all banking checks written against LFC.

When a sale goes through… and there will be a sale… its just a question of when, not if… regardless of whether its £400 million or £800 million… EVERYONE makes money.

G&H are siphoning off what they can (take a good look at some of the numbers that don’t add up in those two article… yet again!)
RBS are banking their Daily VIG
Purslow is banking his weekly packet
So too is Broughton

And when the sale goes through, they’ll all pocket cash.
Not just RBS and the Owners.
Broughton will be on some sort of commission as will Purslow for his involvement in all this.

So there’s no mystery in “binning offers” as that is just to wring more red cents out of any deal that is on offer.

And there’s no great mystery about leaks of such goings on.

This is ALL about deflecting blame now.

When the dust settles… and it’ll be far from settled, even when a deal is eventually done…
… even if that deal is with some mega-billionaire… (anyone who thinks that is a quick fix to our problems is fuckin deluding themselves.)
… no one wants to be the “Moores” or “Parry” in this chapter and they are just trying to get their claim of innocense in early, so we don’t suspect them after the fact and point fingers in the wrong direction…
… you know, like say… at the manager who so nearly got us there.

Wake up people!
STOP reading what you WANT to hear and start analyzing what you read.

Behave Aitch… I’m not, and neither is Timmy, daft.

It’s nothing to do with what you’ve written that confuses us. It’s about what’s going on behind the scenes. If you stop and think about it, and all the players involved, their remits, and what there doing in this scenario, it’s a very puzzling and strange situation indeed.

But I’m not here to play Columbo or argue the details with you. I’m here with something good for a change…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTxBaHx2VNM

It’s just a little taste. That’s me mate Terry on guitar and San Miguel, cracking lad and a boss red. That vids just a little taster, sort of an advert to get it in the shop window. The tune and video will be along soon.

They’re going to be playing it on the steps of St. George’s Hall before the march to Anfield sets of on July 4th.

If anyone’s going, look out for me flag… I probably won’t be carrying it. Fuck that. I’ll have some young bucks do the hard work. In fact, I probably won’t even march… lazy fat fucker. I’ll be at the start and then jump the bus up to the ground, have a few pints in the King Harry (at the back of the centenary stand) and then nip round to the ground as the march arrives… Bingo job done.

So anyway… don’t get a cob on Aitch. I’m not having a go. Believe me, there’s far smarter people than me, and far smarter people than me with inside info, scratching their heads and trying to work out what’s going on. But honestly mate, something is and it’s a mystery.

No doubt it will become clearer soon. Let’s hope it’s good… well, there is no good in this really, but you know what I mean.

And So It Begins….

Two headlines from today’s Echo…

1. Former Liverpool FC manager Rafael Benitez set to return to Anfield to raid trio.
First team coach Mauricio Pellegrino, goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero and fitness coach Paco de Miguel are likely to link up with Benitez at the San Siro where he is expected to be unveiled as the new Inter manager.

and I know FS already mentionedd it, but…
2. Liverpool FC announce 7% rise in season ticket prices.

And Aitch…
It’s still to be confirmed but yes mate… apparently Rafa’s joined Inter.

Fuckinell. We, us, in total disaray, buy off and force out the door a manager, and he’s swooped on by the Champion’s of Europe while we decide between the likes of Hodgson and Hughes!

And the only mystery in any of that…
H&G, Purslow and Boughtman and Ayres, do they really think we are stupid enough to believe Rafa was sacked for finishing 7th?

In fact, do they think any of us are stupid enough to believe another word any of them say?

I’m listening to Guillam Belague on the radio…
He spoke to Torres and Gerrard they are both pissed off Rafa has been forced out/bought off. They are fuming they have been used in this by the media… saying they helped force him out, and now that he has gone, they are both considering fucking off.

Come on lads, let’s force these fuckers out before we are left with nothing.

PS… where’s all the Rafa bashers?

With that news, I’m really ready to rip into one of them stupid bastards. In fact, I’m off to find some, but you know what…
They’re all in hiding.

Fuckin fools and traitors… They’re one or the other, no more no less. But I suppose the fools at least have an excuse.

Alright FS, have it as you will.
My post wasn’t meant as a pop at you, or timmy.

You’ve been absent for a while now, so maybe you didn’t take into account the position I’ve been maintaining since you left. You’re not the only one flying the flag mate.

I’ll freely admit, you likely have more inside info than I do out here in Cali… But I fail to see any mystery in anything that has transpired this week…. or for that matter for 6 to 12 months, now.
It has been on the wall and in the cards for a long time.

I’m not the least bit surprised by any of the math related to the oustanding loan figures…
…or the fact that those figures seemingly change with the wind… or Hicks’ underwear…

In one of those articles there is a passage that indicates that part of the loan extention had a “facility for extending the loan from £270 million, back up to £300 million”…
I mean… What The Fuck??? …
…I didn’t know that…. but I’m not fuckin surprised by it either…

… I wasn’t at all surprised when Rafa was forced out this week…
…or by the manner in which it was done…
… and I seriously doubt I’ll be surprised by anything else that transpires this summer.

Looking forward to the Sons of Anfield’s song FS. Let’s keep up the momentum.

For my part I’ve just drafted the letters to Standard Chartered et al. Only took 30 odd minutes to do them all and they will be posted tomorrow. Com’on lads, get the digits out and typing on those keyboards!

It’s done. It’s confirmed. Rafa gets unveiled at the San Siro tomorrow.

Well done Diggerreedoo, Bowel Movement and the likes you got you way. In fact, you only done what was right…

You helped force a European Champion’s League winning manager into the arms of the European Champions, and you helped a club full of knobheads to get a knobhead like Hughes or the likes.

Well done lads. Take a bow, great work.

Fuckinell. We, us, in total disaray, buy off and force out the door a manager, and he’s swooped on by the Champion’s of Europe while we decide between the likes of Hodgson and Hughes!

-o-

Very true FS and enough to make me vomit, again. Not good enough for the mighty and bankrupt LFC but good enough for Inter – winners of Serie A for the last 5 years and current CL champions.

WTF are they thinking?

Aitch you’re getting hold of the wrong end of the stick. I’m too busy to go through it all with you, but like I said, look at the players in this, look at their remits, look at the relationships between them all…
Believe me mate… Columbo couldn’t fuckin work it out. In fact, like I said, dead smart lads in the know, on the inside, can’t work it out… we do have spies in the club you know. It’s a complete and utter fuckin mystery mate. Let’s just hope it comes out on our side.

“I’m listening to Guillam Belague on the radio…
He spoke to Torres and Gerrard they are both pissed off Rafa has been forced out/bought off. They are fuming they have been used in this by the media… saying they helped force him out, and now that he has gone, they are both considering fucking off.”

My reaction to that…

Where the fuck were both of you when the knives were out?
I don’t recall too many photos of you standing arm-in-arm with the manager you’re supposedly furious has just been shit-canned.
For fucks sake… the two of you are on the inside… you knew this was coming.

Where were the press statements in support of Rafa over the last 2 months?
The statements railing against the anti-Rafas in the press and support, setting the record straight about the supposed “loss of the dressing room”?
The statements that in-spite of finishing 7th… which the players bare responsibility for … you were both fully behind the manager?
Coz I read a LOT… and I didn’t see but a few quick snippets when you were backed into a corner by a journo after a match.

For fucks sake… we’ve got posters all over the internet now putting down their smoking guns and slowly backing away from their vehemently held positions that we needed Rafa out… and adopting veiled support for him… “I still think he made mistakes and was stubborn and a bad man-manager and his tactics and substitutions drove me mad but…
… well too late muthafuckers… coz those statements gave G&H the ammunition they needed.

The efforts of SOS are magnificent and should be rightly lauded (as you are doing FS) and I don’t make the following statement in ignorance of those efforts… but seriously…
… seriously…

Reds need to look at themselves in the mirror…
500 people showed up at that protest last week (and like I said, I applaud them for it)
but
500,000 were Reds when the bus rolled by with old Big Ears on it.

If 5,000 people, or 50,000 people had marched on Anfield … in support of Rafa… the day after finishing 7th…
…would they have felt they could get away with firing him?
…would he have considered staying?

They are fuming they have been used by the media?
Really.
Were they not watchign TV for the last 12 months?
Have they not read a paper for the last 12 months?

I’m sorry but reading those statements just PISSES ME OFF!

Enjoy your new Villas in Spain, lads…
…the rest of us…
… we’ll be hoping to finish above Sunderland, Birmingham and Fulham!

“WTF are they thinking?”

That bit Lurgy is totally clear… last obstacle out the way, let the asset stripping begin.

But there could still be a glimmer of hope in this Purslow/Maddocks thing.

Oh well, we’ll soon find out.

PS… it’s compounded by a rumour that’s flying round Liverpool. Forgot to say this, and if there’s any truth in it, Aitch, you’ll see how the plot is thickening…
Apparently Dalglish, who loves Rafa hates the other two but is friendly with Purslow, offered to take the club on, take the reigns for pre-season and for the early part if needed to give them time to find the right man.

This was knocked back… excuse too temporary. So, Kenny offered to take the club for a season, while the owners got out and giving them time to find the right man.
Again this was turned down. Kenny smelled a rat and walked out…
Nothing is being done. Nothing at all to find a manager. Kenny is refusing to be the patsy while some behind the scenes shenanigans are played out.

As I said, rumour. But from decent sources and it seems to make sense as this new round of pressure is put on them by Maddocks through Purslow.

I don’t fuckin know, me head’s wrecked with it all.

Aitch ffs mate… Torres done nothing but back the manager for months. Stevie on the other hand as we all know, just isn’t like that.

I told you before and I know it for fact, not through Bellague, I just mentioned that because I’m listening to him. I know from people close to the person concerned there is only one player at LFC who turned on Rafa… and I don’t mean Riera.

FS, seems that my ‘WTF are they thinking’ was misleading. I meant ‘WTF are Inter thinking’.

It’s difficult to highlight sarcasm sometimes.

Interesting about King Kenny but we shall just have to wait a bit to see how it pans out.

The WC starts this Friday so this should take some of the spotlight, unfortunately, from G&H.

We’re talking at cross-purposes FS.
You know we’re on the same side right?

I’m not suggesting they turned on Rafa FS…
If you’d been around over the last few months you’d know that from my disturbingly lengthy contributions in here, chipping away at every myth that has been published, calling the douchebags on their misguided and ill-informed opinions, trying to point out things in articles that didn’t add up, making sure people in here were aware of articles by real journos (few of them though there may be) that were actually not caught up in the hyperbole.

I don’t calim to know what was done or said on the inside at the club…
…and I’ve read pretty much all the articles published throughout this season, where various players have had words, both of support for Rafa, and against the owners…

… but their backing (all the players really) in my opinion, wasn’t loud enough, wasn’t public enough to shout down the Press Corps.

What I mean by that, is this… if it had been me… I’d have been in their face, on to reporters weekly, after every game saying,
“Look lay off the gaffa, he’s doing his best. He’s setting us up right every game, we’ve had loads of injuries, half of us are playign half-fit, doing our best for the boss, but we just haven’t been able to find our way out of it. He’s motivating us just fine, and has the full support of the dressing room.”

That didn’t happen. And it needed to in the face of the agenda (in the media and the boardroom)

Would it have taken so much to just keep repeating something like that and at least dull the knives that were out there?

Everyone, players and fans alike, in my opinion, went into a collective funk as the season slipped away from us…
I think things could have been said and done to support Rafa, that weren’t said and done…
… and again, I’m talking about on a larger scale, by a larger group of people who call themselves Reds, (not the very laudable efforts of SOS and a few groups and individuals like them, who unfortunately haven’t totalled an army yet…)

and an army is what was needed to shout down the bollocks in the media… (who was portraying SOS as a small deluded mob)
… and the media bollocks DID facilitate what transpired this week.
That’s all I’m saying.

The Players have their more than fair share of the blame to take on for last season (injured or not) and they have their share of responsibility in Rafa’s dismissal.

Hi Guys,

Really Delighted, if it’s true, that Kenny has walked away from this.
Delighted, (and very sad too) if it’s true that many hard core fans are not taking up their more expensive season tickets.
Delighted if it’s true that there is nothing being done about “a new manager”.
Delighted if it’s true that it’s chaos at Anfield.
Maybe that’s what it’s gonna take to make sure we are rid of the scum and that no-one else has to go through the rape of their club.
After all who is gonna do the talking for Liverpool ? Broughtan, 1-day a week boss-man ? What kind of deal is he gonna sell to any manager worth his salt ? Nope. Purslow ? Nope. Those 2 vampires or anyone else of their families ? I’d love to hear their pitch …. can you just imagine it ?
So who’s left ? Maybe RBS will interview prospective managers !!
That’s why Kenny was so important to them. The front-man to take the heat etc etc .. I’m delighted he’s gone.
I personally hope it all blows up in their collective face.
If it also takes Stevie, Mascher, Dirk, Nando etc etc jumping from the literally sinking ship… for me so be it. We will have nothing left.

Then maybe the Brittish Press in general and their acolytes here in Ireland and elsewhere, David Moores and Rick Parry, The host of “expert” ex-Reds, most noticeably that bitter basta*d Whelan but the the whole bunch of idiots who talk about “A Club The Size Of Liverpool Has The Right To Expect etc etc…” A Silent Captain, RBS, Barclays, The FA, and most pertinently the host of gullible, stupid, opinionated keyboard warrior Reds who bought the line and spewed their tripe over the years … well maybe then they’ll take stock of what they have created.

Spot on Aitch – haven’t heard the “big Names” talkin’ the talk when it was needed. I’m sure they are “pissed” at being linked with the “Rafa lost the dressing room version 1/ 2/ 222″. welcome to real politik baby. It doesn’t suit them to have mud slung at them. How do you think Rafa has felt this last 3/4 years? They’re was a time for talking up. Too late now. They can go as far as I’m concerned.

What if we have no manager when pre-season starts ? (Sooner than you think). I’d love it. See Alan Green, Mike Ingham, Spooney, Stan “the dog” Collymore and the other talk sport muppets and all the other experts go all high and mighty about “this disgraceful situation” …. Hilarious.

Fair Fu*ks to you Fatty and the boys who are putting in the work. Maybe some good has come out of this calamity. We’ll have a motivated, active, creative, clear thinking, radicalised, passionate fanbase who will really force the issue with whoever the new owners are as we fight our way back up from the lower reaches of the Championship toward the Holy Grial of promotion to the Premiership.

Say it isn’t so ….

Aitch… Lugy just summed it up.

He made a comment. I commented on it… in total agreement. He then told me it was meant sarcastically. I knew that… that’s the problem with communicating like this.

As an aul fart, I love the computer. All that information, and being able to talk to people all over the world, without moving out the door… Fantastic thing, but it does have it’s drawbacks… confusion being one of them.

You’ve no need to explain all that to me. I know what you’re like. I know what side of the fence your on…. the same side as me. There’s no problem here. I agree, the players should have done more. But when you stop and think about it… every man jack of them backed and thanked Rafa.

The media don’t give a toss about that. They spin it any way they want. Gerrard, Torres, any of them could say as they did on many occasions, Rafa made me a better players.

Media interpretation – allah Bascombe and what Rafa signed on the hat-trick ball – cold fish Benitez refuses to praise Torres. Says hat-trick isn’t good enough…
Nevermind that Torres had just said, “some players need an arm around their shoulder. Not me. I like the way Rafa pushes me. It’s hard work sometimes, but it makes me try harder. And it’s made me a better player.”

I think the worse one was at the beginning of the season. You’ll remember it. The media was battering Lucas and Insua. Rafa defended them by saying, “It’s not the young players that are the problem. The senior players have to work harder.”

Press spin, and they really did go on a rampage…
“Rafa attacks Gerrard and Carra.”

They went on and on about that, getting oh so moral and idignant… How dare that Johnny Foriegner upstart insult the Scouse heartbeat of Liverpool…
Even though it was aimed at all the senior players, and both Scouse players insisted Rafa was right and how they had to keep working even harder until the form came back.

In fact, even worse than that was how they started to call us fans who backed him, deluded and blindly loyal…
Have a look at Bascombe’s piece for that, even though us deluded people have long memories and know how Rafa helped him to get a job at the biggest selling national paper in the country from the backwoods of The Liverpool Echo and how the first thing he done was stab Rafa in the back for his new pay masters at the Sunday Sun.

Same with ex players. They forget how much we know about them and why they do the things they do and say the things they say.

So, there’s no argument there mate. But I’ll tell you this, there’s a mystery going on at the moment, being played out by H&G, Purslow, Madocks and Boughtman, and Sherlock Holmes couldn’t work it out.

But right now, I’m too tired and busy to care. There’s so much intrigue and back stabbing going on, even those doing the stabbing seem unsure who to stab next.

