Fanzine Fanzone - Times Online - WBLG

Liverpool: Loyal Supporters? Casualties of Greed

This morning the new Liverpool Commercial Director, Ian Ayre, sent a letter out to all 10,000 Liverpool fans that have signed up to the Priority Ticket Scheme (PTS) informing them that the scheme is to be disbanded for next season. This is a scheme that costs each fan £55 each year to join for the "privilege" of having access to 5,000 tickets for each game at Anfield. In theory, giving each PTS member a 50% chance of a ticket for each game.

This scheme has been in place for a number of years now, with the reasons given for disbanding as being:

1. 25% of the PTS membership didn't purchase a single ticket last season
2. 50% of the PTS membership purchased tickets for 3 games or less last season

What he failed to mention in his letter or consider in his decision making, is that means 5,000 of the membership attended 3 games or less; therefore the remaining 5,000 must be purchasing the 5,000 tickets every single week. Those 5,000 fans have been turning up every week for years for midweek games against Fulham and Portsmouth, as well as the bigger and more glamorous fixtures.

Their reward for that loyalty?

Liverpool: Gareth Barry - money or medals?

It feels strange writing this when Gareth Barry was never a Liverpool player; but the chants from the Stretford End of "you scouse b******" when he turned out for Aston Villa at Old Trafford last season indicate that Gareth Barry was all but a Liverpool player in waiting. Until his head was turned by the glistening coins of Man City.

I'm neither upset, elated, bitter, disappointed nor pleased that Gareth Barry will not be a Liverpool player next season. He is a player I rate and feel would have improved the squad, but if he is the sort of player motivated by his bank balance rather than a desire for success then we may have dodged a bullet in losing out on his signature.

Forever In Our Shadow

"Are you watching Merseyside" the assembled United masses sang before the game in Rome last night. Yes, we are. And how we enjoyed it.

The United fan base have this unhealthy obsession with Liverpool, with everything they do being measured against our own achievements. They cannot play a single game without their fans singing about Liverpool. Everything they strive for exists at the other end of the M62. The odd blog from myself does not constitute hypocrisy on that front. We go to the game to support our own side and very rarely sing about others unless we happen to be playing them. The hatred and jealousy United fans have for us doesn't allow them to do that.

After living in our shadow for so long, they can now see the sun blazing down just a few steps away. Just a couple more strides and they'll walk from that shadow and cast one of their own as the most successful club in the land. They can see the light, and last night missed a huge opportunity to take another huge step away from that darkness.

End Of Season Review

The rollercoaster that was the 2008/09 season has now passed. A season of "what if's" and "what might have beens" to look back on for years to come; hopefully with smiles at the season of where it all began as we pick up yet another league title, and not with regret at an opportunity missed as the barren period prolongs.

We can look back on this season either way, depending on whether your glass is half full or half empty, and both opinions are just as valid as each other. There's no doubt whatsoever that this season is "one that got away" and could so easily have resulted in us being champions. But that's football; the table doesn't lie. It didn't lie throughout the 70's and 80's when we dominated and it doesn't lie now when we finish a gallant second. We didn't have the squad to cope with injuries to key players, and as a result, we weren't good enough over the course of the season.

But what this season has been is a season of vast progression. Where on Benitez' arrival we were a side 37 points behind the champions Chelsea, we are now a side that have finished ahead of Chelsea and within touching distance of the current champions Man Utd. That progression has been evident year on year, as much in footballing prowess and stature than just in league position alone. We were huge underdogs in the major competitions as little as 4 years ago, but now see anything less than the semi finals of the European Cup and a serious assault on the league as a relative failure. If that's not progression then what is? One look at the team sheets from then and now highlights everything.

How good is Fernando Torres?

This weekend Fernando Torres opened the scoring against Tottenham with a header John Toshack would have been proud of, and with it, scored his 50th goal for the club on only his 84th appearance; reaching that landmark in less games than the like of Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen managed. The great Roger Hunt netting his first 50 goals in 79 games being the only Liverpool player to reach that landmark before him. So much for "foreigners" needing time to bed in and adapt to the pace of the English game.

But just how good is Fernando Torres?

Can strikers be measured only by goals scored, or is their influence on the shape of the side, assists provided or off the ball work as crucial when considering their importance to a side, or deciding their ranking among the world's best?

