meredithmathieson

This. A million times this. What was it Dion Fanning wrote when Rafa went? "In six months time, Rafa Benitez's reign will be looked upon as a Golden Age". Absolutely spot on.

Tales from the ticket office, part 3497532.... I went up to the ticket office today. As a ST holder who had signed up for the AutoCup scheme option, I already had my ticket in the Upper Centenary for the Hearts game tomorrow. However, my sister is over from Derbyshire with her two boys who, although nominally Reds, have never been to Anfield before. So, playing the good Uncle figure, and also wanting them to be brought up properly, I decided to get tickets for them and also my two daughters. Therefore I asked for four additional tickets for the game, and for my ticket to be exchanged for wherever there were five seats together (in the Main Stand only - apparently it's practically a sell out). And what was my reward from Liverpool? For the extra £80 in ticket sales? For blooding these young supporters? Yep, that's right. I was told that as I had moved seats, then I automatically removed myself from the AutoCup scheme for all future games. Unbelievable.

A mate's daughter, aged 11, asked him at the end of a game early last season: "Are we going protesting again now, Dad?" She just presumed it was all part of the matchday experience.

Has anybody got a link to this? I know we went in for Walcott. I thought that,given the choice, he simply elected to join Arsenal?

Although Walcott gave it the big "I was running around the house going mental" after watching Istanbul, subsequently given the choice between joining us and joining Arsenal, he still chose the latter.

Re. Suarez: it may be my paranoia but I did check the fixture list to see if the Mancs was the sixth fixture of the season - i.e. Suarez gets 5 yellows and is suspended for the game at Anfield. Honest to God, the double standards being applied by referees to Suarez are astounding. As previous posters have commented, the club should be trying to address this if they are not already. I wish Suarez could threaten to take the referees to an industrial tribunal, claiming a grievance for bullying, and force them to justify the myriad of baffling inconsistencies.

Surely Mourinho will not let Sahin move to Arsenal if that in any way, shape or form facilitates Song's move to Barcelona?

I had a good view of Rodgers from the Main Stand last night. He clearly wasn't happy with Shelvey a number of times. Particularly noticeable was a moment in the 70th minute, when all I can conclude is that Shelvey held on to the ball for too long before releasing it. The pass went to a team mate, so no lost possession or anything (Although, on a side note, Shelvey's lack of control was evident two or three times last night I thought). But Brendan clearly wasn't happy with him. He did remove his shirt and throw it into the Paddock. But FWIW I thought it was more in a targetted way, to a particular individual, rather than a "shirt off, lashed into the crowd, I'm offski" kind of manner. We'll see, I suppose.

Indeed. I look forward to them being told to forget about any appeal because of the damage that they are doing to the 'brand' of Liverpool Football Club.

This is true. Well, officially no away fans anyway. Quite a few got in. And don't forget, Cantona only played because his ban ran out on 30th September and Sky moved the game back until the 1st Ocober. b******s. Not as blatant a manipulation as when they moved the game back two days to accomodate the return of Rio Ferdinand, but underhand all the same.

Let's get it right: If Rafa had written a similar document, 180 pages would only have been the introductory chapter. He was the most prepared interview candidate in history, I reckon.

I take it from that line that we will have to pay the difference between the salary that we are currently paying him and that of his prospective new employers then?

Nebraska Red: "No way we had 17,000 fans there for that game." I always thought that we took 13,000 to Rome in 1984? Doesn't mean that we weren't given 17,000 tickets though, I suppose. As I recall there were a lot of people worried after their fans rioted in Rome trying to get tickets, plus the fact that we were playing the match in their city full stop. This could have reduced our travelling support?

Came across an Echo European Cup Final souvenir for Rome 84 today. Reading through it, found the following in an interview with Tom Saunders: "The journey to Rome by Tom and Bob Paisley, to collect 17,000 tickets for the European Cup Final with Roma has shades of the spy novel. They went to the club offices, after watching a game, the evening before the scenes of violence as supporters clamoured for tickets. "It was obvious to us we could have done with a guard when we saw the crowd milling about. We were given a heavy parcel, and someone created a diversion as we got into the taxi and drove quickly away." The pair realised they needed a suitcase to carry home the heavy bundle, but the shops were closed. The hotel found them a case, but it had a big hole in the side. They ended up leaving their spare clothes in the hotel, and packing the tickets in their own cases. At Rome airport, as one of the heaviest of their bags went through the security check on a conveyor belt, suddenly a light shone, and a bell rang, and the belt reversed itself and the suitcase came backwards. Airport officials wanted to know what was inside. "Imagine their reaction when we opened up and there were the tickets for the game causing so much excitement." " !

The Guardian reporting much the same: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/26/tottenham-gylfi-sigurdsson-swansea Not definitively over yet, but not looking as if he's bound for L4.

I know he's been out of work for a bit, but that's pushing it..

I thought that Ayre had categorically stated that naming rights would be applicable to a new build stadium only? i.e. they recognised that it was futile to try and rename Anfield?

Or, if it receives the Royal Assent: King Kenny Klaps Kops Klopp Kapture?

Tabloid Headline: Kop claps Klopp cop?

He was pretty non-committal, as you would expect. The most surprising comment was actually made by John Motson, who said that appointing Rafa Benitez would be a "retrograde" step, and said that he had just had a conversation with somebody where in effect he blasted signings made by Benitez.

Didn't see any of this coming from the Supporters Committee meeting minutes. Oh, hang on, it's a complete pink-and-fluffy talking shop, is it? Cleared that up then.

Such is the state of our club that I notice even on The Liverpool Way the majority seem to favour the return of Rafa - and who would have thought that?

You know what's really sad? Read the first page of this thread again. The elation after that other d****ead was binned off, and the elation that Kenny was back. I hate football.

Downing as Clay Davis, surely?

Yes. Absolutely yes. Ferguson couldn't have been less amenable to the media for many, many years, but the s****hawks never took him to task. Agree that our media-PR needs to be beefed up (Paddy Harveson vs Ian Cotton?), but this can be done in other ways.