I think we’re being a bit harsh on the disguntled LFC fans, if we think a minority caused the down fall of Mr B.
.
How can anyone think the Americans listened to any supporter, whether they agree or disagree with their views.
.
Some of our hysteria borders on x-files stuff, the Americans are arseholes of owners, and thats it, if they manage along the way to divide and conquer, thats an added bonus.
.
Rafa had his detractors but in general had a largish section of support. In fact many on here were supporters of Hicks when he interjected between the Gillet/Parry, Raffa spat. We all tend to have convienent memories.
.
The facts are, Rafa left with a large payout, he now has a well paying new position, he doesn’t seem to have wasted his time sooking about the LFC matter.
.
Lets see if Rafa decides to take, Kuyt, Lucas and Ngog to Milan, I doubt it highly.
.
However as is usual with Liverpool, we pay out a large sum to someone who was most likely leaving anyway. Once again I ask people to look at the end of the last home game this year. Look at the body language of Rafa with the crowd, look at the way he approached players, then tell me he wasn’t leaving.
.
Why it came to this who knows, why we don’t have a replacement, who knows, are we in the process of changing hands and he was surplus to requirements, who knows.
.
I guess all will be revealed but lets not blame the disgruntles fans as the sole reason we’re where we are.
.
There’s two reasons we are where we are, one lives in America, while the other in Canada. Thats it, all the rest are just bum boys taking cash.
.
Ps RBS and the British Government should hang it’s head in shame, major bailout by the tax paying public, only to still continue the processes that got them in trouble to start with.
.
I’m still convinced we will rise from all this, just as we always have.

Fair enough FS, I hear ya.
Had the players said more, more often, at the tops of their voices, maybe they would have still been misquoted (…errr… well there is no maybe there is there? silly me…) they still would have been misquoted, they still would have been ignored…. but I still think we needed to hear more, more often, at a higher volume, from all the players, in at least an attempt to drown out the propaganda campaign.
It was the ONLY chance Rafa had really.
…but maybe as you say… it was no chance at all?

Maybe there are things going on that you’ve gotten a whiff of that give you cause to to wonder about such a mystery… but I don’t see it from what I’ve read.

I’ve no crystal ball… and have been acused of scaremongering a few times this season (particularly in the last few months) but…
So far, everything seems to be panning out as I suspected it would.

Rafa hounded out…
Blame game pointed in rafa’s direction…
Legend/Marquee rumored to placate the fans…
More false promises to placate the gullible (and yes we still have some) or so desperate they’ll believe anything (which is now, sadly, the rest of us)…
Backroom asset stripping under the cover of dark…
On-Field asset stripping…
All the incoming dosh being redirected from the Club, to Kop Holdings, to Kop Cayman, to…. poof! (where’d it goooooooo?)
The 100 million we’ll get for Torres, SG, Masch, maybe a few others, being spent on a new Ferrari at a dealership in Dallas, instead of on a deal for a new player at LFC.
The club sold to … whoever… maybe still partially in debt even if it is a Billionaire,
…and a starting line-up of Pepe, Derby, Carra, Kyrgiakos, Insua, Riera, Spearing, Lucas, Babel, Pacheco and Ngog facing the Chavs in the first game of the season….
… in front of a capacity Anfield crowd of plastic flag waving, new kit wearing, photograph taking, humming coz they don’t know the words Tourists!

Urgh!

and gaz… you got it reversed… it was a silent majority that let this happen, not a vocal minority.

and yes… we will be back… coz any new owner can recover the ship, with one, two, or even three bulkheads breached,
…coz we have a worldwide fan base, provided the ship hasn’t been skuttled for the insurance money… but it won’t be next season… or the season after that, if we lose too many assets.

(And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Rafa raided Lucas, Kuyt and Masch! Italy would suit all 3 of them.)

FS #137, indeed, where ARE all the Rafa bashers?

I especially refer to Diggerno, not only are you a FOOLISH CUNT for your insult to me, you are a SPINELESS COWARD for disappearing after that. GO FUCK YOURSELF! (Ah, that feels so good. )

Another fucktard would be the self-proclaimed “King of the Kop”, when he’s nothing but a pathetic usurper of the throne. Though as he’s had his arse humped so many times by us he’ll probably never come back.

Last but not least, BM. He’s got braincells that are so lacking in gray matter that they struggle to coalesce together to form what is known as his brain.

Good luck, Rafa. I hope you storm through Serie A and the Champions League, thrashing a few La Liga and Premier League clubs along the way just to stick it to those media cunts.

In fact, while not “defecting” and becoming an Inter fan, I think I’ll be following them with fervent interest now that I’ve become a “Liverpool Fan-in-Exile”. (I could fucking care less about childish dicks like Digger moan and patronise me about this, while still oblivious they’re in COMPLETE SHIT)

Hope something drastic and positive happens soon. Can’t take the shit anymore, what with the rumours and speculations. How the F could one enjoy the World Cup when this mess is constantly banging on his brain?

Although knowing what’s in the media is shitty and all, I can’t help but read them in the hopes that some great announcement is printed. Looks like the wagging the dog’s tail thingy is going on at the moment, not surprised if some friendly journalists have been bought to print the confusing ‘news’ and the ping pong effect would distract readers to the extent finger pointing towards the real culprits would be a difficult task.

Gosh! Some ppl r just real pain n hard as stone. Call Rafa stubborn. Said he made mistakes n refused 2 change. Go look into mirror. R they not like that?
Still harping on Rafa, not happy that he got paid to leave, n now most likely to get a top job so soon.
Fact is, he was paid by the 2 morons who r so desperate 2 force him out, when many a time they can’t provide the transfer fund needed. Is it not more appropriate to harp on the 2 morons 4 doing so ?
The amount he got just reflects the current inflated market for men of his calibre. It’s not his choice. Only recently, he went on record as saying he wanted to stay on, “if he’s allowed to”. Is that not good enough? It’s 4 me.
Why r the 2 morons so willing to spend just to force Rafa out. With the interest of LFC in mind ? Or rather, their personal interest ? Does it mean they r actually planning to stay on, hang on, drag on, 4 much much longer ?
That Inter Milan is so eager to tie Rafa up so soon, just shows how highly regarded he is. He is not short of admirers. In the past, he got better offers which he turned down as he wanted to stay on. Money is not the most important criteria for him. It’s the job, the workplace n ppl around. He was happy to be the LFC manager, work 4 LFC, n supported by majority of the fans. For him, that superceded the difficult situation created by the 2 morons.
I can only respect n salute Rafa.
Sadly, he’s no more with LFC. Now, real supporters must hang on, n fight to force out the 2 morons. They r the tumours, not Rafa.

Wow! This forum has become a nasty, horrible “I told ya so” place and I for one, am not really enjoying it anymore.

Before anyone jumps down my throat – I did say a few months ago that I reckoned we were better off sticking with Rafa given our current situation. That didn’t mean however that my grave reservations about him as A MANAGER (not him personally) had diminished.

I’m not happy with how Rafa was seemingly forced out but people like FS (welcome back by the way) saying that those who disliked Rafa somehow played a part in his departure, are way out of line. Think of how ridiculous that statement is guys – how can people who express their legitimate point of view in a forum like this, have had any influence on people like H&G, Broughton et al when it came to getting rid of Rafa!

There were few (if any) anti Rafa chants at Anfield and as far as I can gather, Benitez still had the backing of most fans. But I do not – and have never agreed with the hypothesis that if a LFC fan thinks Rafa was not the right manager for us and may have expressed that view in a place like Kop Blog, he/she is a traitor, a moron, the scum of the earth and by expressing this opinion is somehow complicit in Rafa’s expulsion. UTTER NONSENSE

Whatever the reasons for Rafa’s departure – it wasn’t handled well at all (big surprise these days) but it’s happened – it’s over. We have to move on. It had nothing to do with me, Digger or anyone else commenting in forums. It’s much bigger than us – it was a corporate power play and unfortunately Rafa lost. I wish him all the best in Italy – but I think he’ll find it very difficult to follow in Mourinho’s footsteps. But in my eyes Rafa’s style was always better suited to Italy than England

I’ll state again – decent man as Rafa was – I was never a fan of his style of play and yes although he was reasonably successful (in terms of us being in the top 4 most seasons he was in charge) no one can truly say whether another manager during the same time period (and same finances) would have been more or less successful – it’ just not something anyone can prove or disprove. My point is – Rafa is not the only manager that can manage LFC. We’ll always have Istanbul and for that, Rafa will always be remembered but I personally would have traded Big Ears # 5 for a PL # 19/20.

So back to our current situation – as well intentioned as SOS’s motives are, H&G will only sell under two circumstances

1) When they’re good and ready
2) The banks literally force them to lower their valuation and sell up

H&G know that they are despised by all LFC fans, they know they’re not welcome in the city, let alone the club. SOS’s campaign raises the profile of the struggle to a national media level but I don’t really think H&G give a shit. The Glazer’s don’t seem to care that they’re loathed by all and sundry. The only thing (I think) that would be effective would be a total boycott of games at Anfield – and we all know that given these mass market days of day tripper fans and tourists, that would be very difficult to successfully achieve.

Call me a sceptic but unfortunately I think the average fan has little power when it comes to changing things at boardroom level. All we can hope for is that H&G sell up sooner rather than later and our next owners are a whole lot more suitable. But of course they might not be? Then what do we do? When we can’t blame the dreaded Yanks anymore? But hopefully it won’t come to this.

I for one am supporting the Share Liverpool scheme and am willing to invest the required minimum stake of £500 if and when the time is right to do so. Some level of fan representation in the boardroom, as is done in Germany, is the way to go and really does give a bit of power back to the people!

But Kinny, FS and others, looking for scapegoats amongst fellow Liverpool fans – is not the way to go. It’s childish and unproductive.

Kinny, you are acting like Digger burgled your house and then took a shit on the living room rug. Chill out mate. Digger went to a music festival out of town according to what he said in his last post. So I’m sure when he’s back you 2 can continue the love-in.

Kinny just to point out there pal if you didn`t notice.You demanded an apoligy from digger in the last comment of the last blog.Infact Digger had apoligised before you posted.You might have missed it with a new blog up.

Diggerno.10
Posted on June 4, 2010 @ 5:43 pm

Cheers LB. This whole thing has my head fucked to be honest. I’m trying to not panic and focus on something positive (potential sale). I read and appreciate what you and Aitch and Lurgan write with growing dread and I’m just hoping against hope ya know? Listen Kinny, I’m sorry for having a go but when I read that you were hoping that our desperate situation would worsen just so you could say ‘Hah!’ to the cbc I thought it was unecessary and self destructive. Nose, spite, face n’ all that. Sorry mucker.

Don`t want to interfere Kinny i just thought i`d point it out before things get out of hand.

Cheers Arthur, LB. No big deal lads, nothing new here and the usual suspects too. Let them at it. The important thing is not to respond. It lowers the discourse of Kopblog to their level/currency of insults and schoolyard name calling. Also, of course, responding validates, on some level, their bullshit. So, its best to just let them rant and rave whilst observing with mild amusement from a distance and marvelling at what sad people there are in the world. They deserve our sympathy, not our ire.

AGP, sitting on your arse will not achieve anything either. So why not take 2 minutes to spend 10 quid and join-up with SOS?

Thanks Tim. Ya would think that would have been sufficient right? Apparently not. But judging from the lads posts regarding me in the last few days its an agenda thing and not that I wrongly had a pop. Anyway, not to worry, it wont get out of hand, I apologized and long since left the schoolyard behind.

timmy #157, I thank you for that. As the discussion moved to the new blog, I simply assumed Digger would make his reply on this and thus disregarded any new comments that might come out on the old blog.

Digger, while I said I would no longer ask for an apology, I’d be lying if I said I was no longer angry or upset about what you said. In fact, the longer I waited for your response (which I failed to notice), the more vindictive I got. But that’s no excuse now that I know Digger HAS indeed apologized, and I was a fool for not noticing it quickly.

So now that’s all cleared, I accept your apology Digger. And I also sincerely apologize for my vindictiveness getting out of control. That should make us even.

Are we cool?

(I believe my vindictiveness is probably on par with that Fungusface. So I’ll try to tone it down, but at least you’ll know what to expect now. )

Cool as the otherside of the pillow Kinny! No worries at all mate. As a veteran of these things I know how quickly they escalate and how easy it is to lash out, I’ve done it myself in the past. Anyway, as I said, its over now, no worries mate, it was my own fault anyway, shouldent have reacted the way I did to what was obviously your emotional and heartfelt reaction to Rafas dismissal. Moving on as they say…..

Glad we could sort things out swiftly, Digger.

As happened in this sorry misunderstanding, I can end up being a complete cunt myself without even realizing it if I thought I have been wronged, but I can also be just as swift to apologize if someone pointed out the wrongs of my ways.

So I’m most very grateful to timmy and LB for pointing me to the facts which helped defused this misunderstanding considerably.

And finally, for the record: I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I HAVE SAID ABOUT DIGGER FOR THIS PAST FEW DAYS.

Now, back to directing our wrath back towards the Yanks.

(BTW, is it me or is Kopblog loading extremely slowly? )

KopBlog where Love Really Happens..

Ah well, back to business:
Kenny lasts just a week?*
Rafa had to endure 4 bloody years of the two twats!

*if it’s true he’s had enough

I understand that proceedings have been started to make Hodgson the manager. I’m very happy about that.

Kenny Dalglish is willing to take charge at Liverpool:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article7146439.ece

Right I came in here to post something… something very important. After reading the comments… just a couple of them, I think it’s best I wait until it’s all calmed down a bit.

As for the recriminations… I made it plain what I thought of fools and traitors, and said I’d leave it at that.

Apparently, that’s jumping on the “I told you so” high horse and being a bit of a bastard.

Well, I’m sorry lads, but you know…
I did fuckin tell you. I told you till I was blue in the face.

A certain section argued that to the point where I disappeared for practically a full season. That was a shame really from the point of view that some allies we needed in the fight got left out.

As for the recriminations, I have no time for all that. They’re about to start in earnest if we don’t do something about stopping the systimatic dismantling of our club… which has been going on for some while… yes. Wake up. It’s not about to start, it’s been going on since the yanks walked in and it’s going to gather momentum now that we’ve lost the one man on the inside that fought to stop it.

Fools, traitors, yes I stand by that. I will never change me mind and I will never forgive them.

If you want to back them and think they had no part in this… well, in all honesty, you might as well join them.

Make no bones, they created the atmosphere and the situation at Anfield and on the phone ins, blogs etc, that gave the owners the chance to do this.

And if you think I’m talking bollacks remember this… I grew up in the Shankly era. I seen Shanks struggle for 7 years to build something, while not winning nothing. Don’t think he never had his doubters. But I tell you this, if they’d tried any of the shit they’ve pulled on Rafa, we would have been down to Anfield, every man jack of us and we would have sent them packing.

Well, the time to stand up again is here. It’s up to you what you do… bury your head in the sand, amke excuses and tell everyone it’s for the best and will be okay. Or you fight back.

I know what I’m going to do, and as for the fools and traitors, I’d honestly prefer they stay where they are. They’re not needed. There’s enough people with sense to see what’s going on – whether they liked Rafa or not. We can do it without the aid of fools.

Right lads all this man love is disgusting i wish i hadn`t said anything now

Word is that hogdson is soon to be the next manager.Good luck Roy your going to need it.

Lurgan it seems the logical choice at the moment.Let Kenny take the reigns until we find new owners and he`ll step aside and let the club go forward……

Easier said.

I`ve some concerns,

Is it a risk?Not talking about his ability to do the job.I`m thinking would it be a risk to his legendery status.
With the fickle supporters we have today would they be on the forums and phone-in`s after our first defeat with the knives out for the great man?
Would a bear shit in the woods?

I`m asking would it be fair on the man after all this time out of football to come in and act as our saviour?
I won`t expect that of him.I know we`re effectively in transition so what can we really expect of Kenny?

As mad as it seems there are some out there so clueless that they`d want a title challenge or else…..

Also he`s his family to think of.Marina his wife,isn`t well by all accounts.Does he need this pressure on him?Is he been pressurised by the fans expectations he needs to step in?

People are thinking of Kennys appointment in a romantic kind of way.A pal of mine who`s in his late thirties now,grew up idolising the King and he`s convinced he`s the man to take us forward.

Its like Kenny will come back and everything will be ok,well just start where we left off the day he retired in 1991.

Dosen`t work like that i`m afraid.

Alright chaps. I think the point is not that the manager was pushed (although I think it stunk and I think Rafa was the man or the job. He’s in a handful of top coaches in the world in my opinion) but that our club is being ruined/dismantled/taken to the cleaners/hung out to dry/ etc. Gaz it might not disapear but I want LFC to be winning the league and the champion’s league or at least be competing. I don’t want the dirty mancs to take our title as the most successful team in England.

We have to thieves running the club. We have to get rid of them. I don’t think LFC fans want some sugar daddy neccessarily, I want an owner to come in, run the club, stay in the back ground, make their profit and just provide a decent transfer budget of around £30 million a season with the manager getting the proceeds of his sale.

I think any decent coach would win the league in that situation and I think Rafa would have as well.

I was sad to see Rafa go especially in the circumstancess as he clearly wanted to stay but was forced out. The timing was also weird – why sack him when you have nobody else lined up ?

