meredithmathieson

I take it that the @JHoilett23 Twitter account is fake?

It would be useful if Gerrard, Downing and Johnson were to publicly reveal that they harboured reservations about continuing to play for England. a) it would show support for Suarez and b) would give the FA something to think about.

Robbie Fowler springs to mind! When he bared his a*** to that Chelsea player.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/suriname/8975413/Dutch-Father-Christmass-blacked-up-helpers-banned-for-being-racist.html And from the country where we keep being told Suarez should have already learnt about European attitudes to racism and what is acceptable and what is not...

I'm up for that.

And a very Lucas-like display to boot. Never wasted the ball, always showed for his teammates, moved it on quickly and sensibly. Very good performance from McCarthy tonight.

Surely not? i.e. If Suarez has lost the case, and LFC accept that, then we accept that he has knowingly used a racist term in a deliberate and provocative manner. This in turn makes it very difficult to fight any punishment, both media/PR-wise and also puts LFC on dodgy ground ethically. Does it not make more sense that LFC are fighting the accusation tooth and nail, to a degree that maybe wasn't expected, and have managed to demonstrate that it is not the open-and-shut case that some may have imagined?

Is that Hodgson quote/comment genuine? I'm suspicious. After all, why would he use only 8 words when 432 would do?

I appreciate that I am a total technology Luddite, but I can't seem to find how to actually submit my vote on that poll malarkey? Any pointers gratefully accepted...

I love the way it looks on the touchline sometimes. Kenny and Clarke stood next to each other. Clarke pointing with one arm, and with the other arm making intricate wave-type motions, clearly detailing some nuance of tactics that he has picked up on and is suggesting perhaps how best now to tactically combat the opposition. Meanwhile Kenny seems to stand there, oblivious to Clarke, thinking "Attack. Pass. Shoot. Score."

Maybe something, maybe nothing, but John Henry was spotted by several fans yesterday eating at The London Carriageworks prior to the game, in the company of Rick Parry. As far as I know, Parry no longer has any official ties with the club. Anybody know what his current business interests are? And do they include insurance companies from the Far East, for example?

Unfortunately Barclay was also on Radio 5 the other day, talking about the two recent racist incidents. Anybody seen any of the alleged ten or eleven Suarez incidents on YouTube yet ? No? Thought not..

Sell out as far as I could see. No empty seats downstairs where we were. Not sure what the Empire holds? John Barnes was there, by the way. Nice to see.

Hugely enjoyable. Anybody else go? Audience was massively pro. Standing ovation and a huge "Rafa, Rafael" when he walked on. No major surprises, but he did manage to get around confidentiality agreements by quoting, e.g. from Pepe's book about the last owners to convey his thoughts. Clearly not a fan of Purslow! ("These new owners showed that they are very clever when they accepted [Purslow's] resignation offer..."). nor Hodgson ("He moaned because he had [Gillett and Hicks] for three months. I had them for three years."). nor Mourinho. ("Are you on friendly terms with Jose Mourinho, Rafa?" "Er, no."). Loved the bit where he was describing the Liverpool fans in Cologne who saw him in the Irish Bar: "They shook my hand (grimaces to show that his hand was crushed). They were massive. Just massive." Stated that he wants to come back as manager, again no surprise. The warmth of the man shone right through.

And, without checking Hansard, I would guess that it is the first time ever in the House of Commons that the Prime Minister has been told to "get a grip". Well said Steve Rotheram.

'David Hodgson': "To be brutually honest I was so taken aback that he felt the need to take me to one side and give me a proper answer that I actually forgot to listen to what he was saying. I was just having a Homer Simpson type moment, when he has that thought bubble over his head." A number of Irregulars went over to the World Club Championships in Tokyo in December 2005 (All wore black suits, white shirts and club ties to the games to blag the locals that they were official Liverpool FC club stewards, but that's another story). Coming back, they bumped into Rafa at Tokyo Airport. After making a remark about how he felt that we had been unlucky, one of the lads said that he was effectively followed around the Duty Free by Rafa, who explained to him in great detail the formations, why we had played the way we played, weaknesses observed in the opposition and so forth. Your comment above reminded me of that tale. Ultimately, the lad said that he really wanted Rafa to go, because he hadn't got his ciggies sorted.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2011/10/02/kick_in_the_pants_for_fans/?s_campaign=8315 To back up your point.

I'm worried that I might be getting old and bitter, as I find myself wanting anybody and everybody to beat West Brom. And I actually quite like West Brom, as a traditional old football club. All because of The Owl.

Seems to be a consensus, but for me Skrtl never put a foot wrong today. And, especially when you feared that Atkinson would be itching to level the red cards, that was important.

Mmmm....imagine the problems with people 'saving' seats for their mates who hadn't turned up and others wanting to sit there? The stewards would be kept busy.

That picture of Hodgson with Feguson: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Owl?

If there was ever a new Premier League ruling outlawing loan players, they would well and truly be up s*** creek. Why the Premier League allows loans between PL clubs - e.g. Adebayor - is beyond me.

Indeed. Or possibly: 'should we of stood firm on Torre's' '

"When I’ve had small setbacks I’ve been on the phone to him at 1am or 2am". Pity the poor physio there. "For Christ's sake Steven I'm trying to get some kip". Plus, does a 'small setback' warrant the early hours phone calls?

And instead of the tannoy informing us that kick-off is 15 minutes away, we could rely on the horns of the arriving Norwegian longboat (a la Kirk Douglas). Der der! Der der der!