Parry: GOOD LUCK NANDO

Dule · June 2, 2006

Interesting to read that he mentions all of our young and second tier strikers, could there be something in this?

GOOD LUCK NANDO
Rick Parry 02 June 2006
Our decision to release Fernando Morientes in a deal that takes him to Valencia highlights the fact that his Liverpool challenge didn't quite work.
The Rick Parry Column

Morientes came from Spain with a world-class reputation and rightly so, but he didn't really adapt to English football for whatever reason.

He goes with our thanks. To be fair, he never shirked a challenge. He always worked hard and never, at any stage, was there a lack of effort.

Morientes is a good professional and that always came through in his training. He goes with the best wishes of the players and the staff.

It's not that we are short on cover up front. Robbie Fowler has provided us with another option. Hopefully if we get the wide player sorted out, the likes of Harry Kewell and Luis Garcia would provide second striker options. Of course, we've still got the likes of Le Tallec and Pongolle.

Having mentioned our determination to bring in a new wide player, I can confirm that we have put in a work permit application for Mark Gonzalez. He's now fully fit which he wasn't at this time last year and has been playing well for Spanish side Real Sociedad.

We are also seeking a long-term deal whereas initially it was a one-season loan. The other plus is that Chile have broken into the world's top 70 in the FIFA rankings. Mark has had a significantly better season in terms of showing the quality we always knew he had.

We believe our case is much stronger this time round and he would be a great acquisition for us. The player is exciting and incredibly quick. He can knock it five yards past players and run by them, reminiscent of Steve Heighway at his peak. He can also beat defenders and has got a trick as well.

The authorities normally respond fairly quickly and I anticipate we will have a decision in time for pre-season.

New season ticket prices

Season ticket prices at Anfield have increased by seven per cent, but it's important to keep this in perspective. Manchester United's prices, for instance, are up 12 per cent in a bigger stadium, which will help strengthen their hand.

We remain very competitive in the Premier League, not least when you compare us to big rivals like Chelsea and Arsenal. The Gunners will start the season in a new stadium and so they will boost their revenues. We have to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to compete at the highest level.

One new innovation for season ticket holders is an automatic payment plan for Cup games, including Europe. To take advantage, all fans have to do is tick a box on their season ticket renewal forms. By taking this option, they automatically receive their cup tickets without the need to queue on the first day of sale, try and get through on the phone or book online.

If a season ticket holder suddenly cannot attend a particular cup game because of a personal commitment, they can notify us to secure a refund.

However, this would have a knock-on effect on their priority status for future cup games during the season.

All of this goes hand in hand with our loyalty scheme. We have always given season ticket holders the first opportunity to buy tickets for opening round games. However, as any competition advances, we try to reward people in general who have attended the most number of cup matches.

We will attempt to give people their season ticket seat because we know most prefer to sit in the same place. However, this may not always be possible, especially when it comes to Europe. This is because of the allocation we are committed to provide to UEFA.

Getting ready for adidas

Because of the new adidas kit deal which takes over from Reebok, extensive work is underway to remove the Reebok logo from the seats across the Anfield Road stand in time for the start of the new season. This involves a couple of thousand seats and so it is a fairly big operation.

Fans may be wondering where the new adidas logo will go. I can confirm that there will be no branding in the Kop. It may go to one of the other stands.

Link to Offal

Rushian · June 2, 2006

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