Fandom and Terrace Culture

Do we all look back on the football of yesteryear with rose tinted spectacles, when it's nostalgia more than anything else that keeps us pining for the past? Was everything really so much better in the pre-Premiership era; or do we just resist change in the same way your grandparents refuse to accept "it's not like in our day" or "they don't make them like they used to" when discussing anything from clothing to footballers.

Those of us that do hark back to days gone by can be accused of not being able to see the wood for the trees. We now have a Permiership that plays hosts to 4 of the best 5 sides in Europe, with the best players on the planet now plying their trade in our league. Whereas the top dogs of the 80's saw Italian football as the pinnacle; with the creme of the time nearly all seeking a transfer to the land of the lira, the top brass of today's game all head for these shores in search of financial happiness. The money our league now generates has drawn them here; resulting in the best players in the world playing for the best teams in the world right in front of our very eyes. Was it really so much better back then?

For me, it's not just about the quality of the football on display, nor the sightlines and size of the seat I'm now provided in today's ultra-modern stadia. Those developments are a god send for the spectator; but for the supporter they are a hinderance. The move away from supporting to spectating is the one change in the game I resent the most. Several decades of cleansing by the authorities in a move to stamp out hooliganism and tribal fandom have achieved sanitisation of the game and shut out the next generation of supporters. The moves that have taken place within our game have rendered fandom an endangered species.

Post-Heysel and Hillsborough, it was obvious changes needed to be made to our game. Football was being played in crumbling stadiums and all fans treated like animals. Thatcher and her army set out to change the face of English football; an evolution still gathering pace today despite having carried out all the essential works. This is where it's all going wrong.

As a child going to the game in the late 80's and early 90's, I would be taken on The Kop by my dad. We would arrive a few hours before kick off, queue up and pay into the ground for a relatively affordable amount. My dad was earning a modest wage but could still afford to take me to the game with him each week. I never felt threatened or frightened despite standing within a mass of around 16,000 people. I used to sit on the crush barriers along with many other kids and served my time growing up on The Kop.

Liverpool Football Club meant everything to me, and each week I'd go and mix with the very people that make the club what it is. The fans.

Our support had it's own identity and character. Anfield had 4 stands all different to each other. We sang songs no other team did and always tried to be different. Plenty of other clubs did the same and nearly all held some sort of character and uniqueness about them. Every ground in the country was different and the support within those grounds was reflective of the area and the people of that region. Individuality and tribal pride; which doesn't automatically mean hooliganism.

Fast forward to the here and now, and it saddens me to see these new build grounds popping up all over the country. It's as if the same company designs the lot; merely changing the colour of the seats and installing the same identikit stadiums up and down the country. These grounds have no character and nothing that sets them apart from the rest.

The fans now filling these grounds are also reflective of their designs. Identikit fans only wearing different colour shirts. Singing the same songs as every other side, just replacing the name of the club they support. They dress the same, they act the same and they have fallen for the great whitewash of falling in line; doing exactly as the authorities want them to. The clubs play loud music over the PA for them to dance and sing along to and they lap it up. The same happens in countless grounds in all divisions, and takes away the opportunity for each group of fans to impose their own characters and cultures on the club.

Add those changes to the difficulty kids have in affording tickets to watch their clubs these days. The next generation are not growing up as regular match goers that pick up and carry the cultures of their forefathers. The next generation do not have the opportunity to become engrained in a football culture specific to their own club and maintain those terrace trends. They have been forced out of our grounds and have become Sky supporters. Their football supporting cultures are now taken from programmes such as Soccer AM and other Sky Sports productions. The same message and culture beamed out to football fans nationwide. Is it any wonder the identikit craze is rife?

It frightens me to think of football in 20-30 years time, when those supporters that do still carry the flame for their clubs cultures and traditions begin to hang up their match going boots. Individuality will be lost forever; with each and every ground populated by identikit fans. Football will be dead.

The game will continue, probably generating more money than ever before, but the passion and the terrace culture that I fell in love with is in danger of disappearing forever. I didn't just fall in love with the green grass, the pace and trickery of John Barnes and clinical finishing of Ian Rush. I didn't just fall in love with the Liverbird and the red shirt, or merely choose to support Liverpool as they were the best side around. I had no choice. I was taken to the game from an early age by my dad, just like he had been by his dad, and he by his dad before. I was brought up engrained in that culture and fell in love with the The Kop just as much as I fell in love with the club. I looked forward to going to the game for the atmosphere and the people as much as looked forward to the actual football.

