Justice at last

‘Justice’ is a term that hangs around the city of Liverpool like a bad smell, probably owing to the fact that the word has been used and overused in reference to the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster being failed by the British judicial system (and rightly so in this author’s opinion). Hillsborough was not the only miscarriage of justice that happened to the city of Liverpool as other natives found to their cost.

In February 1993, two-year-old James Bulger was taken from The Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle and murdered in the most horrific of circumstances.

Bulger’s killers, Robert Thompson and John Venables, were released in 2001. Former Home Secretary Michael Howard had announced that the pair would remain in custody for a minimum of 15 years – a decision which was overruled by the Court of Appeal. The then Lord Chief Justice had ruled that Thompson and Venables should serve 10 years minimum with them eligible for parole on the tenth anniversary of them being charged with James’s murder. Since their release they have been given new identities and lifetime immunity despite countless media reports as to their whereabouts.

Fourteen years later 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot as he walked home from football practice in Croxteth. The murder brought the anger and hatred back to the surface as another young life was tragically cut short by another juvenile delinquent, only this one was infatuated with gang culture.

Sean Mercer was so obsessed with a turf war between his home neighbourhood of Croxteth and nearby Norris Green that he went out on a Wednesday evening in August last year to fire three bullets across a the car park of The Fir Tree pub as a warning to members of the rival Strand Gang who had encroached on his turf. One of those bullets hit an innocent bystander – Rhys Jones.

As we all know, Rhys did not survive the attack and Mercer has been given a life sentence and Mr Justice Irwin, presiding over the case, told Mercer a few home truths as he sentenced the now 18-year-old:

“There is only one sentence for murder, in your case detention for life, in formal language detention at Her Majesty’s pleasure, and that is the sentence I shall pass upon you.

“This offence arose from stupid, brutal gang conflict which has struck this part of Liverpool. You were caught up in that from a young age, but it is clear you gloried in it.

“It is wrong to let anyone glorify or romanticise this kind of gang conflict. You are not soldiers. You have no discipline, no training, no honour.

“You do not command respect. You may think you do, but that it because you cannot tell the difference between respect and fear.

“You are selfish, shallow criminals, remarkable only by the danger you pose to others.

“You were told that Brady and others from Norris Green had been seen on the Croxteth Park Estate, and you took that as an invasion of your territory, or to occupation of it.

“Or it may be you saw this as an opportunity. And so you armed yourself and set off.

“Your aggression became alloyed with cowardice. You stopped by that wall, and fired at your intended victims from 70 yards across a pub car park, with bystanders all round.

“Your second shot cut down Rhys Jones. He died because of your brutality and because you are a coward.

“You gave no evidence in your trial. In my view it is absolutely clear that you had no answer to the case against you. You proved you were a coward again.

“Rhys Jones’s life is gone. We do not take a life for a life, although even if you are released, you will be under licence and supervised for as long as you live.

“However, the proper punishment here will have the effect that you will not emerge from prison, even at earliest, for a very long time.

“Take him down.”

Brutal, true but a summing up that was too pleasant for Mercer. Unfortunately judges have not been given the rubber stamp to use the term ‘scum’ in court.

Reporters have said that throughout the trial Mercer, from a history of showed no remorse whatsoever and acted as if he were prowling the streets of Croxteth and not in a courtroom being accused of murder. One said that he treated the case as if it were ‘nothing more than a maths lesson he wishes he could have bunked off’. Apparently laughing and joking with his fellow Croxteth Crew members who were also in the dock, past caring about the repercussions of his actions. Claims backed up by footage taken by ITV News of him roaming the streets of his ‘turf’ in the months after the murder, still walking round with a proud swagger.

What was equally astounding was the comments from Kelly Marshall, Mercer’s girlfriend, who claimed that he was ‘a hero’.

“Sean is a lovely lad. He wouldn't harm anyone. It wasn't him,” she said.

'It was the bizzies' fault. They saw it coming. The shootings had been building up for years. But they didn't do anything to stop it. They just let it carry on and then Rhys Jones was killed.

'My head is wrecked. My fella's in court every day and they're saying he did this and that. And it wasn't him.”

You really have to feel for the girl don’t you? Her ‘fella’ was in court and going down for at least 22 years for killing a kid and it is Merseyside Police’s fault. The fact that she uses the scally ritual cry of “'it was the bizzies' fault” gives you an indication as to what type of people associate themselves with these petty gang feuds.

A national paper has criticised Merseyside Police for ‘allowing’ Mercer and his gang to run riot on the streets of north Liverpool in the run up to Rhys’ murder.

According to the Daily Mail, Mercer was stopped 80 times by the force prior to and after the murde which allowed him to embark on a 'trial run' two months before the murder, riding a motorbike through rival gang territory and waving a gun.

That is all well and good with hindsight but Merseyside Police should be commended for their efforts in bringing the culprit of this heinous crime to account for his actions. Despite Mercer being named as the killer in graffiti around Croxteth shortly after the shooting, detectives did not have substantial evidence to convict the then 16-year-old.

Their persistence in tracking down and charging all six gang members involved in not only the murder, but also perverting the course of justice as Mercer evaded prosecution.