The yanks have brought this great club to it’s knees but I think the banks have also been culpable in how we ended up in this mess. Over the past 2 years a number of deadlines have come and been extended even though everybody knew the yanks could not repay the debts. Why has this happened ? Because the banks are making so much money on the interest payments that it’s in their interests to keep the yanks longer.

However if they had stuck to their deadlines, the yanks would have been forced to sell, drop their asking price and we would have been rid of them already.

Agree with that Kenny,at the moment if any manager comes in now they`ll most probably be only a stopgap.
As things are it dosen`t really matter who comes in,well it does to an extent but we`ll all have to have realstic expectations.
The new manager will be powerless to veto any sale of any of the top players.

This whole episode could get a lot more unpleasent to say the least.This is why we need to keep the pressure up on the yanks.

Neil,your on the money there.If the banks had pulled the plug on any extensions well they could have been gone by now but its not the way it works.

RBS want to squeez every penny out of us just like the tumours.They`ll stay that way until LFC is no longer able to make the interest payments.

How long will that last?I don`t know the answer to that but RBS aren`t in a popularity contest here,it`s the way they do there business so we shouldn`t be surprised there.

Sorry Arthur, I can’t agree with you.
It’s all well and good people saying they disliked Rafa the manager and not the man… and maybe that’s true for you… but it isn’t true for a lot of people.
By and large, the insults leveled at the man were personal, not professional.

And frankly neither make any sense.

As a manager it makes no sense… he is an incredibly successful football manager. Among the top men in the sport.
As nice a man as Roy Hodgson might be (and I have a large amount of respect for him, he’s the ONLY current Prem manager I’d consider for LFC) as a manager his success/career pales in comparison to the man we’ve just parted company with.

As a man, Rafa also ticks all the right boxes. Involved with the people, connected on a real fan level.
People may love the Maurihno passion and outstretched arms towards them… but it sorta don’t mean dick, when every two years, he’s doing it in front of/for a new set of fans.
I’ll take Rafa sitting cross-legged scribbling notes about how to make our good players even better, over a guy who’s basking in the personal glory while his agent is negotiating his next big money move.

It is pretty much accepted that Rafa is cold, aloof, and distant from the players… and yet this week it emerged that Rafa was the first one on the phone to Ryan Babel when he got injured playing for Holland… and he wasn’t even one of his primary/favored players.

Rafa was also involved in the community, as was his wife, so you have to ask yourself why so many “fans” talked about him with such personal disdain?
(I know you didn’t Arthur, but many, many did.)

Rafa may well, have gotten full and complete support inside Anfield for 90 minutes… but you haven’t spent much time reading the comments sections below pretty much any news article (even in the Liverpool based Echo and Post) if you think there wasn’t a significant, if largely foolish (and by that I mean non-factual) anti-Rafa voice out there.
Then there’s clearly anti-Rafa press, the 606 brigade, Sky and former Players nonsense.

During their first year at the helm, G&H tried to rid themselves of Benitez.
It all came as a big surprise to Reds fans still happy as pigs in shite, and drunk off the glory that was Istanbul, but once alerted, we marched on Anfield in numbers and were vociferous enough to cause the owners to rethink.

And that was a simple math/business decision.
There was a significantly greater percentage of fans backing Benitez than voicing any opinion against him.
So G&H backed off… but not because they were “scared” of us.
It was a bottom-line, numbers decision.

What’s different this summer is that the significantly greater percentage of fans did not exist.
The camp has been largely split…
…we were coming off a dismal failure, and not a recent success (coz 2nd place and semi-finals and finals you don’t win aren’t deemed success)
…and too much misinformation had been absorbed…
…and perhaps a certain amount of apathy had also crept into the fan base…
… and this presented G&H with the opportunity… the perfect conditions… to know they could push him out this time, without any significant fan backlash (or at least too-little-too-late.) So they did.

This isn’t just about Rafa. I don’t understand why people think that?
It’s not just about results on the pitch.
If we had stable ownership and a stable board none of this would matter.
The pro-Rafa’s would be disappointed and think the decision a mistake… the anti-Rafa’s would be thanking their lucky stars… but collectively we’d set our sights on a new manager and look forward to new signings and the new season.

But we don’t have a stable ownership.
We don’t have a stable board.
The one thing we did have was stable management…
…and now we don’t have that.

Forget ownership, and possible player sales and what roles/infighting are occurring at boardroom level…
We are only 1 year into a backroom restructuring… meaning Squad, Reserves, Academy, Youth, Scouting… which will now likely need some restructuring again … that may involve small fixes/adjustments, but it may also mean another complete restructuring… we won’t know that for a while yet… but there’ll be fallout from that also.

My support for Rafa was never about Rafael Benitez.
I do not subscribe to the “tactical genius” mantra.
I do not think the man walked on water, or was infallible.
My opinion of him is that he was a successful manager (and his record bears that out) and the right man for LFC (and one miserable season aside, his record also bears that out)
… but more importantly… perhaps MOST importantly…
…he was the right man for US the FANS… NOW!

And by NOW I mean the last 12 months of ownership… this summer… the next 18 months of ownership…
… because according to news reports this week, G&H can potentially hold on to us for that long, driving the debt (held against the club) back up to 300 million quid…
… and even a new owner, brought in this month or next, won’t right the listing ship immediately.

It remains to be seen if Hodgson, or anyone else, will come in, still have our best players to work with, and somehow… someway… get us back into the top 4 (coz let’s face it that is now the target, forget competing for the title next season,) against a stronger Spurs, a stronger Citeh, a likely stronger Aston Villa, and maybe even an emerging/strengthening Birmingham (it may have been a fluke, but I don’t think so.)

Hodgson may very well be the right choice moving forward from where we now find ourselves…
… he may find his greatest success at LFC…
… but let’s not be revising his resume to suggest we’ve just got ourselves a better manager…
… coz he might have gotten a few calls from Anfield, but I doubt he got any from Milan.

@Arthur:

Totally agree with your Post#158.

Abusing fellow LFC supporters became a fashion in this forum. I was literally abused out of participating in discussions because i had problems with Rafa’s tactics in some games.

Rafa was a great manager for us. Given the funds, he did a terrific job but now he is the boss of Inter. So lets just stop talking about how badly ruined we are without him.

WE ARE RUINED but WE ARE NOT DEAD.

Roy H if appointed is a decent manager. The same Inter who have appointed Rafa considers this man to be their saviour. Given the position we are in, he might just be the best candidate.

Regarding the owners and the other culprits, i think the SOS and ShareLFC group are doing great jobs and we should support it.

I dont know whether it will go down too well with some of my friends here or not but stop being so over reliant on any individual. Rafa Benitez is a great manager but its not necessary that LFC cant attain even greater heights under another manager.

And yeah… as for RBS… understand they are there to make money… and they don’t make money if G&H pay them back the loan.

They make money if that DOES NOT happen.

They’ll continue to collect their 100k per day until the loan is defaulted on…
…at which point they’ll retake control of LFC and sell it whole, or part it out, until they’ve recovered their 350 mill.

Don’t expect any help from them.

Two weeks later

Somnath 07,

I think your missing the point here.Why most of us are pressing the panic button afters Rafa`s departure is not only because we lost a top Manager,its more importanly we`ve lost our biggest ally.

Rafa had some power inside Anfield,he had clauses in his contract.He had the power to stop sales if he didn`t agree with them.

He was the only one who could stand up to G&H and co.Now that he`s gone they`re free to do whatever they want.

Hodgson is a decent man and not a bad manager and maybe he`ll get the job.

But…he`ll be powerless to prevent the sale of say,Gerrard to madrid or Torres to chavs or barca.

So this is where the problem lies.Until they go,any manager that comes in,will come in on THEIR terms,not his own.

They`ll interview `till the cows come home until they are satisfied they`ve found their Yes man.

The abuse does need to stop.
We’ve got BIG, serious problems, and we need to all be thinking clearly, and not taking anything for granted, or as it is spoonfed to us.

somnath it is also a valid point to suggest that “WE ARE RUINED but WE ARE NOT DEAD”…

… but we’re not exactly sitting up in bed eating our jelly either…

… let’s not be thinking Rafa was the bullet, and now it’s been removed the patient will recover…

Yes he’s gone. We have to deal with that now and move forward.

But ARE WE MOVING FORWARD?

Rafa’s dismissal is about far, far more than Rafa’s dismissal.

And so far, we have no gaurantee that it is not just the first step in a larger plan.

In fact… all evidence of the past 2-3 years suggests it is not.

THAT is why some of us are “harping on about Rafa’s dismissal” mate, not coz we are crying about no longer being able to gag on his tackle.

#172… great points Neilob. I’m so glad you get it.

I actually came in here to post something I’ve been hinting at since coming back. It’s just about ready to go. I’ve been given the amber light, and I’ll be posting it in here when it turns green – in a matter of hours.

But from scratching over a few comments, I’m going to have a last say on all this, hopefully to clear the air and then we can all get on (well those who can be bothered) with something far more constructive…

Corinthians, Texas Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Weetabix… how much proof do we need. Hicks and Gillette have a track record. We all know it. They’ve stated it enough times.

Now no matter what you thought of Rafa, it’s clear as the belly in front of me what happened to him and why. So, that’s that. Nevermind a bore draw at Wolves, or any other shite performance, never mind early cup exits and finishing 7th. The man has been bought off/forced out for one reason..
The stubborn Spanish obstacle has been removed. That’s all there is to it.

It’s not me defending Rafa. The time for that has passed. But I am going to make some points about it, hopefully to get us all reading off the same page and then that’s that as far as I’m concerned. I’ll come in here for now other reason but to ask for favours in the fight, and give you any news as to how the fight’s going…

And that’s definetely hitting some sort of tipping point at the moment. That can be seen by the divisions… Yes. Like Gerry said, it’s turning into Julius Ceasar and the back stabbers are now all stabbing one another. Look at the divisions… yes Aitch. There is something very strange going on and it can be seen in the Maddocks pieces. Battle lines are being drawn between all the major players… leeks here to the press/media from one camp. Counter leeks to other sections of the media from the other camp. Deathly silence from the others. They are turning on one another. Playing each other off each other and dragging in their lackies to fight the other side. It’s starting to look like the fall of the Roman Empire, and that doesn’t happen overnight. But we have to get amongst them and give the final push.

That all might sound bonkers, but I don’t care if anyone or everyone thinks I’m some mental conspiracy theorist. You either believe it and get on board or you continue to go round in the same old circles ad infinitum.

But I’d like everyone to stop and have a think first. And I’m going to use what happened to Rafa and the search for a new manager just because that’s what everyone’s talking about and it’s fresh in everyone’s minds…

What’s the sense in sacking our current manager, at manager’s busiest time of the season, with absolutely no plan as to who’s coming in to replace him?

But we didn’t even sack him, we made his job untenable and then paid him to leave, despite the fact that he was our best and most successful manager we’ve had in over two decades and the majority of the fans wanted him to stay or at least be given another season.

And not only did we pay him to leave, we paid him to leave against his wishes, forced him out the door, and within a few days he walks into a club that only weeks ago wanted to pay compensation to us to break his contract and join him.

We’re a skint club, but that cost us at least 12 million… meaning nevermind the transfer kitty what the manager should be working with, we can’t afford to pay compensation to take any other club’s manager who’s under contract.

And, with us having no footballing men on the board, we had to ask a club legend – a club legend only recently brought back as an ambassador by the manager we forced out – to find us a new manager.

Then the legend, unable to see anyone good enough to manage us, puts himself forward risking that legend that has actually grown over the years to be bigger than the actual truth…
don’t get that wrong. I loved Kenny the player, the manager and the man, and I know how good he was. I saw his LFC career from start to finish. But legend just works that way.

But then we knock Kenny back as not good enough, but still expect him to carry on the process of finding the manager – or the none footballing men will hire a decent but lesser manager than the one we’ve just paid to walk away.

And just to compound it all and finish the cycle, our European Champion’s League winning manager walks into the European Champion’s with in a week absolutely free when they was prepared to pay us at least 6 million in compensation a week ago.

Why the rush Tom and George?
Not like them chaps to let at least 6 mill off the hook, and indeed pay at least 6 mill to miss out on it!

And I could make more points to show what utter madness this is, but it’s obvious…
The owners have now removed their only obstacle left inside the club. And they have done that despite any consequences and cost, because the consequences and cost of him staying far out weighed the benefits and profits to be had by removing him.

But if anyone can see the sense in any of that, and can show me I’m wrong (and that thousands of other old hands like myself are wrong) please tell me.

Believe me, I’d be more than happy to be proved wrong.

As for the rest of the petty squabbles and arguments…
I couldn’t give a toss about them In fact, I couldn’t give a toss who dislikes me in here. I don’t need to be liked. And I don’t give a toss about those I dislike. They’ll be okay. Me not liking them won’t traumatise them for life.

But I do appologise for going on like that. Believe me, going on like this, well… I’m doing me own head in all. And just like everyone else, whether I dislike them or not, all I want is following LFC to be fun again. So, I promise I won’t go on like that again, but, and yes I am saying I told you so…
But if we don’t do something now – soon there might be nothing to do.

I’ll be back with something more constructive as soon as I can.

Okay lads. I appologise once again for that long blog like post. But I hope that’s the end of the petty squables. It is on my behalf. I haven’t got time for that and hopefully you won’t either.

Here’s what’s going on…
This is all a bit sensitive, so I can’t just blurt it all out. But I’m going to tell you as much as I can.

Recently, I was approached by someone pretty high up in one of the main creditors of Hicks and Gillette. Obviously the source wants to remain anonymous, and I’m sure you can understand why. To be honest, what I couldn’t understand was why he approached me. Apparently, he’d seen me bouncing round the net rallying the troops. Probably the name, bad language and nasty attitude got me noticed. But anyway, he decided to contact me.

This is really difficult to explain without just saying it all straight. But I suppose you’ll just have to trust me, because I can’t just come out and tell you it all. But the bottom line is, the fella’s not a fraud. He’s gave me some very useful information. It’s been passed on to people who can get results and it’s being acted upon. But, there is some things us ordinary lads can do with some of it.

So that’s that explained and I’ll post the info and what we can do with it as soon as I can – either later tonight or probably tomorrow. I’m just waiting on a couple of directions.

So as I said, that’s the end of the squabbles for me. There’s far more important things to attend to.

First it was zonal marking then rotation then the 250 mill, that anti Rafa mob moaned about.
But when you actually looked into it it was all BS.
To then go on about, too defensive, the timing/choice of subs,man management or even worst how he performed in press conferences with their “rant” or “he’s cracking up”.
Ultimately i think it came down to their own personal hatred/dislike and it was nothing to do with football.
And wether they like it or not they aided Tom & George and those Murdoch media c*nts in their vendetta against OUR manager

For me LFC really is a Roman Empire its where the glory started for me
( glory hunting c*nt i am )
So ask yourself who was fiddling while Rome burned ?
I’ll give you a big f*cking clue shall i. The tune was “Sack Rafa”

YNWA

“So that’s that explained…”

Fuckin ‘ell FS, that’s the funniest thing I’ve read for a long time now.

Talk about fuckin cryptic?

I take it all back gaz… you called it spot on with the “X-Files stuff”

FS taking clandestine meetings with “the smoking man” in dark alleys, down Bournemouth way.
Fashioning a crude masking tape “X” on his front window.
Well… until Mrs FS spots it and says, “Ay, get that fuckin masking tape off me front window, you fat bastard, I just washed that. And log off that computer, the rubbish needs taking out. Oh, and take that bloody tin foil off yer head!”

…errr… hang on…
… since I tend to agree with FS, that might make me one of those loser, conspiracy dickhead, Lone Gunmen blokes.
That shit’s not funny, man!

To quote a certain famous film transvestite….
“we wait in anticiiiii……………..pation!”

Waits patiently, tapping fingers on desk.
Looks at his watch.

Wonders silently if he has time to run for a piss… maybe make a cuppa.

Hits refresh.
Still nothing.

Wonders aloud “is he coming back or not?”

Looks at cat.
Cat looks bag as if to say “What?”

Hits refresh, again.
Still nothing.

Decides to go have that piss and make a cuppa……

Yep, he’s back… and funny enough Aitch, you’re not that far off.
Okay. I lie. I lie.

It was more Basildon Bond than James Bond. But even if I could tell you, you’d just think that’s bollacks. Still can’t sort of believe it meself. But anyway. I’ve got it all here now, but you know what…
You’re pretty much spot on about Missus FS an all. Nevermind Rafa, I’m about to be forced out over all this meself, and I won’t have six bob never mind 6 mill.

So it’s off to bed but it willl all be clear in the morning. I’ve got the addresses, land & e, I’ve got the bullets to fire…
Now fire up the cliff hanger music, roll the credits and say night night. Next installment, same channel, same time…
Well, I’ll be back in the morning with the scoop.
Night lads.

(takes up a position immitating Willem Defoe’s Sgt. Elias Death Scene from Platoon… on knees, arms outstreched at his sides…. screaming at ceiling…)
“FS… YOU BASTARD……………”

(cat runs scared into the other room)

Its only 6pm here… WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?????

