The game against Chelsea can wait – it was a good working display by Liverpool, real spirit marked that game. I will analyse and comment on it later, at the moment I am quiet busy.

Singing, Justice for The 96: Hillsborough Disaster

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Listen – singing for almost ten minutes, non-stop. That is dedicated fans.

But I cannot forget The 96. Hillsborough, twenty years ago. 96 people dead – The Sun later blames the fans who just were in danger of their own lives, among The 96 who died. Never Buy The Sun.

Today, such a tragedy is unbelievable. This has of course alienated the newer generation, where I must be counted in, from the real impact of the Hillsborough Disaster. However – I do understand that even twenty years ago the security should have been better: 96 lives. Indispensable.

The fund raising has gone well I think this year, about 5 000 pund or something was gathered to the families that lost their husbands, sons, wives, brothers, sisters, etc. that April day in 1989. The youngest one was 10 years old. And The Sun hade the stomach to attack us, still.

 No, this is a tragedy never to be forgotten, and I can promise you that it will not be lost in our memories for a long, long time forward… With fans such as ours, and with the club atmosphere such as ours – this CANNOT be leave aside. JUSTICE FOR THE 96!

I salute you, The 96. 

Sincerely yours,

You’ll Never Walk Alone, You 96,

RedWalk

Oh yes, did you really think we were to share with Everton?

Frankly, I swallowed the bait when I read it for the first time! That was why I took it here…

Though it was really clever, this joke, and it must have been since even I fell for it…

No, we are nod sharing any stadiums with NEverton – thank God.

But, will we ever get the more or less promised Stanley Park?

Sincerely yours,

YNWA,

April fools,

RedWalk

I was going to write about the national teams, and how Dirk Kuyt has at the moment scored two goals for his Holland against Macedonia, but suddenly I stumbled over some appalling news.

OUR SIGNUM – ANFIELD.

It has now been announced that Liverpool will share the future Stanley Park with, oh yes, Everton Football Club. Well, actually Stanley Park plans were never made concrete stuff – instead, as our lovely American owners want to stay rich in this global depression, it has been decided that LIVERPOOL FC’S FUTURE STADIUM WILL BE SHARED WITH OUR WORST COMPETITORS AND RIVALS EVER IN HISTORY.

 So, as we will share the stadium, names such as LE, Liverpark, or new Anfield are totally out of the question – remaning is “Stadium of Merseyside”.

FRANKLY, I WOULD RATHER WAIT ANOTHER FIVE YEARS ON ANFIELD THAN SHARE WITH EVERTON FOR THE NEXT 100-150 YEARS!!!

WHAT IS THIS??? NO OUR STADIUM SHALL BE 100% RED! RED WITH OUR OWN BLOOD IF NECESSARY!

Mr Hicks has said that he has been to Italy and examined Lazio/Roma in Rome and Milan/Inter in Milano to see how their shared stadiums work, and how their cooperation works.

And yes, by the way, Everton will get the own “The Kop” on the other side of the stadium, so we can forget our exclusiveness there. Jippie-cay-ay Yankees.

This utterly depicts how little our owners know us, the fans, the club, and the teamgeist (so much emphasised during the World Cup in Germany 2006). How was that song, again..?

First, they coem with promises of glory. Then they promise us a new Anfield, but delays it over and over again (which is worse than the Home Rule Bill of Ireland in the late 1800s and early 1900s, which ended in an Irish rebellion, well, around Easter actually… April now, it is?).

Now, we do not even get our own stadium.

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They actually had my little support before – but now I can promise you that if this goes through my view will be altered drastically.

Well, that is new, that is.

I think I will start another Facebook group. When I have, I will give you the name of it, and by then I hope you all spread it to all your friends and family.

Keep Anfield sacred.

Quoting a certain terrorist, namely Achmed, and Jeff Dunham:

JD: - Was it a nice facility?

A: - It used to be

JD: – What happened?

A: - Neeeeeew guuuuuy…

Forget this, our Stadium might end up half blue…

 What is this, down under?

SECRET MESSAGE: APRIL-JOKE TAKEN FROM WWW.YNWA.SE

REACTIONS? IS IT ONLY ME THAT IS OUTRAGED AT THIS?

Sincerely, sinisterly, yours,

You’ll Never Walk Alone, you LIVERPOOL FANS (not Americans),

RedWalk

Liverpool had many players in action this weekend in the World Cup qualifiers.

Amongst some were Steven Gerrard who put on a fantastic display against Slovakia (no goal, but a 4-0 victory) for Fabio Capello’s England.

Dirk Kuyt scored the last goal in Holland’s 3-0 victory against Scotland from the penalty spot in the 78th minute.

All of this though was overshadowed by the tragic stadium collapse on the Ivory Coast which has killed 22 people, BBC reports at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7971140.stm.

Sincerely yours,

YNWA all you dead,

RedWalk

Is it only me who care nothing about the national team games, now that are coming up on the FIFA-dates?