It saddens me that my young lad might never experience that. I'll try my best; but deep down I know that it's gone forever. I can't wait to see his face when he first enters Anfield and his eyes catch hold of the greenest grass he'll ever see. I can't wait to see his smile as he stands for You'll Never Walk Alone for the very first time. But I'll be saddened when I look around the stand and realise that he'll never experience what I did, and he'll never fully understand why I fell so in love with this club and the game.

So while successfully stamping out large scale hooliganism and bringing the best players to these shores, the changes made over the past two decades have all but killed the future of fandom and terrace culture.

The authorites have used the events of Hillsborough; not just to make football a safer place for us all, but to price out and exlude the very people that made the game what it is. We all know change was needed, and the death trap stadiums of yesterday had to be replaced; but look to Germany where they now watch their football in the most modern and safe stadiums in world football. They have the highest attendance figures for any league in Europe. The tickets are affordable and accessable to all, and as a result their safe standing areas are populated by the young and old, male and female, and allowing the next generation to bloom and carry the flag for their club's future.

The atmospheres generated in those stadiums are the best in Europe. Fandom and terrace culture across Germany is at an all time high, while all the time our own is in rapid decline.

I'd swap the footballing super power this country has now become in an instant, if we could replicate what Germany have done with their football. It's not just about generating the most money for the fat cats and the players. Football is not just about winning at all costs. It's about enjoyment, identity and belonging for me as much as any trophy.

Those German supporters are still seeing their club's win leagues and domestic trophies each season. They are no longer European heavyweights, and that could be attributed to the relative lack of money within their game in comparison to ours; but is a sacrifice of European success for a handful of clubs worth it if it improves the match going experience and enjoyment of an entire nation? Without doubt.

So while millions of German fans are watching their football each weekend with smiles on their faces, and taking their kids along to become a part of their clubs; our children are sat at home watching on the TV as the rich get richer and the suits get to applaud another success on the field, latching onto a club they probably had no interest in 15 years ago, and certainly don't understand what made the club so glamourous and appealing in the first place. The odd European trophy is the only difference between the success of our clubs and the likes of Bayern Munich.

If the price of that success is excluding the next generation of fans and killing fandom for good; then I'd rather not have it.

Paul Jones

Did The Best Side Win The League?

In a word. No.
 
Now before you all leap up out of your Fred the Red armchairs with "the table doesn't lie" and "19 years" type sour grape jibes; let me answer another question.
 
Did the best squad win the league? Yes.
 
This season, we've beaten United 6-2 on aggregate and looked by far the better side in both of those games. We've beaten Chelsea home and away and drawn twice against Arsenal. We've lost only twice all season, and both of those defeats were give aways. Tottenham away was one of our best performances of the season, we should have been out of sight after an hour, yet somehow threw it all away in the last 10 minutes. Middlesbrough away is best just forgotten, but is probably the only time this season when I can say we left the field as second best on the day.
 
The difference between the United side that won the league and the Liverpool side that just failed? Options on the bench due to a far superior squad. Whereas Ferguson can bring on Tevez to change a game or another clutch of £20m players, we have to rely on David N'gog or the disappointing Ryan Babel. And before you point to the January departure of Robbie Keane to limiting those options; he was awful. N'gog is still a better option up front than Robbie Keane ever was. He was that bad.
 
Watching Match of The Day 2 last night, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief. They'd put together their combined Liverpool and United sides; which went as follows:
 
...........................Van Der Sar........................
O'Shea.........Ferdinand.........Vidic.............Evra
....................Carrick........Fletcher....................
......Ronaldo...........Gerrard............Rooney.......
..........................Torres...................................
 
The only difference between the sides Keown and Dixon chose being Mascherano coming in for Fletcher. Both of them chose Van Der Sar, O'Shea and Carrick. Where do I start with that? O'Shea isn't even the best right back at United! He's third choice and slots in there in the absence of the little Brazilian kid and Gary "gorgeous" Neville. Yet those two clowns have him down in their best elevens. Ha.
 
Van Der Sar ahead of Pepe Reina? It's not even a contest. Carrick and Fletcher ahead of Alonso and Mascherano? HA HA HA.
 
The rest however I can agree with.
 