“Here kitty, kitty. Its alright lad, honest.”

@Timmy

I agree that he was our biggest ally. He wanted to take us to the level which is long awaited. I want to know a few things:

1. You touched upon his powerful contract and clauses. To the best of my knowledge,he had a $16m pay out clause in case he gets sacked.

Instead it was settled at $6m. Why? If Rafa was in a powerful position,then why did he accept it? There might be 4 reasons:

a) This so called ‘Powerful Contract’ was not that powerful at all.

b) Rafa thought enuf is enuf and with Inter calling this is the right time to move and let LFC understand wht they r loosing.

c)Rafa lost out on the support from big players.

d)Probably he was told that he is the reason they r not able to convince a ‘BIG INVESTOR’. Rafa sacrificed his job for the benefit of LFC.

You know what i feel? I think its the last one. Probably he was told that if u stay Rafa, the big players will leave and club cant be sold to this big investor ‘A’. I know it is naive on my part to assume that Rafa believed their words/some papers and accepted the offer but i DONT see any other reason for Rafa to walk out. He was happy,wanted to stay for a long time and more importantly created that immunity from the evil owners.

That is precisely the reason why i feel that it is perhaphs right for us to just carry on with whoever comes as a new mngr and ofcourse the movements like SOS&ShareLFC.

Look my point is simple. No one is indispensable in life. I am sorry if i have hurt anyone with my comments.

@Aitch

I understand what u said. I see it as a big injury from which we will recover slowly. This will take time. We have to build again. If we can hold on to our key players,things might just improve. I am optimistic and most importantly i dont want to set expectations from our team. Let them play and perform to their best next season.

Firstly Kinny, I don’t know where you are but down here something is really amiss with the Kopblog loading, it takes ages to load then when it has there are no pictures, just blog, no colour even.
.
FS is it true that SOS are starting a credit union, bank type organisation so people can invest in LFC. Just a question.

Well – I’m VERY interested to see what FS has up his sleeve………..

First of all Somnath i think Rafa accepted the reported six million (nothing concrete on that) because he was walking into another top job at Inter.Rafa is one of the top coaches in the world so maybe he knew what was coming.

The contract Rafa had was powerful,thats why the yanks wanted him out of the way,he was the obsticle.He had it in black and white that with any players sales he had to have the last word.

The other theory you think could be possible was he lost support from big players.
Well that to me is off the mark.Gerrard and Torres have come out and said they are gutted he`s gone along with Reina and Kuyt.

Make no bones about it Somnath,Rafa was pushed out the door for reasons that are non football reasons and they`ve used the season just gone as the excuse.The media refuse to acknowledge this too because it dosen`t fit their agenda of course.

A question then Timmy fo ya:

Why did the same two Yanks who have just forced Rafa out, give him all that power at the end of the season before?

I think there is no coincidence that this is linked to the fact that they are selling the club and perhaps felt that Rafa’s presence might have been a hinderence in this process..just a theory

Quite possibly Arthur.Although Roffa was given at the time the power regarding sales he was powerless regarding the budget he got.e.g the Alonso sale money.
Maybe the yanks thought he can hang on to what he has.We`ve two of the worlds Marquee players,but “he sure ain`t getting any cash for more”.

Weather Rafa was a hindrince in any proposed sale?IMO absoluteley not.The only hindrince is big fat Toms asking price.
Why would Rafa as a coach,put off any buyer.He`s one of the top coaches in world football.If he was such a bad coach,he`d be a hindrince to any proposed sale then why has he walked out of Anfield and into the San Siro?

He`s just joined the European champions while we flirt with a manager who has just finished 12th in the league and had only one,maybe two away wins.
Granted Hodgson had a great season in Europe,taking a middle table side to the Europa league Final.
Well i recall a certain Steve Mc Claren doing the same with Boro.

You don`t know what you`ve got until its gone.

Arthur; Sounds like FS has a point. There is something going on behind the scenes. A real whodunnit!!

Maybe Rafa with Inter knocking on the door just thought my job is impossible in the conditions I find myself in, now’s as good a time as any. Moaninho has just won the treble. Rafa has no qualms about taking over the reins, he’s certainly not intimidated by anyone.

Listen eveyone. This is not about Rafa the man getting sacked. This is about what’s happened/happening to our great club that we love!!!

FS: where are you you fat git!!! I want to know what’s happening…

@Timmy Torres

Fair enough. Just hope things sort out.

Come on will ya you Fat bastard i`m up all night!!!

Just my opinion Somnath,we all want the same thing

Yes absolutely. We all ultimately want the club to do well. Thats the bottomline.

This is like waiting for the last episode of fucking Lost! Come on FS dish the dirt….

If Kenny is turned down for the managers job, it is hard to see him accepting another position @ the club.Any chance of Aqui and Lucas going to Inter?.When is Riera leaving?.

I hope FS has not been double crossed doing that basildon bond deal and is now lying in a ditch.

I hope men in dark suits haven’t abducted FS…

Lads i was on to Fatty,he said fuck the lot of yous he`s gone on holidays

http://philip.greenspun.com/images/20050813-newport-jazz-festival/fat-shirtless-guy-eating-cheeseburger-2.3.jpg

I tried not to LOL but I really did LOL… ;-(

FS: “Well, I’ll be back in the morning with the scoop.
Night lads.”
The morning is almost over. C’mon already!

I’ve just read from the son Paul, that King Kenny would like to be the next manager of the Reds.
That’s fine by me, and I want it to happen!!!

King Kenny will not be the next manager of LFC. He too is a man of principle.

FS: Hellloooo is there anybody there?

What a mystery we have on our hands. I hear that the butler done it!

just nod if you can her me…..
just the basic facts
is there anyone home….

Well at least it’s better than sitting around moaning about stuff!

what could it possibly be? In the end of the day, as far as I’m concerned nothing can truly force the yanks out other than the banks

Ya good man Arthur,you sit on your hands and just wait while the rest of try do the little we can to help.

Right here we go…
Firstly, I see the why Rafa went debate is still going.
Somnath… Rafa was told he would not be given any money whatsoever – even money brought in from sales – to spend on players.

That was the final straw, that removed the final obstacle. There’s no big mystery.

And as I said…
A matter of weeks ago, Inter had promised LFC to buy out Rafa’s contract. It’s believed they’d offered at least 6 million. The problem was, Rafa wouldn’t go. So they forced him out.

That cost the club at least 12 million sterling, but like I said… the benefits and profit for H&G in making that move, far out weighed the consequences of keeping Rafa.

It’s not rocket science.

But anyway…
I’ve had inside information that RBS, are very worried about the loans to H&G. They are also wavering in their committment to them, and really don’t want to give any extension on the loans. And I’ve been told they will be ” very receptive” to any further pressure.

In plain English, their bottles gone. Both them and the government are shitting it. They want to pull the plug on Hicks but are dithering, and enough pressure from us could just push them over the edge.

Obviously, I can’t divulge too much about how all this was aquired, and there was also other information that has been passed on to other people. But there is plenty left over for us to lobby the big wigs at RBS and the releveant politicians with.

So, after a lot of discussion on this, a friend has sent me a letter that details the whole thing and is structured in a way to put maximum pressure on the big wigs and politicians. Finally we are letting them know what we know, that we aren’t going to get conned anymore – and that we are holding them responsible.

So, yes it’s more bloody letter writing. A pain in the arse I know but…
I’m going to print the letter and all the people it should be forwarded to in a second. It will be easier to digest in it’s own post.

Now all we need to do is, fire up the printer, get a few envelopes, a bit of paper and a few stamps…
Bingo. Done. No big deal. And you can do it from anywhere in the world. So there’s no excuses for any of us, not to have a go.

Feel free to send the letter on as it is – but if you do that, add a wee personel note. Tell them you got the letter from the internet. Tell them you are aware of what’s going on and there are many thousands like you who will hold them responsible for any more damage inflicted upon LFC.

Or you can take what you want from the letter and craft your own… just make sure you cover all the relevant points, and let them know you will hold them accountable for any further damage Hicks and Gillette inflict on the club because, through their loans and extensions, they are enabling them to carry on, so, causing further damage and also collecting many millions in interest.

It has to stop.

Back in a mo.

I eagerly await the letter template and postal address! Printer is ready for action.

Well it seems I was right! it’s about banks!

But I’ll be sending a letter – so here’s hoping

Right job FS give us the amo.

printer warming up as I write!

Envelopes – check
Toner in printer – check
Free postage through work – check
MS Word – check
Letter Template – pending
Addresses – pending….

Right here you go chaps. It’s a bit long so buckle in. Even the writer told me it’s too long and he would have loved to write a short sharp shock. But due the nature of the situation, and the people involed, it had to be structured like this.

So, get a cup of tea or a can, fire up the printer, get the envelopes, paper and stamps ready…
and don’t forget to add your own personal note. That’s what swings it. And don’t think by living outside the UK you can’t help… quite the opposite. Let’s show these bastards how many people in how many places they are hurting and betraying.

Good luck, and thanks a million.
Nevermind the others, there’s some good lads on here…

To:
John Hourican
Chief Executive, Global Banking and Markets
RBS
36 St Andrew Square
Edinburgh
EH2 2YB

Distribution list:
cc. Suneel Kamlani, GBM
cc. Marco Mazzucchelli, GBM
cc. Alan Dickinson, UK Corporate
cc. Mark Catton, UK Corporate
cc. Roger Lowry, Head of Public Affairs
cc. Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State BIS (1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET)
cc. Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State, Sport (2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH)

Dear Mr Hourican

I wish to convey my ongoing and extreme dissatisfaction over the management of the RBS loan facility provided to Tom Hicks and George Gillett, that continues to prop up their catastrophic ownership of Liverpool Football Club.

I am not a member, but the supporters union, Spirit of Shankly, one of the most vociferous opponents of the current regime, recently ran an billboard advertising campaign targeting the ownership of the club that used the appropriate tag line “Debt, Lies, Cowboys”. I am going to unashamedly borrow that line as a structure to this letter.

[b]Debt[/b]
As you know, the club’s debts as of last July stood at £351m, of which £237m constitutes the loan facility provided by RBS, the remainder being in high-interest intra-company loan from Hicks and Gillett’s offshore holding company, Kop Cayman. These figures may have changed slightly over the past 11 months since the accounts entered into the public domain, but no additional investment has been secured by the owners, and there remains no doubt that the overall debt is escalating to a point whereby negative equity will very soon come into effect, if not already a reality.

In addition to this, the club’s ongoing ability to service such a debt has become highly unsustainable. Improving sponsorship income is relatively insignificant, and the only measure which could have significantly supported this level of borrowing – the building of a new stadium – has not in over 3 years, proceeded beyond architectural renders, the apparent cost of which, an obscene £50m, has also been put on the club’s balance sheet. Against this backdrop of unserviceable loans and gross financial misconduct, it is therefore no surprise that the club’s auditors, KPMG, have for the second year running raised red flags, expressing “[i]material uncertainty about (the club’s) ability to continue operating as a going concern[/i]“. A damning indictment that instigated the Premier League to demand that the club’s newly-installed Chairman, Martin Broughton (more on him later), appear before their Chief Executive and Board of Directors in person to provide verbal assurances that the club would in fact be able to meet its fixture list for the forthcoming 2010-11 season. Leaving aside the embarrassment, it is not difficult to see the Premier League’s perspective. The phrase “living hand to mouth” springs to mind.

Forgive my stating the obvious to a senior professional banker at this point, but it is purely to set up and illustrate a point. Like any borrowings, the conditions for obtaining a credit facility of this type is based on the financial background of the individuals in question, their existing commitments, the value of the purchased asset, and in the case of refinancing, I would imagine their recent history and behaviour when it comes to servicing the existing loan, and any others held by them. Which brings us to Tom Hicks.

[b]Lies[/b]
Liverpool fans and credible media (both UK and global) are clear in that Tom Hicks tells lies. The list is a long one but here is the latest relevant example, provoked by the condemnation by the club’s former Chairman who deeply regrets selling to Hicks and Gillett. You can view it online at the following URL, together with valid deconstruction, here:http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Tom-Hicks-_-You-Couldn-sss-t-Make-It-Up-(Well-Actually,-Tom-Can).html

So, in addition to his established propensity for lies, l wish to address the basis for the latest extension of the RBS facility, which was conditional on the agreement that the club be officially put up for sale, with Hicks conceding to step back from the process in order to realise a quick transfer of ownership. This agreement was ratified by the appointment of the aforementioned Martin Broughton, who has confirmed that his is a short-term part-time role, the sole remit of which is to find and approve an appropriate buyer for the club at a fair market price. It is not difficult to assume therefore that his appointment was at RBS’ express request, via an intermediary third party. “Within months” was Mr Brougton’s statement on the timescale for sale, upon taking up the position in April.

However, since then, there have been numerous interview quotes from Hicks, arrogant and belligerent as ever, claiming that irrespective of the ‘For Sale’ announcement, he will continue demand up to a totally unrealistic £800m for the club and that he is willing to prolong the situation and take up to two years to sell. He is even boasting in the US media about how profitable Liverpool FC will be for him, all bluster designed to divert attention from the harsh reality that he is in financial dire straits and has been for some time. These comments are clearly a stark contradiction of those reassurances he provided the RBS with, and thus render them meaningless. Like us, the fans, you are being lied to. It is not difficult to surmise that Hicks’ agreement to sell was simply a ploy to obtain ‘breathing space’ – which you duly obliged with, at least verbally – in which to further his agenda of financial pillage, possibly even petty revenge (on the fans who have rightly not allowed him to act without accountability, the “terrible personal price” he often complains about) but ultimately a desire to seek personal profit whatever the cost to the club, or its creditors.

[b]Cowboys[/b]
Talking of creditors, what surely must be of even greater concern to the RBS, is the eerily similar situation Hicks finds himself in with his US sporting assets, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. In April 2009, Hicks willingly allowed both clubs (operated by Hicks Sports Group) to default on $525m loan, a premeditated decision that Hicks himself insisted was a “negotiating tactic” designed to force the banks to renegotiate the terms of the loan. I must try that line myself next time I wake up one morning and take a sudden dislike to my existing RBS mortgage rate, the one I happily agreed to on signing. In fact, I would be, quite literally, betting my mortgage on the outcome of that particular conversation.

Not content with just that small matter of defaulting on a half-billion dollar loan, Hicks has now, as of a few weeks ago, forced the Texas Rangers to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a protracted and now stalemated sale process. Sound familiar? It gets even worse, as although the Rangers owe $540m to their creditors, (the majority secured against the club, the remainder against, yet again, Hicks Sports Group, another part of Hicks Holdings LLC, the onus being on the ‘limited liability’ aspect) under the terms of the sale (preferred one of the two deals offered) that Hicks is trying to force through, it seems the creditors only stand to receive $230m of the $540m the club is being sold for. This has been extensively covered in the US media and the facts verified. In which case, if I was sitting in the RBS’ shoes, I would have extreme concerns about Hicks attempting the same financial sleight of hand, and asking myself exactly what tangible assets the £237m loan I’ve provided is actually secured against, given the paper trails of Hicks’ myriad of limited companies all end up offshore and with zero personal liability. Yes, there is ‘the club’, but the owners are continuing to asset-strip (sales of high value players required for ongoing success and Champions League income, and the recent sacking of a highly-respected manager who was outspoken in his condemnation of Hicks and Gillett’s ownership), siphon off funds and are unwilling to provide or accept additional investment, all the while the value of the club is depreciating along with the chances of realising the repayment on your loan capital.

It should also be worth noting that latest reports this week state that Hicks has yet again blocked any sale to two separate potential buyers, simply on the basis of his wholly unrealistic asking price. This adds considerable weight to the already strong opinion that, unlike his co-owner George Gillett, Hicks has no intention of wanting to sell the club. His asking price is said to include added valuation for the future revenues generated by a stadium that he failed to build, and that a new buyer will have to pay to build instead, a stance that is as bizarre as it is illogical and which therefore represents an insurmountable block to any sale, now or in the future.

Essentially, these actions speak, in fact, shout of a man whose shameful conduct and objectionable character raises deeply concerning questions about RBS’ continuing exposure on this £237m loan and subsequently, a very real threat to the continued existence of Liverpool FC in its current status as one of Europe’s leading football clubs. This latest agreement for refinancing for up to 12 months, ostensibly to allow a sales process to go through unimpaired and without pressure, serves no-one’s benefits except Tom Hicks. What will be the excuse when he, as his history and substantial current evidence suggests he will, sells off the prize assets, and files for bankruptcy as per the Rangers, leaving the club in terminal financial decline or worse, and with the RBS, the club’s major creditor out of pocket? Not to mention, the wider political consequences at allowing this to happen unchallenged. Do not underestimate this last point, as this matter is not an isolated one (the Glazer family’s ownership – £1.2bn of debt’s worth – of Manchester United for example) but as with the banking crisis that forced RBS to seek government bailout, you will unfortunately be viewed as culpable through negligent inaction and held to account.

