ECHO Comment: "Fears of Witch-hunt Against Liverpool FC"

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2005/apr/03/newsstory.sport


Phil Neal
Then: Liverpool captain, 34
Now: Merseyside Radio commentator

I'd rather forget that night. It was an ordeal. But, Jamie, why should I help you out? I'm helping you pay your mortgage [by talking to you about Heysel]. When people ask me for my view, they usually have to pay for it. You're asking for my help for nothing. To pay your mortgage, Jamie. I mean, what do you want from me?

I just thought that as the captain of Liverpool football club on that night at Heysel it would be good to hear your view?

Yes but what do you want from me? If I talk to you for a few minutes, then I'm helping you pay your mortgage and what am I getting in return? Do you know what I mean?

Well, I have been to Italy and talked with some of the families of the victims and they say that the trophy should be given back by Juventus to commemorate what happened.

About Juventus? Why are you asking me? Why are you asking someone on the Liverpool side? Juventus made amends very soon. Ask them ... Jamie I'm helping you pay your mortgage. People who want my views pay.

I'm sorry, but everyone else I have spoken to has ...

Great. So you've spoken to people, you've got your views. You've got your Liverpool view, but if you want mine for free, well people pay for them.

What an absolute berk

People died, and his reaction is "I'm not going to talk about it unless you pay me"

I'm actually a bit speechless

Yes, Grobelaar's comments didn't leave him in a totally positive light, but at least he was prepared to talk about it FFS




Look, Heysel could have happened to any English club during that time period. Supporters of all the major English clubs, including our own, were always getting into trouble

It could easily have been our supporters, or Man United, or Aston Villa or Arsenal's that did that. It was on the cards, no doubt

What Liverpool don't seem to understand is that it's no so much the fact that it was their supporters that caused the event that winds people up, but more the reaction of the club and those connected to it in regards to it

Since the very day it happened, the club and it's supporters has tried to appropriate the blame elsewhere. It was Chelsea, or Millwall, or the National Front, or Godzilla, or General Zod or the 1985 Denver Bronco's. Anyone or anything but Liverpool supporters being nuts and the Italian supporters not knowing how to react

Because THAT's the reason for Heysel. Liverpool supporters were no worse hooligans than anyone else in that time period. It's just that English hooligans behaved a certain way and were used to the "rules" of hooliganning. The Italian fans they ran at, were not. Hence, the confusion and chaos that eventually led to the deaths

It was the bucket of cold water to the face that the English game desperately needed, and even then it took Hilsborough for the overall attitude of the English supporter to change enough that we could all be allowed to return to European Club Football

Liverpool, instead of trying to blame others, should take the whole matter on the chin and accept ownership. But they don't, hence why they get so much stick for it, even to this day and also why the Juventus supporters have not and will never forgive them

You try and explain that to a Kopite though, and you're just a "Bitter Blue"

 

[BlueLlama]

Neal is a fukin disgrace. Wanting to Make money out of dead supporters. Unbelievable

 

[Minimeister]

Neal is a fukin disgrace. Wanting to Make money out of dead supporters. Unbelievable

There's no way he'd of got another job in football after the complete joke he came across on the Graham Turnip documentary so he's probably a bigger scruff than Aldo.

 

[davek]

Yes this to a tea. I am overall quite cynical of the concept of charity (though many do an essential job) but there is a quite dignity with how you should conduct yourself while doing charity. Acknowledging it's not all about yourself raising awareness for the charity and really making the act/day all about those involved. It's very hard to see how what they were doing fits into that one iota, it is the complete opposite.

They are the loudmouthed dreaded next door neighbour "loadsamoney" type. The annoying bloke on a night out nobody likes who shouts their successes over everyone else. A spiv basically.

They are clearly fearful of the good work we are doing with EITC. The problem is while they try to counter it they have no real idea how to do so effectively. It's like asking Bill Gates to empathise with his cleaning staff, he would have no idea. We are doing brilliant work, grounded in the community putting the community central to it and Everton a very distant second. They have organised a cheesy as event, invited the top echolons and parachuted fans in from all over to enjoy the spectacle. Meanwhile the next day the same problems are occurring which if they'd have taken one moment to stop waffling on about themselves about, they would be aware of.

I have no problem with "stevie" and "carra" having a stupid friendly match. It shows the mental age of about a 10 year old and is rather cringey but leave them to it. Likewise if 40k whoppers want to go and watch it, have a singalong to YNWA again fair enough, but what sad lives they lead. But as you say when they try to link it to the local community, it is an insult.

A final mention for the fans though. The way some of them are going on it was the most enjoyable match they've seen in ages. The problem is, to your out of town kopite this is as good as it gets. They get to see Carra and Stevie managing. All their great players again in red. No away fans to counter their views or narrative. Liverpool are bound to win. This is the perfect day.

The fact that it is not real is lost on them. That is what football should look like. They are a cult there's no doubt in that. But I think this episode basically just shows how similar to WWE American fans they are. I am amazed they have taken it seriously. Can you imagine what would happen is Hibbert and Osman tried to pull a similar stunt at Goodison!?

