smithdown

Him or Big Fat Sam would have done. They're as English as roast beef and yorkshire puddin with all the f**king barstad trimmings them coonts.

In the player's lounge after the Derby a few years ago - the one where Barmby scored (3-1) - courtesy of mates in London who knew Heskey. Was a bit starstruck to be fair, and just buzzing off the derby win. Shook hands with Emile (and sat next to his arl fella - top bloke), Sami and a few others. When Robbie came past I just nodded respectfully but one of the lads I was with stopped him and said something along the lines of 'hard luck today' - it was during Robbie's most troubled period of form under GH and PT, sounded a bit snidey coming from the cockney I suppose, but Robbie just came straight back with 'how do you mean? we won didn't we?'. Good lad!

A few years after that, at the semi against Southampton at White Hart Lane and at the beginning of the second half Shilton makes his way towards our goal. At the end of the obligatory applause I started "Tiiiiiiiiiina!" and was getting backslaps off all my uncles mates for reminding them and all those songs came out. I was only fifteen at the time which is probably why they thought it was so funny. I was in all the rounds after that. Cracker ones, both of them. I think the Sinsdtadt quote came after we got beat by Forest in the European Cup and he said "the party is over" as the credits began to roll. "The party's only started!" went on for a few years didn't it? (by the way, wasn't he in the papers after getting caught n a raid on a sex club in mancester or something like that?)

You can just imagine Poll punching the air and shouting "YES! I'm gonna be on the telly AGAIN!!!"

He's good that Rafa. We should sing some songs about him.

Yeah. Its c.u.n.tona

Is right, I flicked through the ART channels just at the beginning of the games yesterday and they all mentioned it.

Agree If we'd have done what they did we would be going on about it for ages. Winning away against the European Champions? Sure we missed chances, but Simao's goal and the composure they showed after that was admirable. No wonder their supporters were going beserk, and were singing "Liverpool" after the final whistle. They'd won away at the holders own ground and had deserved it. Class.

I don't know if it gets worse each year, or just being away from home makes it harder today. Can't work, keep reading players' accounts on the official, keep fillin up and disappearing for another cig. Can't talk to anyone here about it, what do you say? How to explain? A memory that sticks in my mind was on the Monday after, I think, when the list of names was released to the media and being sat on a bench quietly around lunchtime in Greenbank Park with my headphones on listening to this list of names being read out on Radio Merseyside - a fella and a woman took turns reading alternate names, and where they were from and then their age. It just went on and on and on...Name, location, age...Like a weird reading of the Shipping Forcast, on and on and on, name location age. It must have been halfway through what seemed like a long cold disorientating hour that the lady reached the name "Jon Paul Gilhooley, from Huyton...aged 10" - thats when she broke down and seemed to fall apart, and after a long silent pause when the whole city seemed to shake, the guy managed to get to the next name and continue the list pretty much by himself. At the beginning of the list I'd braced myself to listen out for names of anyone I knew, but by the end of it Jon-Paul was the only name that had hit me - the only name that stuck. And his age. Ten. I can remember what it was like going to a big match when I was ten. I can remember taking ten year olds with me to big matches and being responsible for them. Ten year olds absolutely love the match and anyone who takes a kid of that age enjoys it all the more for the joy it brings them. It didn't really matter who was who in that list anymore - the lads I found out who we had lost I had only known by their first names, Gary, Chris and another Chris and there were so many Gary's and so many Chris's being read out - as they all felt so close. You'd stood with them all at the match and could have grabbed everyone of them and danced about after a derby winner or a late equaliser. I later found out the little lad lived a few doors from my Nan, not that that really mattered but when I saw her in tears for his own poor Grandma who she knew from the bingo it showed how the whole city suffered and of course it still does today. I can't describe how I felt when I saw my Nan in tears even all these years later. We've all said it over and over but it was only a match the lad went to... Less than an hour to go til 3:06 and I just want this day over with.

Can't help but appreciate this thread today, a moment of light relief as it were. Cheers Charlie you nutter.

So many names...So many kids...So many big grown fella's.

Well, when you put it like that...

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FFS! How much did he receive from the s*n again?

17. For OOC'ers - Free flights, match tickets and Rick Parry to ring up and speak to your boss to get you time off for all major Cup Finals if you can prove you know all the words to at least twenty five proper songs (not including FOAR, but does include "F*&K OFF WHITESIDE" and anything to do with Luton sides of the eighties).

Is right! OOC'ers too. As an aside, I find it amusing that living overseas and having a Scouse accent, everyone naturally assumes you support Liverpool. Its only "brits" who ask if you are Red or blue. It must be orrible for bluenoses who go overseas and say they are from Liverpool and then have to explain to locals that there's another team. Must be how Espanyol or 1860 Munich fans feel also. When I say I'm from Liverpool, its like "you know - football? Istanbul? The Beatles?"

Its always the same with him, blaming everyone else when he sold his story to the s*n and pocketed hundreds of thousands of pounds. The poor little lad must have a great big pile of s**t for brains or something. EIther that or he is an out and out gobsh*te.

Dunno what all the fuss is about - international calibre goalkeeper uses gloved hand to stop goalbound shot shocker!!?!!???! Big wow! Thats what he is paid a billion euros a week to do. I don't expect people to go on and on for over a year about something I might do in my job blah blah blah. (I've just got a cob on cos I am going to miss the first half hour of the game today, so don't mind me)

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They didn't come any shorter than Sammy Lee, did they?

Be fair, he's only asking a simple question. The answer is 240,000,000,000,000 Moon Euros or 3 Battleships, whichever way you want to look at it.

John Wark is a decent shout.

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