[b]Summary[/b]
And so to the crux of my expression of disgust and request for action. Aside from the financial hand grenade that is currently being juggled, the RBS and its majority shareholder HM Government have both a collective financial and moral responsibility to ensure that such a prestigious UK global export is not driven into unmanaged administration and ruin by the stubborn and irresponsible actions of two US nationals, one of whom in particular has a clear agenda and is leveraged up to their neck in debt. By providing yet another loan extension and/or refinance in order not to influence a sales process (one that Hicks is clearly not committed to), the RBS and HM Government are therefore willingly complicit in this unfolding disaster, a fact which will not go unnoticed or unchallenged. I am aware the Bank has provided the club with day-to-day banking services for many years long predating the arrival of Hicks and Gillett, and I only hope that this long-term relationship engenders a mutual desire to see financial stability and success.

Fortunately, there is still an opportunity to halt this seemingly inexorable decline. This can be achieved by withdrawing any existing agreement to extend the loan effective immediately, essentially foreclosing on the loan to Hicks and Gillett (as Kop Football Ltd) secured against the club. Informal short-term administration by any other name, would I assure you be welcomed by all Liverpool fans, if it ensured the removal of the current owners. This action would then allow Martin Broughton to facilitate the sale of the club quickly (there remains many interested buyers out there at a realistic market price, as Barclays Capital will attest) under your mandate without veto or negative interference from Hicks.

By doing so, you will be sending out a strong and positive message about supporting UK interests, corporate prudence and cleaning up financial mismanagement, a message that all addressed recipients of this letter, both at the RBS and the new Coalition Government, would surely benefit from given their own past events and the current financial climate. I’ll sign off with an unfortunate but apt analogy using another Liverpool-related world famous entity. This is a last chance to steer a footballing Titanic hard to starboard to avoid a looming and malevolent iceberg and towards a bright and prosperous future. Actively ensuring the ship keeps to its current course, however, is not an appropriate action and history will judge the RBS accordingly.

I implore you on behalf of fellow Liverpool stakeholders, please act now in the best interests of the club and indeed yourselves.

Yours faithfully,

(name withheld)
Former shareholder of Liverpool FC=

feck it anyway,me printers on the blink.

Off to the internet cafe for me!

PS… This is available an all now…
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/march-sons-anfield-single/id377170464

Bit of rallying music to drown out the sound of the printer.

It’s not the end lads, but it could just be the beginning of it.

Signed, sealed and soon to be delivered!!

Nice one FS,great work pal spreading the word.I`ll have to go to an internet cafe to do mine,the rinters a bit divy today.

I`ll send out 20 of them with different signatures.More the better

Excellent letter (if a little long as you said FS) – here is what I added to the end of mine:

“This letter was passed onto me by an equally enraged Liverpool FC fan, who encouraged me to forward it on to you and fellow employees of your organisation. Although I am based in the Republic of Ireland, I dearly love this club and am deeply concerned for its long term health and survival. I am confident you will be receiving many similar letters of rage and frustration over the next few days from fans all over the world. This is how important Liverpool football club is to us all. RBS (b)must(/b) make the right decision, before it is too late, otherwise, you will be held accountable for the demise of England’s greatest club – surely this is something you do not want on your conscience!

I trust you will do the right thing.
Yours faithfully
Kevin Healy “

Nice one boys. And I really wish I could tell you more about how this all happened, and what went on. But I can tell you this… there’s other things going on in the background right now, and when the blitz hits them on top of it, they’re going to be extremly worried, forced to think long and hard about their position in all this, and if they want to risk it continuing.

I hate to say it, what ever happens we’re still in a mess, a terrible mess, but at least we can do a bit of damage limitation.

Great, though I may have to take time to personalize this before sending it.

I hear Rafa’s deal with Inter has been done and he’ll be unveiled at a press conference next Tuesday.

As the English printed press seems to be their sole source concerning Rafa, some Inter fans seem to have unfortunately bought the crap about last season being entirely Rafa’s fault and are skeptical about him.

Some of the forums even had Liverpool fans coming in oddly bashing and praising Rafa at the same time, mostly the usual stuff you’d hear about “man management”, “zonal marking” and “transfer follies”, with “Istanbul”, and how he’s beaten Mourinho in the Champions League his redeeming features.

Perhaps we might do something for Rafa by educating these Inter fans (and misguided Liverpool ones if they’re willing to repent) about what they’ll be gaining and dispel the lies and rumours.

Compared to Cunt and Cunter, at least Massimo Moratti loves his club.

http://forzainterforums.com/showthread.php?7783-Rafael-Ben%EDtez

says it all about the man

http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/liverpool-fc/129444-former-liverpool-fc-manager-rafael-benitez-donates-%C3%83%C6%92%C3%82%E2%80%9A96,000-to-hillsborough-group.html

For Fucks sake FS….
…here’s me been expecting irrefutable evidence of little green men…
… or even the mysteriously missing chemical/biological/nuclear weapon capabilities that Saddam supposedly had….
…or at the very least, difinitive proof of who shot JFK “There was someone on the grassy knoll and here’s the picture to prove it.” …with you and you’re mate holding a pair of Remi 700s in front of the book repository….
…and all we get is a copy of your fuckin nephew’s Final Dissertation from his Economics Degree!

Really disappointed.

By the way…
…did anyone else read the article in the Echo today suggesting that Rafa’s first two transfer targets, will be to raid LFC for Masch and Johnson?

FS

Thanks very much for sending on that letter. It’s great to feel that we can do something, anything to shift those 2 cunts.

Holy FUCK… that article (from redrebel’s #226)just makes my blood boil again!

How anyone can read that and not understand that we have just taken a very BIG step in the wrong direction is simply beyond me.

Spot on FS. Now there is one more thing we can do. Disquiet in the ranks of the grey monolith and a certain unedifying smell me-thinks.

To work !

As for 226. It’s real and symbolic and a sign of the man. Shame on we all know who.

Fantastic read here…

http://tomkinstimes.com/2010/06/dalglish-the-manager-dynasty-chapter/

Though be warned it is lenghty, as it is a full chapter from a book.

But it gives a complete and thorough analysis of Kenny Dalglish’s time in the hotseat… (and if you read it carefully and thoughtfully, I think you’ll find some very interesting parallels, and even striking similarities to the past 6 years.)

And another
http://tomkinstimes.com/2010/06/a-fresh-start/

shorter and perhaps more poignant…

Be sending that letter tomorrow FS. WIll print of a few for my Oirish mates over here and get a few of them out for the weekend. Let the games begin.

Thanks Aitch. Thats the way to rally the troops.

I’m sorry it doesn’t mean your expectations, but if you’d read what I said…
1: I can’t divulge the full extent of the information we’ve been passed.
2: I can’t divulge the name of the person who passed the information on.
3: I can’t divulge what’s being done with the rest of the information.
4: I also said this is the bit us ordinary foot soldiers can do.
5: And with all that’s going on in the background, if we can get enough weight behind this it could be the thing that forces RBS and the Government to stop extending the loans, thus aiding and abbetting H&G on their mission to suck us dry.

And I could go on, but maybe X-Files is the better option for you.

I’d appologise for the sarcasm, but seeing it was only in response to yours, I don’t see the need to.

And I must say I am really disapointed that you have possibly knocked the wind out of a few sails already.

Maybe when the rest of us have done our duty to the club we can arrange a magic show for you.

Cheers.

Ha ha ha!

BTW I really enjoyed that Kenny Daglish chapter. Very good read

Aitch, would you like a clown to go with the magic show? Or are card tricks more your thing?

(Wetting my self after reading the FS sarcasm… Great stuff)

No magic show necessary, but the next time you meet the “smoking man” in a dark alley for a financial update FS, ask him if he knows where your fuckin sense of humor went.

I get you’ve been doing battle for the good of LFC for the last 6 months, but so have I mate.

I don’t get where you think a bit of comic relief, or anything I said “took the wind out of your sails” especially considering I’ve been among the few loud voices attempting to keep the fuckin wind in the sails in this forum in your untimely absense.

But whatever, maybe LB got it right… a card trick might be more appropriate… just no jokers allowed in the deck, apparently.

Actually Aitch, I tend to agree with LB… I think that was rather funny.

And we all know what you’ve done. The point is… I not only want you to keep doing that, I expect it from you and I expect you to rally the troops.

We’re the foot soldiers lad. I told you that. Fuck the generals. They can do what they usually do… sit miles back from the front, and discuss things over a rather nice lunch, top shelf brandy and a fine smoke.

So get the stick out of your arse and get back to rattling some cages, and if you do a good job… I might just send the dancing girls along with the fella in the top hat, and treat you to a top shelf brandy or two.

Actually Aitch, and I’m really not joking about this, I had jotted down a few paragraphs for the next blog and then popped in here to check out the latest comments and strange though it may sound I read your comment and could almost hear the Twilight Zone music playing in the background because I had just been writing about JFK assassination.
I know that sounds kinda weird but in the Kopblog world where waccy baccy is legalised and encouraged, believe me there is a connection, just as I worked in a Jesus connection into the last blog not that anyone seemed to notice mind! Honestly I think my comic genius is wholly unappreciated by the bunch of miltant stamp-lickers on this blog.
I know the current situation at the club is about as dire as Fernando Torres’s new hair-cut but as Chief morale officer on this HMS Titanic of ours I feel it is my duty to try to work in a little humour.
Anyway, great work as ever FS and tell your mate well done on the letter, which I’ve passed on to some friends. In fact I was so impressed by how long it was that I was considering adding in some bad punctuation, a few spelling mistakes, a couple of knob jokes and then writing “Keep the Faith” on the bottom and passing it off as a blog!
A bit pissed at the moment so I’m off to my bed.

So if I’m reading it right Gerry, what you’re saying is…

Jesus Christ, in a purely non-commisioned officer capacity, killed JFK, with some poisoned kush, aboard the Royal Daffodil, somewhere in a hairy episode of the Twilight Zone, while praying?

…sorry Ged mate, I know you’re the Lord High Blogger an all, but I dunno, I find FS cloak-n-dagger bit morebelieveable!

(ducks for cover)

‘Ruffles and Flourishes’ …… Be seated.

Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.
He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
Men, all this stuff you’ve heard about LFC Fans not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung.
LFC Fans traditionally love to fight.
All real LFC Fans love the sting of battle.

When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big league ball player, the toughest boxer.
LFC Fans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser.
LFC Fans play to win all the time.
I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.
That’s why LFC Fans have never lost and will never lose a war.
Because the very thought of losing is hateful to LFC Fans.

Now, an Army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap.
The bilious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for the Saturday Evening Post don’t know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating.

We have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit and the best men in the world. You know, by God I actually pity those poor bastards we’re going up against.
By God, I do.
We’re not just going to shoot the bastards, we’re going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We’re going to murder those lousy Yank bastards by the bushel.

Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you’ll chicken out under fire.
Don’t worry about it.
I can assure you that you will all do your duty. The Yanks are the enemy.
Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly.
When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend’s face, you’ll know what to do.

Now there’s another thing I want you to remember.

I don’t want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position.
We’re not holding anything. Let the Yanks do that.
We are advancing constantly and we’re not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy.
We’re going to hold onto him by the nose and we’re going to kick him in the ass. We’re going to kick the hell out of him all the time and we’re gonna go through him like crap through a goose.

There’s one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home.
And you may thank God for it.
Thirty years from now when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what did you do in the great Battle For Anfield, you won’t have to say, “Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana.”

Alright now, you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel.
Oh, and I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle – anytime, anywhere.

That is all.

(how’s that for “rallying the troops”… muthafucka……?)

oh and that “muthafucka…” is to be read in that lamoid high pitched, worthless immitation of an American Black voice, than only a pathetic retard white boy can achieve

…All fired up now, you two!!!

Anyway, just a thought about the letter (for you UK nationals) send a copy to your MP and let’s see if we can’t get this thing, and particularly the potential loss to the British taxpayer, covered on PM questions when it comes about…

Guys, sorry to break away from the main topic of the moment – BTW, I WILL be sending several letters out of SA as well, & well in FS for organsising this (although, due to the WC the mail might take an extra week to get to the UK as no fucker is interested in doing any work at the moment).
I know it’s been mentioned already, but it deserves another mention. Rafa’s generous donation left me with a huge lump in my throat – what a fucking man! Could you ever imagine someone like Appy Arry or the Tramp doing this?
Hats off to the man – what a legend. I will be following his progress at Inter very closely.
Forza Rafa, YNWA.

What do you mean the Tramp wouldn’t donate any money, he donated £750,000 ( tax deductible ) to the government under the cash for honours scam.
How else do you think he became Slur Alex.
“Happy Arry” on the other hand just deducted the tax to his offshore accounts.

YNWA

Yeah. Great stuff by Rafa, but then, even his detractors couldn’t even take that away from him…
A gentleman and thoroughly decent human being. Him and Montse will be sorely missed in Liverpool for many many reasons.

But the fight goes on…
Good stuff lads. It’s getting there. It’s gathering momentum. The MP for Walton, both Anfield and Goodison are in his constituency, is now going to start asking questions in the house of commons. So it’s working. Pressure is being put on and it’s being put on the right people by the right people to apply it.

But you know what…
That’s done to us and all the other foot soldiers who are fighting the good fight.

We need to keep the pressure on. So remember, spread the word… mates, family, other reds, any other forums you visit… drag someone in.

We can have these bastards.
Good work lads.

Just a little up date on the Sons Of Anfield song…
If you haven’t got itunes, it can be downloaded here..
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sonsofanfield

Apparently it’s now 190 in the charts and rising. It only costs 79 pence a download. In these days just a few thousand hits gets it right up the charts. And then it has to be played on national radio stations. It’s already recieving play on BBC Radio Merseyside.

It’s a great way of waking people up. And I’m made up for me mate… a sound lad and great lad. Imagine the buzz, if you heard the kop blasting out your tune.

Oh well, South Africa v Mexico just about to kick off, so I’m having a break.

The Africans are putting on a great show. I’m really happy for them people to have this and I hope they do really well. But in all truth, I have a soft spot for Mexico, so I suppose a draw would be good.

Here you go…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngyb0RlnHnU

But don’t forget to download it and have mates do the same. It only costs 79p, or whatever that is wherever you are, not much.

And every single penny is going to the campaign to get rid of H&G.

Top notch tune. I downloaded it earlier from iTunes. And only 79p. Dirt cheap. Ye wouldnt get a roll of used bog toilet paper for that. Seriously though get in and download this lads. You cant underestimate how powerful it would be to the cause to get this in the top 10 or 20. Remember last year the big campaign to get Rage Against The Machine to No. 1 before that knob xfactor winner? It was all over the news and radio. Great publicity for the campaign. DJ’s cant introduce the song without giving some explanation to its background so get downloading.

The atmosphere in Jo’Berg looks great! I hope the Bafana Bafana get a goal to give the locals something to celebrate. I have a feeling this will be a very good world cup! Wish I was over there with my Standards Compromised shirt and a vuvuzela.

By the way Gerry is right. Fernando’s new haircut is dreadful.

What a goal!

Enjoyed that game,good show from South Africa.Decent start to the competition.

They could have won it right at the end.

LB, that’s a fuckin brilliant idea for at-shirt and ad campaign.

FS, that should be the next SOS Billboard Campaign.

Just a Red Billboard with White Letters

LFC – Standards Compromised

Gets the message out AND puts the shits up Standard Chartered.

I think your on to something Aitch.

Hey why don’t we write up a letter, address it to the head honcho at RBS and get as many LFC fans around the world to send it.

FS: Is that something you could get organised?

Aren’t the SOS LFC replica shirts coming with the ‘Standards Compromised’ as the logo?

If so, I will be the proud owner of my first LFC jersey!

The last time i looked on RAWK they had organised an alternative kit to the official one. As far as i can remember the logo on it was Standards Comprimised or Standards Corrupted. Great looking piece of kit as well. I’ll be buying it when its on sale. The proceeds go to the Save Liverpool Fc campaign and SOS i think. Better than giving them to cancerous cunts my hard earned cash.

Come on Uruguay. Cheating bastards! It should be Eire there instead of those fuckers. Hope they get hammered and knocked out in the group stages. See the French have started their in-fighting again as well. Nothing changes.

Aitch, I think you have missed the post FS sent a couple days ago regarding an alternative kit with “Standards Compromised” as the sponsors logo.

Yet more classic sarcasm – from Kenny this time

Right – France vs Uruguay. Predictions?

I agree artful-dodger, I hope those cheating bastard french get thumped. Come on Uruguay!
And apologies if I’ve offended anyone by mentioning football on this blog but I just got a little carried away.

By the way, anyone on here watching the game?

Kenny mate, the Standards Comprimised logo is a thing that a couple of lads came up with. They’ve designed an alternative Liverpool kit/shirt. It should be on sale by the end of the month at about 15 to 20 quid a pop. It’s going to have it’s own website when it’s ready for sale.
I’ll keep you posted.