Honestly, I look forward much more to see Liverpool play Fulham away than seeing England play whoever they now are playing…

I do not want to see another English failure (having too many stars to operate with), really, I care very little about this…

Sure, it is the qualifiers for the World Cup 2010, but still – I want the Premier League and the Champions League back in business… I feel like Jamie Carragher…

Sincerely yours,

YNWA,

RedWalk

Commented on the post “Skrtel soon back, but Aurelio and Torres once again away!“:

“kicki on 2 January, 2009 at 0:00:  Ey! You have got to give your comment on the whole Steven-Gerrard-getting-arrested-due-to-alleged-assualt-thing. What do you think?”

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From the 30th of January (I think).

I of course had to answer to this call, and put another view into the whole story.

First of all, we have to look at what we actually know and do not know.

There has been said that Steven Gerrard was out celebrating in joy an jolly in the Lounge Inn pub, Southport, Lancashire (very near Liverpool), when attacking the pub dj, a 34-year-old male. What this fight, or to some exaggerating newspapers (I hope they are exaggerating…), “barrom brawl”, was all about and what the origin to the alledged assault was is so far unknown. The most frequent rumours say that the dj would not play the kind of music Gerrard liked (Phil Collins, as I have understood…) and that this would have led to the assault. Another rumour says that the dj insulted our captain’s wife, Alex Curran, and his daughters Lilly and Ella – a more likely spark similar to Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup incident.

One source says that Gerrard asked the dj, allegedly know as Marcus McGee, to change the music or get the swipe card to change it himself. The dj then pushed Gerrard in the chest, and Gerrard purportedly elbowed the man on the mouth. From this, Gerrard’s “friends” jumped the dj, one hit him with a beer bottle in the head, and Gerrard was pulled from the fight. From this one can deduce that Gerrard’s role was not too big, but that his friends made the worst out of the situation.

Mr McGee was taken to hospital with facial injuries (a lost tooth) and bruises and was stitched with four stitches.

Sources say that Gerrard was not drunk at all, and a witness comments on Gerrard’s appearence, at least before the alleged brawl, as “a really civilised occasion in a middle-class bar”(The Telegraph). In an interview, a fan who took pictures with Gerrard says that the whole situation was very pleasant and enjoyable and that it was very surprising to hear about the assault charge.

The Daily Mail quotes a friend of Steven:

“‘It has been a day of soul-searching,’ said a friend.

‘He’s a very proud man and someone who takes pride in being a model professional and someone who sets the right example and he is furious with himself for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘He has been heartened by the support he has received. He probably now feels part of the Liverpool family more than ever. But he’s just sitting at home beating himself up.”

Gerrard was brought to the Southport police station for questioning, and was kept over the night. He was released the day after and featured in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Preston North End.

Now, an important thing is that it is not only Gerrard who is charged, but two other men are as well. If the rumours are true, Gerrard did very little in the fight which probably would mean that he might get away with it. But, on the other hand one might argue that he started the whole thing and that he therefore is guilty.

An pre-match interview with Rafael Benítez, who we see is a bit nervous when asked about Gerrard, but still he answers and still support him which must indicate that Gerrard’s role in the brawl was not too big.

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Note now, that I try not to insinuate that I know anything to 100%, and I do not know very much except the news statements and reports. Liverpool have been very quiet about it, and the players are probably silenced.

For me, having Gerrard on the very top of my ‘admiration piedestal’ it hurts to hear and read about this. We all know that Gerrard is no chav, no chriminal nor a fighter (except on the field of course). He has got the MBE for his services in football, and his captaincy in Liverpool and from then to then also in the English squad says more than a lot about his personality. He is not a Joey Barton, who was convicted of assault and was sentenced to six months in prison. He is no Eric Cantona who fights his own fans. He is no drug dealer, he is no rapist, and no criminal! I cannot understand  all of this.

The same witness who spoke to The Telegraph also says that Gerrard, when knowing, bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. Does that sound like batterer to you? Note that her age was 21, so it was all legal…

The FA has said that Gerrard’s national team place is not threatened, if seriously convicted of a heavy crime (which this obviously is not). I am not sure what Rafa will do or say, but I think he will stand up for Gerrard – something which Gerrard’s start against Preston North End in the FA Cup indicates.

As a very dedicated Liverpool fan (which I hope, if not earlier, that you understand by reading this site?) and as a big Gerrard fan and admirer I cannot else but to say that I believe in that he is not guilty of assault or ABH (actual bodily harm) as the only guy in it, but at its height only partially involved. I as a player try to do the same moves as him and imitate his playing style, and I am sure I am not the only one.

I stand behind him and will support him through this period, even though I am sure that he does not read this blog.

I completely understand that Gerrard is not innocent and that, if unlucky, he might end up in prison for up to five years (ABH). But I also do not think he will be convicted to prison, like Barton was. I can see the judge sentence Gerrard for 120 days of community service and a dozen thousand pounds in fine. But no more. I, truly, hope.

Sincerely yours,

a big Gerrard and Liverpool fan,