Ferdinand and Vidic are the best defensive partnership in this league by some distance, if not Europe. Evra is streets ahead of Aurelio, Insua or Dossena for the left back position. The fact we have 3 left backs and none of them being able to hold down the position as their own says it all. I don't think anyone could argue with the front four of Ronaldo, Gerrard, Rooney and Torres.
 
A more realistic Best Eleven:
 
................................Reina.............................
Arbeloa.........Ferdinand.........Vidic.............Evra
.................Mascherano......Alonso....................
......Ronaldo...........Gerrard............Rooney.......
..........................Torres...................................
 
Pitting our best 11 against the best 11 of United then I'd fancy us to come out on top more often than not; the two fixtures this season have proven that to be the case. But asking us to challenge them over the course of a 38 game season and expect to come out on top is slightly different; as the league table seems to indicate.
 
United have a squad littered with £17m - £30m players like Anderson, Nani and Berbatov that are not automatic first choice picks. They spent £17m on two kids from Red Star Belgrade in January that have yet to challenge for a place in the side and laid out £10m just to have Tevez on loan for two years. That is the luxury they have, and why their squad is far superior to ours. They've been building that squad for years; Ferguson replenishing his pool of players every year, merely adding quality to an already established top class side. Comparing the amounts spent by Ferguson and Benitez over a 5 year period is flawed for that reason. Benitez has had to start from scratch, Ferguson has just been topping up his squad; yet they've still spent very similar amounts.
 
We spend £20m on Torres, £10m on Alonso, £10m on Kuyt and £18m on Mascherano and they have to be first team regulars. Martin Skrtel was purchased last January for £7.6m; the most we've ever spent on a defender. We can't go out and spend £30m on a Rio Ferdinand.
 
All the above leads to United having a squad with far greater depth than the one assembled thus far by Rafael Benitez; but allow Benitez another couple of years of "topping up" this current squad with quality instead of quantity, and that could soon change everything. The rebuilding process is complete. It's fine tuning needed from here on in.
 
This season could be said to have hinged on a couple of major decisions that maybe the difference between winning the league and not; small details that could have changed everything. Disallowed goals here, poor decisions there and the general rub of the green. But one area with no argument that proved the difference between winning the league and not; the size and quality of the respective squads.
 
One to eleven we're pretty evenly matched. Twelve to twenty we lack the quality they have at their disposal. That is the difference.
 
Address that over the summer with a couple of quality additions to the squad, and next season could be a little different than looking back on dropped points and poor decisions here and there that cost us the league.
 
Paul Jones

Football Fans or Terrorists?

The policing of football fans in this country has long been a thorn in my side, with tactics deployed sometimes more akin to policing aggressive political rallies or clamp downs on terrorism suspects. Are we searched so thoroughly at turnstiles in case we dare to enter a football stadium with the top still attached to our plastic bottles? Or to stop us posing a huge threat to public order if we ever manage to smuggle a flagpole or some perfume into the stadium? I witnessed a women having her perfume confiscated at The Hawthorns on Saturday when her handbag was searched on entry. Seriously. Are we entering a football stadium here or boarding an aircraft under all these new anti-terrorism laws?
 
What was she going to do with that bottle of perfume? Lean over the divide between fans and spray somebody in the face? Use it as a missle and launch it into the West Brom fans? If that is the case, then why not take my car keys off me, or my shoes? I could use either of those as a missile as well. Taking perfume off a women; madness.
 
In the 20 years since Hillsborough, the policing of football fans has failed to change in line with the ongoing evolution of the game, the change in the demographic of the crowds and the complete behavioural changes from football fans within our stadia. We are constantly policed as if on the verge of a riot, when nothing could be further from the truth. A Sunday afternoon in West Bromwich provides a perfect example of over policing a situation.
 
I drove down to the Black County with 3 friends, arriving just before 12pm and parking up a short walk from the stadium, in a location I'd parked at during previous visits to the stadium. During our search for a pre-game drink, there was a sign on the road directing "away supporters" to the stadium. We walked through the open gate and up towards the ground, as it would bring us out at the other side of the stadium and hopefully closer to a few welcoming pubs. At the top of the hill we were met by 30 or more officers stood in two banks, blocking entrance to the turnstiles. They allowed us to just walk through without so much as a smile or acknowledging we existed. This was a full 90 minutes before kick off and with hardly a soul mingling about around the ground. Hardly a welcoming reception.
 