And there is something happening with billboards, but again I can’t say anything as it’s being kept under wraps for now. I can tell you this though, if it happens it’s going to be a whopper. And it’s going to shock a lot of people.

In fact, it’s really good at the minute, loads happening on loads of fronts…
There’s the alternative shirt campaign.
We’ve got loads of flags at the world cup, going to a load of different countries games.
(I just hope the authorities let them go up. I have a feeling they won’t and the media will then be able to ignore them).
But anyway, there’s also the song. It’s about 150 in the charts. Last time I looked me mate Terry is the filling in a Kasabian, Lady Ga Ga sarnie!
A couple of lads I know are running a really great campaign to educate our own fans.
Sadly it’s still really needed.
As I said earlier, politicians are finally jumping on board… about fuckin time too.
And, there’s quite a few things going on behind closed doors.
Then there’s what we’re up to, and that’s going really well.

There’s only one disapointing thing…
There’s far too many people who aren’t bothering. And I’m not saying this to score points.
I told you, I can’t be arsed with that now. But it’s the truth… the people who aren’t bothering are the Rafa bashers. It’s the same on every website and forum, they’re the ones not trying. And I know that, because I’m in contact with most forums and sites in one way or another.
And, to be honest, it’s disheartening to put in all the effort, see others put in all that effort, and some people not give a shit.

Oh well, I don’t want to be nagging or putting anyone on a downer. We can do it without them. But numbers is the thing, so this is important… remember to spread the word, and drag in everyone you can. It’s not hard. Just give a link to the letter, direct them in here, or any of the anti-owner sites on RAWK (Sorry Gerry but I know you won’t mind in this case).

It’s hard to believe, but there’s still plenty of people who don’t know what’s happening. That’s the idea behind the education campaign. The money from the single is being used to fund it. It was going to go to the HJC or SOS, but it got decided it was more needed to educate our own. Mindboggling, like I always say, but there you go.

But don’t lose heart. There’s far more positives than negatives. And this is only really just starting, and nothing’s going to happen over night But if we keep this up and keep dragging more on board, it will happen.

Yeah Gerry, you’re mates should been 2 up. Justice?

Sorry lads, missed a few posts while writing so missed the standards compromised posts…
I’ll let you all know once it goes on sale.

Yeah FS, it seems that cheaters do sometimes win in the modern game and you need look no further then our own club for that. But I believe that in the end justice will prevail. So come on Uruguay and come on SOS!

Forlan is playing well for a tranny! Great goal earlier by South Africa.

Gerry you’re nuts, but I love your style… and maybe there is a bit of justice, peno shout just turned down.

Awful game. Without Zidane France are a load of rubbish. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a good game featuring Uruguay.

Well, I’m off to bed, but just a quick heads up to all you lads who have fans cards or are members of a supporters group. Read this from Ian Ayre….

I Wanted to take this opportunity to write and thank you fro the work that you and your branch memebers do for Liverpoll Football Club. As a club we know that our supporters clubs play an important role in lots of areas of supporting and looking after fans all over the world.

The branch network has been running for many years but it was only in 1990′s that the branches were affiliated and a formal structure was introduced. The club is now looking to create a branch structure that can grow for the long term benefit of the club and its fans across the globe. In order to bring the branch network inline with the clubs other ticketing processes and policies it is important that the supporter clubs also gain entry by smart card as is the case with many of our other suppoter gruops, such as season ticket holders and members of the club membership scheme.

We have a growing demand for tickets from all branches and as such it is important to all areas of the club that we develop a fair and transparent way of allocating tickets. With this in mind it is important that we start to understand how many of our members there are in each branch and have them individually registered for stadium access. It will also help the club ensure that branches recieve tickets commensurate with the size of their branch membership base. As you are aware the club has not had any recent data on how many members each branch has and who they are.

In order to achieve this from the start of 2010/11 season, UK Eire and europeaon supporters clubs members wishing to attend matches at anfield will be required to join the official ALL Red membership scheme. This is so they can establish a direct relationship with the club as well as their supporters club and alllow us to recognise them on our systems data bases. For supporting this change in policy, branches will be paid a referral fee for each of their members who register. Supporter’s clubs members who are already members of the club membership scheme or are season ticket holders will not need to join again but will need to advise us that they are members of your branch.

Further details will follow in the next few weeks from the membership team but I wanted to give you an initial indication of the direction we are taking.

We thank you for your continued support and our membership team will be in touch in due course.

Yours sincerely

Ian Ayre
Commercial Director
Liverpool Football Club.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In plain English what that means is…
You’ll now all have to pay 30 pounds sterling to become a member of this all ALL RED melarkey or you will no longer recieve tickets.

Yep. No matter how long you’ve been affiliated with the club, no matter what you or your group have done for the club, it’s all scrapped…

Yep. You are now basically all being held to ransom for 30 quid each – yes that’s 30 per person in your group – or the club will fuck you off and sell any tickets you’re entitled to someone else.

How many fans are there in your group Knight?
How many tickets a year are you entitled to?
Well kiss that good bye unless you all stump up 30 quid each.

I remember warning about this last season. I also remember telling you that we had disbanded the club we’d formed here in Bournemouth and sent the funds in the kitty to the HJC.

We had over 150 members in that club. That would have been an extra 450 quid in the coffers. Firstly what they done was make fan cards an annual charge. It used to be a one off payment, and that was it, you had a fan card for life. Then it went to an annual payment to have a fan card – even though it was promised this would never happen when the fan card scheme was introduced. Well, now it’s an annual payment of 30 quid to be in the ALL RED scheme.

That might not seem much but there are literally hundreds of thousands of fans that belong to official fans groups, and it’s now a big Fuck You, Pay Up or Fuck Off.

Oh well, you was warned.

But I can see a few good things in this..
1: Some people might wise up and see the truth… to H&G all of us are nothing but cash cows to be milked for all we’re worth.
2: H&G have gave up all pretence now. Where has Tom been since sacking Rafa? Why no comforting little fireside chat on Sky, promising us every thing is just Hunky Dory. And why is he keeping his head down while announcing this through Ayre?

Obvious… they know the phoney war is finally over. They know we aren’t falling for anymore of their lies. They are just trying to suck every penny from us that they can get.

I’d advise all fan card holders to return them with a letter explaining you refuse to be robbed anymore by H&G and will not go to another match or support the club financially in any way whatsoever until the owners are gone.

Anyway, I’m off. See you later.

Oh and I know I’d said I wouldn’t comment on this again, but I have no choice…
To all the people who think the fools and backstabbers had nothing to do with Rafa getting sacked, well you know that Chelsea fan sitting in our boardroom, the Bought-man who was brought in with just one remit – to sell the club- well he has just released another story.

Thankfully this time he wasn’t telling Torres and Gerrard and the rest that they’d be better off leaving.

He said, He’d sacked Rafa – yes, he’d personally sacked Rafa – because of the media.

So, not only has he removed the one man who could stop him selling the players he is advising to leave, he has removed him on the say so of Sky, Talk Shite, Souness, Whelan, Redknapp, ad infinitum, and all the fools and traitors who agreed with them and couldn’t wait to say so on the blogs, forums and phone ins.

Once again, well done.

What a lousy bastard!

Thats worse than Darth Vader killin Ob1

Anyway Bafana’s goal and performance is giving me some hope

I cant wait to see them Fuck France right up their arse

Pardon me french!

Over and out

Donal… 7% increase on season tickets.
30 quid enforced charge on loyal fan card holders and supporters club members.
That’s within the last few days, and still some people aren’t acting and are burying their heads in the sand.

I fear it’s going to take Boughtman selling Torres and killing Bishop Desmond Tutu live on TV with his bare teeth for some people to realise what’s going on and do something.

FS: That still wouldn’t convince me, I think you’re just scaremongering.

You Irish boys are a bitter bunch. The poor old French are a pale imitation of the team they used to be. Awful. Their manager Domenech is a fruit cake.

What a snore bore draw!!

USA USA USA!! just kidding. I want England to win the tournament but only if Stevie G and Jamie Carragher score all the goals.

Kenny lad, something has just happened mate that I again I can’t really speak about. I know you must all be getting pissed off with the cloak and dagger stuff. And to be honest, I can barely believe what has just happened this morning, but believe me mate… things are starting to happen, very good important things.

I’m not saying we’re getting there lads. But we’re headed in the right direction.
Hang in there and keep dragging more in. I know you can’t see it, and it’s hard to keep faith. I wish I could tell you more, but believe me, we are being noticed and we are having a great effect.
Good stuff lads.

My work colleague got is season ticket renewal letter this week. It’s gone up nearly £100 and must be paid in about 17days. No higher fee for paying late, just 17days or else

Kenny #277,

2 years ago, I used to doubt FS saying that we were going the route of Leeds.

Now I’m convinced, and I’d add Newcastle & Portsmouth to the list. If the Yanks aren’t stop, we’d be joining them soon.

Thank God good things are happening,I trust in your enigmatic comments FS and whatever it,or many its, is or are, I want it to happen before I fall off my perch.
Good Luck to Liverpool,England and you!!!
Now to see the game.

#279: My work colleague got is season ticket renewal letter this week. It’s gone up nearly £100 and must be paid in about 17days. No higher fee for paying late, just 17days or else.

It’s the tip of the iceberg mate. So don’t just let them do it and wait for what’s next. Get on the campaign and drag as many others as you can in.

Mr Hill Sir, don’t you worry. I’m not going to another game until they are gone. I’m not going to get tickets for anyone else until they are gone. But with just a little luck and a load of effort, I’ll mug you to a seat on the Kop and a couple of gills in the Sandon before very long.

Nice one Fatty its good to hear there`s some progress in the campaign.Keep up the good work lads.

Sorry lads i can`t hope for an England world cuo win.Jesus were still hearing about 1966.

No i`m going to wait until they get knocked out and tune in to talksport just to listen to them whine away!!

No offense to anyone rooting for England, but HAHAHAHAHAHA at Green’s howler.

I still expect England to get to the last 16, if not win this game.

Good God! England 1-1 USA HT.
Elementary mistake by Green who should have got BEHIND the ball.

But surely if people don’t buy season tickets and replica shirts then the club really will end up like Leeds and Pompey. We can’t expect to keep any players if there is no cash flow at all to pay for their wages. Do you really bite your nose to spite your face? If you do then you can’t complain if all the good players are sold. Obviously we all want the Yanks to go but is this the right way to go?

P.S. Great goal-keeping there by Green, bring back Calamity James.

BTW, who’s for banning those vuvuzelas from the stadium? For the matches played so far, I can hardly hear anything else save for those annoying horns.

Even the traditionally upbeat Korean drum-chanting in the Korea v Greece game were drowned out by this noise.

You just watch next season… vevuzulas all over the Prem! There were at least 2 Lower League play-off games where I heard them throughout!

Arman… unfortunately we’ve already cut off our nose to spite our face, by allowing Rafa to be hounded out…
…the financial things simply MUST be done.
Yes of course, there is of course a downside to it, but it is necessary and is THE ONLY thing that can force the Yanks out.
They are gone…. its just a question of how much more organizational damage they can do before they go and how much they financially damage the club in the process!

When you are shot… and bleeding… you must cut the hole bigger to remove the bullet.
You’re gonna bleed more in the process, but better that than leave the bullet in, coz you can’t heal until the bullet has been removed!

G&H are the bullet in that scenario, in case it wasn’t clear!

As for the World Cup… the Prem might be the best league right now, but if it is, then it is so only because of the foreign imports… if the best England can field at a World Cup is Milner, Lennon and that fuckin Donkey, Heskey,?????

Arman #286… it’s the only way to go. They aren’t going to put any money into the club… they are going to syphon out every penny they can.

You should read up on the true situation a bit and you’ll soon see why this has to be done.

And don’t take my word for it…
Read what Tom Hicks has said himself on several occasions. He’s done it often and for a long time. In fact, he started as soon as he took over the club… Weetabix? On field success and brand loyalty? Any of that ring a bell?

He’s just turned down to decent offers for the club.
Why?
The RBS and their employee, Broughtman, is supposedly able to over ride H&G and force a sale.
Why hasn’t he?
RBS, are being paid mega-millions in interest on loans they made.
Why would they do anything to force a sale while this situation is allowed to go on?

All seems pretty obvious to me… LFC is now nothing more than a massive piggy bank for the
owners and their creditors… So any penny, you, me or anybody else spends on the club is just going to disappear into their coffers.

And I could go on and on, but I really don’t have the time.

It really is as straight forward as this now mate…
Some people are prepared to do a little to save their club.
Others aren’t.

There’s both types in here. Which are you?

Hopefully you’re on our side. I’d like to think so. And I know how crazy this must seem if you don’t have all the facts. But have a look at some of the comments in here. Have a look elsewhere, and if that doesn’t convince you that we need to do something and that you should help, fair enough.

But if you aren’t the type to be conned and robbed, fight back.

All you need is in here… send the letter, add a personal note, get others to do the same.

We aren’t powerless. It’s already having effect. And if you need any help don’t be scared to ask, people will be happy to help and that includes me.

PS… Aitch, no need to wait for next season. My streets been full of kids blowing vuvezellas all day. Can’t stand it meself. But then, I can’t stand watching the kop fuck YNWA up nowadays. But this is not my world cup. It belongs to the South Africans and this generation.

I’ve got tinitus. I find a bout of that a bit more enjoyable. But Kinny… there’s a volume button. We have no right to dictate to people. It’s their thing. They love it. And you have to admit, it’s good to see so many people happy and things going really well, especially after all the scaremongering in the press… and we all know what bastards they are.

What a win for the U.S! (they’re treating it as such over here). As much as I concur with Tims sentiments I must say I was the only one at the bar who (somewhat embarrassingly) jumped when Stevie cooly slid home the opener. A typically superior finish that comes with the territory when discussing the worlds best players drew unimpressed looks from the bars patrons but…..fuck that. He’s one of us. I for one was fucken delighted for him. Skipper. Champions league…WINNER/CAPTAIN/LEADER. Well done Stevie la

FS, no need to question my loyalty, I was just asking a question and thanks for answering. I do have all the facts and I know which side I’m on. I’ve joined up to SOS and bought the sons of anfield song off iTunes and look forward to buying the alternate home kit with Standards Compromised written on it.

Fucks sake what is it with people’s feelings on here… Arman, I never questioned anything. Actually quite the opposite… I read your questions and tried to point you towards some answers.

And I told you straight… there is now no question to it… The phoney war has finally finished. Thank fuck, the gloves are off. The fight is on for real. But some people won’t join it, some will.

That was all there was to it, that’s all there is to it… the time for questioning what’s right and wrong. Who’s on our side, who’s against us, and who’s doing nothing is long passed.

We have to attack them on all fronts. We have to get as many people as we can involved and we have to just forget those who won’t help.

I’m glad you’re on board. And I’ll have some more news for you very soon. I’m just waiting on some details but you can stand on this… we are making an impact and that’s because good people like you and the rest of the triers in this blog are doing their bit.

And I thought I’d made that plain on many occasions… pound for pound, this blog of Gerry’s is punching far above and beyond it’s weight. There’s many bigger sites out there on the web, but from what I’ve seen per head count, on average, this blog is doing more than it’s bit.

But I can’t keep going through this. So… If I piss any one off who is doing there bit, I appologise in advance. You have to give me a bit of a break on that… I’m at this practically 24/7. I’m at meetings, on the web, on the phone, doing all I can. I don’t want a medal, just a little help. And you’ll have to forgive me if a few words here and there come out wrong. I’m bound to get misunderstood once in awhile. But just ignore it and carry on with what you’re doing… we need the help and we haven’t got time for squabbles, and explanations.

There’s a fight on… keep up the good work and spread the word. We can win it if you do.

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/1r4v6o

Disgusting!!!
ALways knew there’s this idiotic hate against liverpool in the media but this just proves it .. sort of ..

Maybe there is hope?

“South Africa’s World Cup organising chief Danny Jordaan may ban vuvuzelas from inside stadiums after complaints from broadcasters and supporters.”
“The constant sound of the high-pitched horn-like instrument has so far drowned out much of the atmosphere-generating singing usually associated with games. “

Somehow Aitch,i cannot see this happening.This is SA`s tradition,its their world cup so people have to respect that and go along with it.

Poor oul Didi Hamman,he`s been thrown into the RTE panel for the Germany game tonght alongside Giles and Brady.Should be a lovely experience for him

I thought Didi did a great job on the panel Timmy, I hope we see a bit more of him on there in the future. In fairness I think RTE’s coverage has been great so far.

#295. Good spotting that and I enjoyed reading it, but it is something I knew and tried to say anyway. In fact, I remember telling a story about some national daily news papers doing a sort of question and answer session and they openly addmitted that they had it in for Benitez because they, and I qoute “Hated him.”

On the very day he gave 96 grand to the 96, I read a piece in the Daily Mail entitled, “Benitez’s last spiteful act as Liverpool manager.”

It went on and on about old Doc Waller. He’s been the Liverpool FC doctor for donkey’s years. He did save Gerard Houlier’s life by diagnosing what was happening in the early stages of his heart attack and got him to hospital promptly enough to be saved when he probably would have died if it had been any later.