They've decimated a local community with their buying up and leaving to rot of hundreds of homes around their ground (and inviting anti-social behaviour into the whole district so they could force down prices and reduce compensation). They're utter charlatans. I said last week that no media would pick up on that contradiction at play, sadly that was right.

The whole event on Sunday was a manipulation of social problems for the enhancement of the image of a private business.

There was a piece in the Echo yesterday about the 'star studded events' movers and shakers off out in town that night soaking it all up. Just about sums the whole cynical event up. Spending a Kings ransom in their no doubt well stewarded and guarded exclusive private party...hours after a charity event for people living on the bones of their arse.

 

[maccavennie]

....it was, Maccavennie. He's back with the Reds coaching now I think. He was outstanding in non-league and as you say, played a key part in promotion but couldn't come up with that side.

Didn't he go and play for Chester a few years back as well and the same thing happened where they got promoted? Yeah he's on the coaching staff for the shyte now these days.

 

[Eggs]

Didn't he go and play for Chester a few years back as well and the same thing happened where they got promoted? Yeah he's on the coaching staff for the shyte now these days.

....didn't know about Chester but I'm sure we're talking about the same bloke.

 

[Dario Terracotta]

I detested how they strolled back into European football after the ban as though nothing had happened,I felt at the time if they had offered up their place in the UEFA Cup(not to us,to any other club,don't forget the likes of Norwich and others suffered from the ban,PS hate using that word "suffered" in relation to football when 39 innocent people lost their lives)it would have shown a level of remorse/dignity,not that the clubs would take them up necessarily on this,just the fact the gesture had been made and the "bitterness" may not have ensued thereafter,who knows?

 

[tmgc]

I find that incredibly weird and a bit distasteful.

Unless he has a shared love for St Louis Cardinals too like.

Incredibly weird and distasteful, 2 traits they all share Chico lid.

 

[allezlesbleus]

I detested how they strolled back into European football after the ban as though nothing had happened,I felt at the time if they had offered up their place in the UEFA Cup(not to us,to any other club,don't forget the likes of Norwich and others suffered from the ban,PS hate using that word "suffered" in relation to football when 39 innocent people lost their lives)it would have shown a level of remorse/dignity,not that the clubs would take them up necessarily on this,just the fact the gesture had been made and the "bitterness" may not have ensued thereafter,who knows?

Attitudes definitely hardened around then. I remember getting lectured mid 90s by an RS over alleged racism at our club being slow to sign black players. I said at least we haven't killed anyone recently. He looked at me gone out in all innocence and said that wasn't us it was Chelsea fans. He believed 100%. So I pressed on with your point exactly what about offering your place for one season to someone unfairly denied. He said what and give up our rightful place in Europe?!!!!!!!! They see the world differently mate. Just thank God your dad got you on the right path.

 

[Dario Terracotta]

Attitudes definitely hardened around then. I remember getting lectured mid 90s by an RS over alleged racism at our club being slow to sign black players. I said at least we haven't killed anyone recently. He looked at me gone out in all innocence and said that wasn't us it was Chelsea fans. He believed 100%. So I pressed on with your point exactly what about offering your place for one season to someone unfairly denied. He said what and give up our rightful place in Europe?!!!!!!!! They see the world differently mate. Just thank God your dad got you on the right path.

yep mate,they really are the odd relatives from the strange side of the family that you see twice a year maximum!

 

[Dario Terracotta]

Nivea,"grooming"supplier to lfc,ha ha ha!!!

 

[l4toffee]

Nivea,"grooming"supplier to lfc,ha ha ha!!!

They used to get Jimmy saville to supply that

 

[BlueIsTheColour]

Yes. They conducted a reign of terror against them.

Good article here concerning their bullying and harassment of the local community....the ones they're going to donate £200K to tomorrow...or rather the paying public are, they're not....and it amounts to a spit in the ocean given the tens of millions of urban redevelopment (AKA urban destruction) they've benefitted from.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...blog/2013/may/06/anfield-liverpool-david-conn

"I have always been a Liverpool fan," says Duggan, who has mounted a campaign targeting Ayre. "They play 'You'll Never Walk Alone' but they have left their neighbours to walk alone for years."

 

[davek]

"I have always been a Liverpool fan," says Duggan, who has mounted a campaign targeting Ayre. "They play 'You'll Never Walk Alone' but they have left their neighbours to walk alone for years."

They gave loads to charity the other day though...which makes that £200K in the past 20 years...about 26 quid a day.

Hats off for that...it's not like they can afford it; they only pull in £210M per annum.

 

[davek]

Riise on Sunday's charity game:

“Running out for the warm-up was a feeling I will never forget,” he wrote on his website. “The cheer, the noise, the love we all got was just insane.

“I was amazed and felt very emotional. You guys gave me goosebumps and tears in my eyes. I don’t have words on how much it meant to me. I gave my best for seven years and I try to communicate with all fans as much as I can, but this was almost unreal.

“Leaving the hotel for the stadium gave me a flashback to my time here. I started getting nervous but mostly excited. Playing in front of a packed Anfield again, wow.”

The cult will be sitting in their white robes rubbing themselves furiously over that one.