We then circled the ground still pursuing our search for refreshments, before eventually setting for a quick pint outside The Royal Oak. We left there at 1pm and headed back towards the ground, entering in the same direction as previously and up that "hill". On arrival at the summit, we were again met by the same two banks of police officers and an assortment of stewards. All stood stern faced and refusing to engage in banter. The mood was good natured, and when asked why we were being held, I was told it was to allow congestion at the turnstiles to release. Fair enough.
 
Fans approaching from the other side of the stadium however were continually joining the queues at the turnstiles while we were held back. I arrived at this blockade just before 1.10pm, some 20 minutes before kick off, with the turnstiles no more than 50 yards in front of me, giving myself what I thought to be plenty of time to be at my seat for kick off. I didn't gain entry to the stadium until just before 1.40pm, some 10 minutes after kick off. All because of the policy in holding fans back in this entry, and carrying out time consuming and vigorous searches to everybody entering the stadium. Women's handbags being searched from top to bottom, lads being padded down for a good 20 seconds each; resulting in the queues taking an age to disperse.
 
As I approached the turnstile, I tried to joke with the steward carrying out the searches in my queue. "Your little mate's going a little faster than you" and nodding to the steward next to him, as a little plea for him to speed up a little with his body patting. "I couldn't give a f**k mate" was his reply. Charming.
 
The mood was very relaxed within our support, mainly due to the title being taken out of our grasp the day before; but imagine we were still in with a shout of the title, and were being held for around half an hour outside the turnstiles while the game has kicked off? I don't think the atmosphere would have been quite as pleasant, and the policing tactics in place would have instigated an atmosphere of tension and anger out of nothing. Why are we searched and policed in the way in which you'd expect terrorist suspects to be monitored? What "intelligence" or "evidence" do they have to justify this pointless and hugely expensive exercise?
 
So much emphasis is now put on football being a family game and welcoming to women and children. If that is the case, then the "welcoming committes" we so often come across need to cater for those people. If you want to treat us all like potential hooligans then fine; but forget about pushing this "family game" nonsense while continuing to do so. Aggressive stewarding and policing is hardly conducive to promoting a family friendly atmosphere is it?
 
During the game a few dozen officers stood between the two sets of fans. Everyone watching on the television will have seen them. There was good natured banter between the two sets of fans and no sign of any animosity; yet the police remained in position, with a further 40 or so officers in the corner separating our end from the stand to our right. Anyone would think this was Roma v Lazio or River Plate v Boca Juniors; not West Brom v Liverpool.
 
At the end of the game, with West Brom's relegation about to be confirmed, two banks of police officers walked out in front of the away section. On the final whistle one bank stepped forward and took position level with the 6 yard box, and held that position for the few minutes I remained in the ground.
 
There was no pitch invasion. There was no hostility, and our fans were applauding the home fans on their support and it was all good natured. Yet still those two banks of police remained in position. Quite what justified that policy I've no idea; but whoever it was should be answerable to their seniors for the justification of it all and the cost of the entire operation.
 
Never mind the latest scandal of the politicians and their expense claims "stealing" from the taxpayer. Yesterday's policing costs are a far bigger waste of taxpayers money. Complete police overkill in a completely unwarranted situation. Yet nothing is ever questioned. Why?
 
Why should football games be policed at huge expense when there is no need? Everybody knows which games require a large police presence. That presence is needed outside of the ground following the "risk groups" attached to each club. That action can be justified in preventing disorder, and every man and his dog can see why the officers will keep an eye on such groups. But how do they justify needing almost 100 officers inside the ground acting as a segregation barrier between West Brom and Liverpool fans?
 
There was a similar incident at the recent Millwall v Leeds fixture. 
 
Now this game is no love in, far from it; but Leeds fans were only allocated 1,000 tickets for the game, and all positioned in the upper tier behind the goal. A few Millwall fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate their opening goal, but posed no threat of disorder due to the location of the Leeds fans situated above them, with no route for them to get onto the pitch. So what was the point in over 20 police horses lining up in front of the Leeds fans at the end of the game? Completely pointless. Again; who can justify that approach?
 
On leaving the ground on Sunday afternoon, we again walked down the same "hill" and back towards our car. At the bottom of this hill, as it meets the public roads, we were greeted by 4 riot vans and at least 3 officers stood there holding barking dogs. West Midlands police had chosen to deploy dog units and riot vans as we left the ground, and deployed teams of officers stood at every junction along that road; all when there had been no sign of disorder on the day and no aggression in the air.
 