So the fella banged on and on about the dirty johnny foreigner sacking old lovable Doc Waller as a last dirty trick, but forgot to say that the Doc was retiring. And though a very likeable and well respected man at Anfield and Melwood, that he was about 40 past his sell by date and Rafa had just hired that world renowkned Australian doctor and sports science fella. I can’t think of his name off the top of me head. But he’s supposedly the top man, wanted by all sorts of Sporting giants in the NFL and other places but he joined Liverpool after being swayed by Rafa.

This is what the club and the man have always been up against. We know that, sadly our new chairman Boughtman appears not to – recently addmitting he sacked Rafa because the media didn’t like him… which was a load of bollacks. HE sacked him, as I said, for one reason, to remove the last obstacle in the way. But the media was a convienient excuse because of the years of bile and hatred towards the man.

Oh well, it’s done now and god only knows how much we will end up regretting that and paying for it. But hopefully, things like this constantly coming to light will make enough people angry enough to fight back.

Which is what I came in about. Nothing earth shattering to report but I’ll hopefully have a bit more news this week. I’m waiting on a couple of things and the fight is being notched up a level and there’ll be a bit more that people can help with. So, I’ll be back when I get the ammo I’m waiting on.

As for now, that’s enough. I had a lovely break today… boss little day out. Great soul band playing near me, all Scousers and Glaswegians playing all the great old Motown and Stax stuff. Me mate plays guitar with them. I’d have went ages ago if I’d known they was that good. Well, anyway, all rested, refreshed and ready for another push now.

I can hear that X-Files music starting to pipe up in the background Aitch. Get yer catcher’s mitt on. It’ll soon be that time again.

See yers later lads. Thanks for all the help. It’s much appreciated and it is making inroads. so don’t give up. They’re wobbling, one big push might just be enough to help topple them.

Nice one FS.

Gerry i love watchng the boys on RTE when the tournaments are on.They don`t talk much sense but they`re damn sure good for a giggle.

I`d do be pissing myself laughing at Bill and the boys.
Apres Match then to top it off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E39SCfgfAxc

Yeah, Apres Match is a great laugh and a lot of the time it’s more entertaining then the football. Here’s another great clip of them during their live show doing Dalglish and Ferguson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcZWhDVbsho&feature=related

I heard that RAFA made another donation

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/06/12/former-lfc-manager-rafa-benitez-donates-significant-amount-to-liverpool-s-lily-centre-100252-26637216/

THE co-founder of Liverpool’s Lily Centre today admitted she was “overwhelmed” after receiving a “significant” donation from Rafa Benitez.

The former Liverpool FC boss, who on Thursday gave £96,000 to the Hillsborough Family Support Group, yesterday helped another charity he holds close to his heart.

Though co-founder Peggy O’Brien would not disclose the amount on the cheque Benitez wrote, she revealed it would go a long way to helping the day-to-day running of The Lily Centre – a breast cancer support group – for a considerable time.

Mrs O’Brien said: “It was an absolutely fantastic gesture and we are all over the moon – it was completely overwhelming.

“We have known Rafa and [his wife] Montse for a long time but we did not expect this at all. You just do not expect people to give you money like that.

“Rafa and Montse have been good to us in the past and they did things that people would not know about, such as when he gave us Fernando Torres’ first Liverpool shirt for a raffle, which raised £4,900.

“But this just came completely out of the blue. We know they are moving on because Rafa has changed jobs, but we will keep in contact with them.”

Mrs O’Brien and Winnie Keating set up the Lily Centre, which is based in Silvester Street, Kirkdale, 11 years ago.

They now have 750 female volunteers and two men helping them when they open every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mrs O’Brien said: “This gesture will just help make things that bit easier for us and helps with the cost of running the centre.

“We do not get any government funding and we do not have any paid workers. Myself and Winnie both had breast cancer and we started this off from nothing.

“Everything is done on a volunteer basis and we cannot thank Rafa and Montse enough for helping us.

“They have supported us ever since they came to Liverpool in 2004 and there is no doubt they will remain our friends.”

….

Anti-RAFA, RAFA bashers…..err…..

Christ…. He really must have been the BEST fat Spanish Waiter in the fuckin Biz if he was clearing that much in tips?

Aye Skeat, as I said, Rafa and Montse will be sorely missed in Liverpool for many many reasons.

But you know what, I could direct you towards articles by the press and comments from our own “Supporters,” that slate them for this – knocking the donation to the 96 as just some sort of sympathy stunt.

#303: Aitch, you wouldn’t believe I seen one lad, a Liverpool “Supporter” saying in all seriousness… “Aren’t the waiters supposed to get the gratuities.”

And then going on a rant. Liverpool supporters my arse. I hate even being associated with these people just because they decided to attach themselves to our club. And you can bet your bottom lip on this… not one of them is helping out in the fight.

And, here’s where we are up to right now…
Broughton is next. Something has to be done about this fella. It will. I’ll be back with that in a short while.

But the fight we can all get involved in is going to be on 4 fronts…
1: Sponsors,
2: RBS.
3: inside agents – Broughton and Purslow.
4: Politicians.

We started with the sponsors. We’re on RBS. As I said, I’ll be back with the Broughton news. And some time this week, well… I’ve got something really good to launch. Just waiting on some details now.

I know it’s a lot to ask, but we all get an hour or so a day when we have nothing to do. If we use it to do something, and ask others to help, we can have a great effect on all this.

Back shortly.

Re: Vuvuzelas! FS & Timmy, spot on. It is OUR World Cup. The vuvuzelas are part & parcel of SA football. I’m afraid thise who don’t like it will just have to deal with it. I personally prefer them to ‘Pa…pa pa pa, pa pa pa pa pa’ i.e. the trumpets from the Ingerland supporters.
Jovanovich looked sharpish for Serbia, but couldn’t shoot for shit. The Germans now…oh dear, the Germans looked brilliant.
Sorry that this is a non-LFC related post. Just had to put my feelings across (as a local) re the vuvuzelas.
And fuck you Uli Hoeness, the German press & the English tabloids for doubting wether SA (or Africa) could host a World Cup.

Here, this guy says it better.
http://enemiesofreason.co.uk/2010/06/14/hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonk/

No messing about here… read the letter. Obviously from the lack of F-ing and Blinding, it wasn’t written by me. One of our concerned friends wrote it. It’s excentlly written and details all the reasons why Broughton needs to be brought to account.

This man needs at least a rap on the knuckles and a reminder of what his only remit is… selling the club not sacking managers, or leaking adverse stories to his friends in the media, advising our best players to leave… hopefully to Chelsea from his point of view.

So, if your with us on this, print it, and send it. There’s only 3 targets. It won’t take ten minutes and it costs less than a pint to do. Not much effort to help defend your club.

The letter explains all our grieviances, but add a wee note of your own expressing your thoughts and feeling on this. And don’t forget to spread the word. We need everyone we can pulling in the same direstion. It’s our duty to defend our club and the more we can get on it the better.

I know I keep putting on you lads, but I know you want to help. I’ll have one more thing in a couple of days. That’ll be a four fronted battle we are fighting, while other people get on with other things behind the scenes.

We’re getting there lads. We just need to keep pushing and get as many others as we can to put their weight behind it.

So, here goes…

To:

Richard Scudamore
Chief Executive
Premier League
30 Gloucester Place
London
W1U 8PL

cc.
David Sheepshanks
Acting Co-Chairman
The Football Association
25 Soho Square
London
W1 4FA

cc.
Roger Burden
Acting Co-Chairman
The Football Association
25 Soho Square
London
W1 4FA

Dear Mr Scudamore,

I wish to express my increasing concern regarding the conduct of Martin Broughton, recently appointed as Chairman of Liverpool Football Club.

Upon taking up the part-time role in April 2010, Mr Broughton confirmed that his remit was purely to facilitate the sale of the club on behalf of the current owners. Acting in conjunction with investment bank, Barclays Capital, it was made quite clear that his role was limited to reviewing and making recommendations on potential buyers. Furthermore, as Chairman, it was also made explicit that he would not be involved in the day-to-day running of the club or making operational decisions, deferring those responsibilities to the existing management team headed up by the Managing Director, Christian Purslow, himself a temporary appointment whilst the club sought a long-term replacement for former Chief Executive Rick Parry.

As you are no doubt aware, Mr Broughton has always been open about his strong personal allegiances to another, rival Premier League member, Chelsea Football Club. Many Liverpool fans, whilst initally sceptical given such an admission, were nevertheless prepared to cautiously accept his personal inclination, given his very specific role and his ‘day job’ as Chairman of British Airways plc (BA). We had trust that he would act in a manner befitting the role of Chairman, respectful both of his duties and the confidences they afforded, and ultimately, to act in the best interests of the club. His statement in May 2010 that he felt it unwise to attend the forthcoming Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC, was also seen at the time as understandable albeit a little disconcerting.

However, that initial scepticism seems to have been valid and has taken on greater significance following a recent report in the Times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article7140751.ece.

Having stated he did not think it wise to appear in public attending that football match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC, it therefore beggars belief he felt no such compulsion or crisis of conscience about accepting a subsequent invitation to attend Chelsea FC’s private party to celebrate their Premier League title. Not only did he happily attend the event, mixing with executives and club officials, but he is alleged to have made ‘off-the-record’ comments to a Sky journalist and broadcaster present that contradict his official stance on the sales process at Liverpool FC, and worse, made specific insinuations and references to Liverpool’s most valuable player, Fernando Torres, glibly suggesting he may leave due to the state of the club. I suggest to you that these remarks – not withdrawn or denied – are both wholly unprofessional (in circumstances not entirely dissimilar to the damaging Triesman affair) and represent clear evidence of a serious conflict of interest given his position at Liverpool FC.

There is also the matter of his official involvement in the very recent and somewhat controversial dismissal of Liverpool’s manager, Rafael Benitez, a long-standing outspoken critic of Liverpool’s owners. Suggestions that he was only communicating on behalf of Christian Purslow are no longer valid given he has now confirmed his direct involvement in an email to Jim Boardman, who runs an independent fans site, AnfieldRoad.com (on which the email is published). In addition to restating his primary remit (the sale of the club), Mr Broughton confirmed he was involved in the dismissal as it was “a matter for the Board”. This is contrary to his non-involvement in operational club matters that he claimed upon appointment. Either that original statement was deliberately false, or he has acted in collusion with Christian Purslow (who, it should be noted, shows no sign of ceding his own temporary role, despite having failed in his primary objective to secure investment, and having interviewed no candidates for the CEO position that would render his own job redundant) to terminate the contract of a manager for political purposes. The role of Chairman is not something that he can apply when and where it suits him to do so. Mr Broughton’s additional comment in that email that the decision was largely ratified by the media as some sort of justification, is at best, extremely naïve or at worst, utterly disingenuous. Again, a comment that raises serious question marks about his perceived integrity and credibility in general.

You may quite reasonably feel this is very much an internal matter for Liverpool FC, not least given the current ownership welcomed his appointment. However, I would remind you that both the Premier League and FA have a regulatory responsibility to maintain the integrity of the game, and where necessary police clubs and individuals involved with clubs, in order to safeguard the interests of the sport. Both organisations are very clear on potential conflict of interests when it comes to clubs, players and agents, and I see no need reason why that policy should not be extrapolated and enforced in this matter. Let us not forget the controversy and disrepute that Peter Kenyon was involved with following investigations into his involvement in transfers towards the end of his tenure at Manchester United whilst in discussions to join Chelsea. Suggestions of questionable moral conduct by association also tainted him at Stamford Bridge, for example the Quest report into unlicensed agents. Then there is David Dein, who was also subjected to similar controversy and accusations of conflicting interests given his dual roles at Arsenal and the FA. Ultimately, the game’s executives must be beyond reproach, a criteria that Mr Broughton has even in such a short time, evidently failed to fulfill.

Whatever his credentials at BA, Martin Broughton is very far from being an experienced football executive. He was appointed only to provide a credible and reputable business figurehead with whom potential buyers for the club could comfortably enter into discussions with (in stark contrast to owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett). However inexperience is not an excuse for ill-judged and questionable conduct. And so I would call upon you to investigate this matter and strongly consider a motion to censure his conduct. Given the circumstances and his comments, I would hate to think what the potential ramifications would be if, for example, Fernando Torres was sold to Chelsea this summer. Improper or not, it would be seen as a transfer potentially involving corruption given Mr Broughton’s access to confidential contracts and his own personal loyalties, and any failure for you to properly investigate such a proposed deal would be highly damaging to the game in England, and consequently the Premier League’s reputation globally.

I ask you, therefore, to act pre-emptively and in the first instance, investigate this matter by requesting Mr Broughton answer these deeply-held concerns (held by the vast majority of genuine Liverpool stakeholders I might add) regarding his allegiances and agenda, and for you to report as such via reputable media outlets. At the very least, it will serve as a welcome reminder to Mr Broughton as to his wider responsibilities and duty of care as chief representative of one of your high-profile members.

Yours faithfully,

(name withheld)

************************************
Don’t forget to add a note with your own grieviances and most importantly….
Get everyone you can on this. To win – we need the numbers.

Thanks for all the help lads. I’d love to buy all a pint. Great stuff. Keep it up. We can win this.

PS: Rafalution, I can see why some people think the vuvezellas are a bloody nuisance. I agree really, the kids in our street have all got them now, so there’s no escaping them for me. But you know what… I think that’s great. It shows how many people are enjoying this and I’m very happy for Africa. Take no bloody notice of our redtop papers. We all know what miserable bastards they are. Just enjoy the whole thing. I am. Even though I think I’m going to end up with tinitus… great stuff, good on you and the whole country.

This is great too:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/06/11/liverpool-walton-mp-tables-anti-hicks-and-gillett-parliamentary-motion-100252-26631219/

Carra on the vuvuzelas…

“When I came on I didn’t notice it too much. I think you notice it more when you are watching on TV,” he said.
“But my kids have been on the phone and asked for two so I’ll have to take two home for them. I’ve got two in my bag already.
“Anyone who watches me play at Anfield will know that I am louder than the vuvuzelas!”

SOAK, we have plenty of local politicians on board now. They took bloody long enough, but at least they’ve climbed off the fence and are having a go. I’m in contact with a couple myself. They’re behind us all the way.

And to anyone who is doubting the reason for getting at our own chairman… Well, it looks like Benayoun is off to Chelsea.

If that’s not at least a conflict of interests, I don’t know what is. But if you want to make certain the same doesn’t happen to Torres and Gerrard… get on the campaign to have Broughton brought to question for all his involvement in these highly wrong shenanigans.

Make no bones about this, whether Bought-man sells our prized assets to Chelsea or not, he has already advised them all to leave, and he must be brought to account.

There’s no excuse for not acting. It’s 3 letters to print and send, and just add a note of your own saying why you think it’s wrong for an LFC chairmen to advise our own players to bail out – especially when he is a Chelsea fan with a conflict of interests.

They will listen. They will look into it and bollack them. They have no choice. Make them do it or you could be watching an LFC team bereft of Reina, Johnson, Masch, Gerrard and Torres very soon.

I haven’t posted in a while since I had some family stuff to deal with.

Took me a bit of time to catch up but I now have the Broughton letter drafted and will pop them in the post tomorrow.

I am now off to iTunes for the Sons of Anfield tune.

Every little helps!

FS, I posted a few weeks ago that I thought that the Onion fella would leave in the summer but not like this.

What a mess!

I must stop finishing my posts with an exclamation mark!

Good lad Lurgie. And I hate to say it, but the writing was on the wall and everyone was warned.

And like I said a few posts back, getting shut of Rafa wasn’t the start of the asset stripping – Bought-man was preparing it all along.

But we don’t have to let them get away with it. We can bring them to book. I’ve got the full backing of SOS on all this. Don’t want to be a smartarse, but I was in conversation with them for ages over all this and in the end decided it could wait no longer and so went it alone. But from a few little seeds I lashed on RAWK, it’s grown and grown. And it’s now got the full backing of the union, as they work on other things. But they are encouraging everyone they can to get onboard.

I’m sure some people will think I’m being a smartarse. I’m not. It’s not about me and I don’t want medals. I’m a footsoldier like the rest of you, not a general. And frankly, I’d rather be just one of the lads. And so, I’m just letting you all know, that from very small beginnings this has took off, it’s still growing and it’s getting hefty backing.

We just have to keep it up. I honestly can’t divulge some of the people that have jumped on board and passed me the ammo. But believe me, we have some hefty hitters on our side. And, as I’ve always promised, there’s big things going on behind closed doors. But having said that… it’s you lads, and all the other lads and lasses that are making the difference. And it’s us that will win this.

So don’t lose that enthusiasm or the momentum.

Obviously we all have to attend to our normal lives. I hope you had a great time with the family Luran. I had a boss day out yesterday. I needed the break to be honest. And I’ve been busy most of the day, but we all get a little hour or so a day when we’ve got nothing to do… well put it to good use. Fight for your club, drag others in to do the same and tell them to pass it on to.