Are police incapable of reacting to a situation and the demands of the here and now? Or do they stick to a plan regardless of what happens in front of their eyes? I think this Sunday's example answers that one quite emphatically.
 
I'm not just picking on West Brom with this article; we see similar set ups all over the country. Every football fan that travels to watch their team will be able to preach tails of a similar nature. Do the police forces around the country fail to understand that we're no longer in the 70's and 80's with rioting football fans in our stadiums? Do they not realise that there is no need to police every game as if we're all just one wrong word away from swinging punches at each other?
 
CCTV cameras within our stadiums have all but wiped out football violence beyond the turnstiles. Anyone entering a ground these days knows that every move they make is being filmed, and any wrong move they make will more than likely see them spending a few years behind bars. There's just no need for a huge police presence within our stadiums anymore. The CCTV cameras police the stadiums for them and prevent any "riots" far more efficently than they can.
 
So while there is mass scrutiny of public expenditure at the minute, and a cut back in non-essential spending being demanded throughout the public sector; isn't it time the police were asked to justify the costs of policing football matches?
 
Even if it does come well over a decade too late.
 
Paul Jones

The Time For Video Technology?

Yet again, in the aftermath of the hilarious scenes from Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night we have seen people clambering for the introduction of video technology to the game. Each and every time a few bad refereeing decisions are made, the same old people come out of the woodwork to scream for the use of video replays in order to ensure we get every decision correct; yet how many of them have actually sat down and realised what they're asking for?
 
Digressing; I say the hilarious scenes from Wednesday night, as I'm sure every non-Chelsea fan around the country could raise at least a wry smile at witnessing some of the biggest cheats in the modern game playing hell with the referee. The irony of it tickled me all over. The sight of Drogba throwing his toys out of the pram was one of the funniest clips of television in years. The same Drogba that rolled himself back onto the pitch in the quarter final when "injured", in order to waste time receiving treatment. The same Drogba that spent enough time play acting on Wednesday to justify the 4 minutes of injury time given at the end of the 90 where Iniesta pounced to punish. The same Drogba that has the talent to be one of the best strikers in the world, but just can't help but throw himself around and cheat. Brilliant. I think it's called Karma, or something like that. And how apt that Drogba was caught on camera amid these latest cries.
 
Anyway, now I've had time to stop laughing, those calling for the introduction of video technology usually revert to the examples of it working in rugby, tennis and cricket; yet fail to understand the very basic difference between all those sports and the game of football. Forget speed of play or breaks when waiting for decisions; the fundamental difference with all decisions requiring video replays at rugby, tennis and cricket is that the ball is dead on each occasion. When the decision is required and the video referee called for, the ball is already dead and the game has already been stopped. It allows a decision to be made without influencing or affecting any part of the game or preventing its natural continuation.
 
That just isn't the case with football, and is the single most obvious reason as to why video technology just wouldn't work within our game.
 
Liverpool are attacking and the ball drops to Steven Gerrard on the edge of the box. He takes a touch then smashes the ball against the crossbar, before it bounces down onto the line and back out into play. The crowd and the players all scream for a goal believing the ball had crossed the line, but the referee waves play on. The ball is still "live" and bouncing around in the box. Vidic clears the ball and sends Rooney clear down the left. He cuts inside, beats his man and slots it into the bottom corner. They've broken away and scored, and only then is the ball "dead".
 
So what happens then if the video referee has a look and sees that Gerrard's shot has crossed the line? Does he pull the play back and award the goal, and therefore wiping out the "goal" Rooney has just scored? He'd have to, as the play hadn't stopped at any point during the time from Gerrard's shot to the breakaway "goal" being scored. Can you imagine the uproar that would cause?
 
Or do people propose that the referee blows the whistle and stops play as soon as the ball has bounced off the crossbar and down onto the line? Who then retains possession when the game restarts? Or does the ref blow up when United break away with Rooney? What happens if the video referee deems the ball never crossed the line? United have just been denied a goal scoring opportunity when the play is stopped for no reason. It simply won't work.
 
That's just one example of why football is different to any of the other sports that have introduced video technology. Is it really that difficult to comprehend? That example alone should kill the arguement dead.
 
The game has survived for over 100 years without video technology and been known as "the beautiful game" throughout that time. If people want to see the game turn into another version of NFL or Ice Hockey then continue to bang the drum. But it's never going to happen.
 
Referees make mistakes. They're humans. We don't have to respect them and we don't have to slaughter them. We can expect them to get the majority of decisions right, or they wouldn't have made it as far in the game as they have; but we can also expect them to make errors of judgement, just like everyone else.
 
Football is a game of 11 men v 11 men, with a man in the middle making decisions. It is a game that can be played anywhere from a top class stadium to a beach, or a muddy field with jumpers for goal posts. That's the beauty of the game. It is not controlled by robots.
 
I want to leave games and talk about the referee being a disgrace. I want to have a pint and laugh at the dodgy penalty we were given. That's all part of what makes football the exciting and popular game it is. Leave it alone before you ruin the very essence of what makes it so special.

Paul Jones

Sami Hyypia - Thank You

When people talk about the greatest signings of all time, there's one man's name that often escapes discussion amidst the talk of the Eric Cantona's and Francis Jeffers' of this world; that man's name is Sami Hyypia.
 
Sami Hyypia was snapped up from Willem II by Gerard Houllier for a bargain basement £2.5m in the summer of 1999. I'd never heard of him, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who wondered who this unknown was when we were crying out for a commanding centre half in the aftermath of the Ruddock and Babb years. He made his debut at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the 1999/2000 season and looked like a leggy newborn giraffe at first sight. Those initial thoughts were soon dispelled, as the past 10 years have proven him to be one of the greatest centre halves this club has ever seen, and one of the best signings we've ever made. He's been that good.
 
In an age of foreign mercenaries and an era of bling and bentleys, Sami Hyypia has remained the ultimate professional throughout his stay; a shining light to all throughout his Liverpool career, and a brilliant role model for anyone coming into the game. He's been a superb ambassador for the club, and would now class Liverpool the city as his second home. He's integrated into the city and the city has engrained itself into the fabric of the Hyypia family forever. It's just so refreshing to see in the days of modern mercenary football. Sami Hyypia is one of a kind; if only all others were made of the same stuff.
 
Sami formed a partnership with Stephane Henchoz that will never be forgotten. Those two played a massive part in the unbelievable 2000/2001 season that ended with a treble of League, FA and UEFA Cups, as well as a 4th place finish that took us back into the Champions League. It was a year that'll live long in the memory, but one that has almost been erased from the memories after Istanbul. It was a glorious season to support Liverpool Football Club, with Sami Hyypia playing a key role in it all. I went to 64 of the 67 games that season, enjoying some of my greatest times following the club, and will always link that season with the rock solid partnership of Hyypia and Henchoz, as well as some of the greatest European trips of modern times. That pairing were the base upon which everything was built. Thank you.
 
During the run to Istanbul in 2004/2005, Sami Hyypia was an absolute giant at the back alongside Jamie Carragher. While Carragher quite rightly took all the plaudits for this efforts that season, Sami Hyypia quietly continued to deliver top class performances on the field with the minimum of fuss. Benitez brought in the experienced Pellegrino towards the end of that season on a free transfer, and it allowed Sami to sit out several league games in the build up to European fixtures. Pellegrino will never go down as one of the best signings ever made, but he allowed Hyypia to recuperate. The results are there for all to see in the shape of a 5th European Cup, with Sami Hyypia's volley to open the scoring in the quarter final against Juventus a pivotal point in that European campaign.
 
He has been our best attacking threat from corners for a decade now, and he is going to be almost impossible to replace in that respect. He offered strength in the air at both ends of the pitch; scoring a few memorable goals throughout his career at Anfield.
 
The dogs were barking the season following that European Cup success. "His legs have gone". "He's finished". More than a few called Hyypia's ability to operate at the top level into question, and a few performances around that time had me asking the same questions. How foolish.
 
3 to 4 years on and he's still churning out top quality performances each and every time he is called upon. Most recently giving a faultless performance at Old Trafford in the centre of the defence, coming away as 4-1 victors. He can still do it at the top level. Maybe not playing twice a week, but with time to relax and recover between games, he's still more than capable of marshalling a successful defence at the highest level.
 
Good luck with Leverkusen Sami. I'm sure you'll have a brilliant final few years to your exemplary career, and thank you for everything. From the man that stepped into a shaky defence in the late 90's and held that trio of trophies above your head in 2001, to the rock at the centre of a European Cup winning side in 2005.
 
Sami Hyypia - Thank you
 
Paul Jones