Or I tell you what, )and hopefully it won’t be seen as scaremongering anymore), if we stand idly by and let it happen… we are screwed.

But we are not Pompey, or Palace, even Leeds or Newcastle. We are LFC – yes us, the supporters – and there’s millions of us. We get just a fraction of that support onboard, and we can do some right damage to these bastards and their plans.

As I said, there’ll be another target unvieled in a few days. But in the meantime, we must deal with this hired hit-man Broughton, or we’ll soon have nothing much to save.

Thanks for all the help lads. I’m proud of you all and glad to have you in the battle. Fuck the generals. We’ll win this.

PS… as usual, I forgot to say what I came in to say.

Great news, we’ve dragged in a couple of thousand of people already. And there’s been some huge fan groups alerted. For instance, The Norwegian Reds alone number over 1,500. The head of the group is rallying the troops and this sort of thing is happening all over. And that’s down to the ordinary lads like us. So keep on it boys. We are getting there.

Hi fellow kopites. Been reading the posts for some time and want to do my bit to help out. They are f###ing ruining a club that i have supported since I was 7.
FS, what do I need to do to kick those two morons where it hurts.
Anything to help out where it hurts!!

For all you LFC ‘watchers’ who have not signed up yet to the SOS, or sent any letters, here is the defintion of ‘Support’, in the verbal sense.

sup·port
? ?/s??p?rt, -?po?rt/ Show Spelled[suh-pawrt, -pohrt] Show IPA
–verb (used with object)

1. to bear or hold up (a load, mass, structure, part, etc.); serve as a foundation for.

2. to sustain or withstand (weight, pressure, strain, etc.) without giving way; serve as a prop for.

3. to undergo or endure, esp. with patience or submission; tolerate.

4. to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction: They supported him throughout his ordeal.

5. to maintain (a person, family, establishment, institution, etc.) by supplying with things necessary to existence; provide for: to support a family.

6. to uphold (a person, cause, policy, etc.) by aid, countenance, one’s vote, etc.; back; second.

7. to maintain or advocate (a theory, principle, etc.).

8. to corroborate (a statement, opinion, etc.): Leading doctors supported his testimony.

9. to act with or second (a lead performer); assist in performance: The star was supported by a talented newcomer.

Which one do you come under? I would hope it would be King Kenny’s number. So what are you waiting for?

[Steps down of soap box and walks away]

#317. I’m just having a quick sweep round before knocking off. I’m knackered and been at it too long today. So, have a look through this comments section, you’ll soon see the posts with the letters in. Read them and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.

Don’t think I’m fobbing you off, quite the opposite, it’s great to have you onboard. We need all the triers we can get.

But I need a break now and I’m still going through a load of links doing a last few things that have to be done. But I’ll get back to you soon as I can… probably some time tomorrow afternoon. I’m working tomorrow, but I’ll be finished early afternoon, 2pm or so.

I’ll give you all the info then, but as I said, have a quick look through… it’s all here and Lurgan or any of the lads that are involved and on here tonight will help.

Welcome aboard. Good to have you onside.

Hey Kopite and anyone else who wants to do something, try 81; 218 and 307…
It’s all there.

Good luck!!!

Thanks Mc I was just going to go through it all again. You’ve saved me there mate…
There you go SA Kopite. Mc’s sorted it for you. Have a read, have a go, any questions, I’ll do me best to answer them.

Thanks for having a go mate, but much more importantly you’re doing something that might just stop the fire sale and help save the club as we know it.

My letter to RBS is on it’s way – letter to Scuadmore and Sheepshanks next..

Sad to see Benny go for a couple of reasons, if it’s true that Chelsea have nabbed him:

He was immense in the 08/09 season (once he learned to tackle) though injury last year took some of the sting out of his already skillful game.

More importantly I feel duty-bound as a trainee doom-monger to note that the ides of July are upon us and the fire-sale begins…

I take it we’re not getting Joe Cole as a replacement then?

On the other side is this Bought-man using his influence and contacts at LFC? Fucking tapping up players for the Chavs. Whose next? Torres? Serious conflict of interest this. Boughtman, Purslow, Hicks, Gillett……. how did we end up with this pond life at the club. Absolute cretins the lot of them. They couldnt be further from the Liverpool Way if they tried. Cunts.

To FS, McrRed and Lurgan, thanks for pointing me in the right direction – i’ll get onto. Really gutted the way we are being treated and have to say that our ‘Chelski’ Chairman looks to be doing the dirty on us – talk about a conflict of interests

Compare those two US buggers to an earthquake, the debt and bullshit to the Tsunami, the appointment of Broughton to the start of thebig wave crashing down ontop of us and the deaprture of Rafa and sale of Benny (and whoever else will be departing) as the mass destrcution that has imploded.

What a right mess this has left us in adn the only question is where the f##k do we go from here.

Would anyone want to join us in this fine mess? I think not

Brace ourselves for a very bump ride me thinks!

Support all the way boys, we never walk alone and we will always hold our heads up high!!!

Just got junk mail of one Mr.james traore.

hmmm could it be???

So it is confirmed now. We have just paid a world -class manager 6 million quid (give or take and more than he has had to spend in the last 2 seasons, net) to go and join the champions of Europe and 5 consecutive league titles to boot.

You couldn’t make this shite up. Think of it! From a business point-of-view, long term, this makes no sense whatsoever. So what does make sense then?

Yep, asset stripping and raping of all things that we knew (yes, past tense) as LFC.

Get out there and spread the FS gospel lads.

Welcome aboard SA kopite.

Rafael Benitez targets success at new club Inter Milan:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/8741240.stm

The last couple of paragraphs are enlightening.

Cheers Lurgan, happy to be aboard & will try and post as often as I can in between work commitments -which is stressing me out just as much as whats happening at our beloved.

Agreed, we loose a top class manager to the likes of Serie A – Clearly, Broughton and the two goons know what they’re doing – NOT!

Waita mo, they must have a plan – do i here rumblings of a worldclass manager joining us who will have mega bucks to spend – it will be interesting to see what bullshit lies they come up with next time round

You seen this trailer lads?

http://queuepolitely.com/?p=660

There’s something very fishy going on but I can’t quite work out what it is.

Rafa fired given £6 million compensation to leave.

Benny Onion transfer to Chavski £6 million fee reported.

Oh hang on a sec I’ve done the maths. Sacking Rafa hasn’t cost the Yanks anything at all. It’s cost LFC one very good footballer to weaken an already weakened squad.

Not only did we pay him to leave and join Inter Lurgan mate, we were in such a rush to force him out that we paid him to leave immeadiately when Inter were willing to pay compensation to cut his contract at LFC and join them!

Anyway, just a quick update…
The banners that got sent to the world cup have been getting confiscated and destroyed by SA police and stewards.

I got sent some pictures of this but have no way of linking them into here. But…
The BBC have picked up on this, even the Daily Manc (Mail) has mentioned the banners. But the BBC is going to do a story on the flags, what made people make and carry them, the campaign behind them, etc, etc…

So, this bit of censorship might funnily get us more coverage than a few glimpses on telly ever could.

I’ll keep you posted on this as it develops.

And things are developing lads. Make no bones about that, we are getting results. We just need to keep the pressure on. I know you’ve all done your bit on the letters front, but don’t forget to drag others in.

We might have a place to drag them soon an all. Me and a mate are trying to get a website built. Not a forum, no blogs, no comments, no members, no nothing. It’s for no other reason than to present all the facts, educate our own fans and give them a way of fighting back. I’ll keep you updated on that an all.

As for the update on the fight, well… I’m still waiting on some things meself. But I will be back with it asap. It’ll be another front to fight on and maybe the most important of them all.

We’ll be going for the politicians next lads. And here’s a bit of news on that front…
There’s a huge trades union conference going on in Bournemouth at the moment. One of me mate’s has a son who’s heavily involved in local politics back home in Liverpool. I brought him over here yesterday and showed him everything that’s going on… there will be developments from this and I will keep you posted as soon as there is, probably this time next week.

So things are picking up. We are getting results. We can have a huge effect on the health of our club…
As I said, make no mistake, even if we force all the shit out of our boardroom this afternoon, there will be damage. But we can limit it if we all pull together, limit the damage they can do through asset stripping and force them out as quickly as possible.

So don’t lose heart lads. Keep spreading the word… it’s working.

Kenny, in fairness this deal was on the cards even before Rafa left

See Rafa has come out in support of King Kenny getting the audacious task of leading us on

FS my brother in SA has ordered the Standard Corrupted top and apparnently its gonna sell like hotcakes through the LFC supporters club there – bring it on!

Does it make the maths any different though Arthur g. posis?

Lets be fair then.

Benny Onion to the Chav’s £6 million.

Hicks, Gillette, Boughtman and PURSElow “What can we offer Rafa to leave? We can’t have the money coming out of our pocket!! Hey why don’t we use the £6 million from the Benny Onion sale?
Perfect!! Boughtman, Offer Rafa £6 million, see what he says.”

sorry Arthur must remind myself to be fairer in future, not be so hard on our custodians. Sarcasm intended and meant.

I wonder if that was the final straw for Rafa even. The Benny sale.

#335: As I said, a few of us are working on getting an education site up and running. It will go ahead. It’s just a matter of time. The shirts, and some other merchandise, will be on sale on there. It’s all none profit. Not one penny will go towards anything but running the projects on there, and other good causes, mainly the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.

There’s also going to be a magazine and dvds, hopefully both free, that will be sent out to all fan groups, forums and sites. Sadly, we have to do this to educate our own supporters/fans. Far too many are still burying their heads in the sand. And I hate to keep saying that, but it’s true and until we get enough of them to face up to the facts, things will just continue to get worse. But like I said, we are having results so don’t get disheartened. Just keep spreading the word.

FFS, I always do that. Come in to post one thing, read the comments, answer something and end up forgetting what I came into say…
http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/liverpool-fc/129499-liverpool-fc-banner-destroyed-by-fifa-in-world-cup-clampdown.html

Here’s what happened in the lad’s own words, cut and pasted. Don’t know about you, but it just makes me more determind to get the word out. Symapathetic journos (yes there is a few)have already been contacted. Anyway, here it is…
Quote

Well here goes:

I got into the stadium ok,through security and to my seat,I was sitting close to the pitch so I decided that the only place to put the banner is at the front and it would get great camera coverage.

I then displayed it there and approximately 10 minutes before kickoff I was approached by a security official who was parading all round the pitch and instructed me to remove the banner as no banners were allowed there,I did what I was told to and that was it.

I then took it upon myself to go to the second level of the stadium as soon the kickoff whistle sounded to hang up my banner with the rest of the team supporters ones there,so up the banner went,I chatted to a couple of people on that stand , relating to them the reason for us making and displaying the banner,many people didn’t know(amazing).

I then went back to my seat at the lower level and constantly gazed up to check on the banner,it was around the 27th minute of the game that I looked up and to my horror there were 3 security officials removing the banner from the rail,I immediately got up to proceed to the officers but as I stood up I was confronted by two officials and asked to the security office.

On my arrival there I was met by two other supervisors,both European and they showed me to a camera where they recorded me,they traced me from the time I got to the stadium till the time they called me,One of the superviser’s was a manc as I saw his keyring(f***ing p**ck)apparantly they saw the banner on live game footage and they had to remove it because FIFA’s rules state that no material bearing obscene or vulgar images are to displayed at their events,I pleaded my case then gave in after no joy and asked for the banner back so that I may keep it away.

They refused to return it to me and started lecturing me on football hooliganism and what charges they can lay against me and so on but the worst came when the manc bloke sliced the banner up with his stanley blade,I’ll never forget the grin he gave me whilst cutting it up,they went through my call list on my cellfone,recorded my ticket number and showed me on their pc all the games that I would be attending and how they will keep a close eye on me.

By the time I returned to my seat Germany scored their 4th so I took my stuff and my missus and little one who were terrified,not knowing what was going on and left,I was so pissed that I only stopped shaking when I got to P.m.b which is +-85 km’s away.

Quite an episode aint it?

Just keep making more banners I say! – makes one’s blood boil though!

Agreed FS, the only way to educate is through awareness and spreading the word, of which it seems one and all on here are happy to do so

Any point of contact, through forums, web sites, media, point of sale material etc is the way forward and hopefully even the die hard Yank supporters will turn in our favour – when they truly understand what is going on

KDLFCL
Its called speculate to accumulate 6 mill to Rafa 6 mill back for Benny the Judas ( who i’d of valued at 12 mill at least).More profit will come when Masch goes for 30 mill.
But the biggest payout will be Torres which will turn the 6 mill into 100 mill.
Ask your self why Torres doesn’t feature in the launch of the new kit ? he’s our star player
FS When will the Standards Corrupted shirts be on sale.

PS
The lad who had his banner destroyed was lucky he wasn’t shot with rubber bullets and teargassed like the Stewards who had the cheek to ask for their wages.

You might as well be living in a communist country as going to a FIFA endorsed game. Absolutely pathetic.

Was watching live games in work on RTE website which you need an Irish ip address for. However, found this site if anyone wants to watch games:

http://www.eurovisionsports.tv/

Lads, me grandkids have been on holiday, so I haven’t seen them for over a week. They just got here so I’m taking them out for a few hours. But I’ll be back later and I’ll update you on shirts and all the educational stuff then.

Okay, here’s a few bits of info on what’s happening…
The websites up, but under construction…
http://www.savelfc.co.uk/

There’s nothing in there yet, but it will be running soon and chok full of good stuff.

The alternative kit/shirts has hit a bit of a snag. There’s trouble with manufacturers/suppliers. Don’t worry. It’s going to happen. The lad’s running it are just doing all they can to keep the costs down and make them available at a price most people can afford.

I’ve even contacted our very own Knight (where is he?) to look into this in Malaysia. And I’ve got a good friend from China who’s in the import/wholesale business and his family manufacture amongst other things, sporting goods, back in China. But there’s lots of people working on this and that’s the only reason… getting a decent quality product to our fans at a decent price – the price theiving football clubs should be charging.

This is making a few waves now. Just add the h..
ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/10332377.stm

We hope to have a lot more coverage for it shortly. Friendly journo’s covering the world cup have been contacted.

All the other initiatives are going along grandly, but we must keep educating as many reds as we can and encouraging them to take action.

Personally I think there’s no excuse whatsoever for doing nothing once you are aware of what’s going on. And there really is no excuse, no matter where in the world people are, there’s something they can do.

A blitz on buying The Sons Of Anfield is being organised, sort of like what got Rage Against the Machine to number one during all that X-idol-talent-factor-shite. I’ll get the date and time for anyone who wants to partake. But me point is, no matter how little or how big, there’s something that every single one of us can do.

Not that I’m nagging you lads, you’ve been great. I’m just making a point… the majority of our fans don’t even know all this is going on, and, even worse, there’s far to many aware ones who just can’t be arsed. Shameful but true.

Anyway, I’m off for the night now, going to watch this game, even though to be honest, the world cup just seems like a meaningless distraction now. Shame that. Another thing to blame H&G for. Normally I enjoy the World Cup.

What a goal be Forlan though, eh.
And have a look at SA’s right back… is that Sugar Ray Leonard in his youth or what?

Oh and lad’s don’t think things have slowed down. I’m still waiting on the next leg of the fight. I’ll post it asap. And there’s some great things going on that I can’t mention just yet. But as soon as I can, you’ll be the first to know.

We’re getting there lads. Just remember if you’re talking to other reds or in another forum/chat or blog, make people aware of what’s going on. Most are more than happy to get involved once they know what’s going on.
Later.

“Site under construction – which is more than can be said for the stadium”

Fuckin class

“Not that I’m nagging you lads,…”

see… even when you’re fighting G&H tooth and nail…. some of their tendency to bullshit actually rubs off on you

Just avin’ a larf FS.
Keep up the good and vital work.
You and your compatiots are doing a smashin job!

And I agree with McrRed
“Site under construction – which is more than can be said for the stadium”

Now THAT… is “typical fuckin scousers” my friends!

I haven’t had a chance to post lately..My wife has had some serious health problems..
But I have tried to read the posts when I can.
F.S great to see you back in here mate.
I copied and printed off the letter and have sent it to all three, it takes a little longer from the States, but they will at least get them.
I also e-mailed it to everyone I know who loves Liverpool F.C.
F.S let me know what I can do from over here.
Cheers..It’s Our Club..and it takes us all pulling together.
On another subject..cracking goal by Forlan..I would love to see him in a ‘RED’ shirt next season..

Nah, there’s no chance Redscouse.
Forlan wouldn’t go back to Man United!

Speaking of players going to the Scum, was anyone watching last night’s Spain defeat?

When Torres came on, the camera quickly panned on a piece of Scum carrying a large banner that said “Torres come to our Shithole”.

Seriously, fuck him, and fuck the TV people for deliberately showing him just to spite us.

Besides, what makes them think the Scum are even capable of buying him? Last I heard, their debt was 3 times that of Liverpool’s.

I instantly spouted profanities unimaginable in front of my folks who were watching the game as well, I could care less if I received cold stares for that.