Yesterday’s ruling will serve as some form of comfort to Rhys’ parents Melanie and Steve who, like Denise Bulger 15 years previous, have conducted themselves with dignity throughout the trial which saw them relive every element of their son’s horrific ordeal for previous two months. The way they have behaved since Rhys’ murder is a credit to them and to the city of Liverpool.

Finally, justice has finally been done for one of Liverpool’s fallen sons.

 

We're not like the Everton, no, no...

Liverpool supporters often regard themselves as the best in the country and indeed Europe. However since the heady days of Shankly, Paisley and Dalglish, the Reds’ support has fallen somewhat by the wayside.

After failing to take maximum points at home to Hull City, the Reds were hoping that West Ham could hold, or even beat, Chelsea yesterday.

Despite my prediction of a home win, the visitors took an early lead and were pulled back by a Nicolas Anelka goal. As with Manchester United on Saturday, Chelsea failed to capitalise on Liverpool’s short falling.

However after the final whistle blew at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool supporters swarmed on internet message boards revelling the one-all draw. That's revelling, not showing relief that for the second time this season Liverpool have been given a reprieve after slipping up at home.

The following comment summed up the thoughts of the people enjoying the result at Stamford Bridge:

"absolutely chuffed with this, can't believe Chelsea didn't win, got out of work and checked the radio and when it said i was absolutely buzzing."

Liverpool fans ridicule their Evertonian counterparts for their celebrating their rare Merseyside derby victories against the Reds yet seasoned Liverpool supporters reduced to tactics below even the Blues’ standards.

Some would suggest that those celebrating Chelsea's draw should start to watch their football at Goodison Park, I wouldn’t. A nice cold seat in the stands at a lower league club would be more apt.

Celebrating one of their title rivals dropping points after they themselves squandered the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership with poor finishing shows why certain factors of Liverpool supporters have well and truly lost their way.

Another home game, another two points

When the fixtures for the forthcoming season are released there is one game that all the newly promoted sides look forward to.

But it isn’t the prospect of visiting Old Trafford or the lure of Stamford Bridge and the Emirates that excites them. It is the opportunity to run out at Anfield and come away with at least a point that attracts them more than other away games against the top four.

Since the Premier League was founded in 1992, 20 newly-promoted teams have taken points off Liverpool at Anfield in their first season after coming up from the old Division 1. The combined total of the points gained by the new boys in 30 and two of them came against the Reds this season and Hull City became that 20th side with a 2-2 draw against a misfiring and defensively frail Liverpool side.

The Tigers have been something of a surprise package this season with a wins over Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur as wel as a high scoring defeat away to Manchester United but they will be more pleased with the point gained at Anfield than their heroics against these three sides combined.

Liverpool are supposed to be a team challenging for the title but based on the performance you could be forgiven for thinking that they were still a side complacent with finishing the season in fourth place.

£20 million Robbie Keane was left on the subs’ bench for the second league game running as the Reds drew their third home game on the bounce against a team that they should have really beaten despite the visitors’ success story.

After goalless draws against West Ham and Fulham it was refreshing to see Liverpool find the net in a league game at Anfield. It’s just a pity that the two goals that were scored served only as equalisers and not match-winners.

Rafael Benitez’s team selection contained changes that puzzled supporters with Keane’s exile on the bench extended after a full 90 minutes in the same position against Blackburn last weekend and despite a gutsy and encouraging performance against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Yossi Benayoun retained his place on the right wing as Benitez deployed Dirk Kuyt as a lone star of Liverpool’s attack.

The striker, who has made the right wing position his own in recent times, drew similarities with Keane in his performance during a game that saw him fail to convert basic chances through taking too many touches of the ball – something the Irishman has been doing a lot since his arrival at Anfield.

Yet again it was up to Steven Gerrard to carry the team by the scruff of their neck and get them out of what would’ve been an embarrassing defeat given their predicted title credentials. Gerrard has been the driving force behind the team as far back as 2003 and you have to wonder what Benitez will do if the captain is sidelined with a serious injury.

Fortunately, as with the draw against Fulham, Liverpool's title rivals failed to capitalise on their failure to take maximum points with both Arsenal and Manchester United drawing their games against Middlesbrough and Spurs respectively. However when Chelsea face West Ham later today, Scolari's team are dead certs to turn over the Hammers at Stamford Bridge. Despite a goalless draw against Newcastle on the weekend when Fulham frustrated the Reds at home, West Ham - another side to come away from Anfield this season with a point - are the least formidable team in the league at present and the short trip across London will serve as nothing more than a city derby with a home win pretty much a given.

Yet the blind optimists amongst Liverpool's support are still bleating on about being top of the league despite the fact that their team underperformed and dropped points that will be costly come May. They are refusing to look at the negatives or even accept the reality that Chelsea are likely to go two points clear of them at the top of the table later today. They are still pedalling the 'in Rafa we trust' mantra and will not hear him criticised. I wonder how loud and proud those voices will be when Chelsea or, God forbid, Manchester United have their hands around the title.

United currently have 17 league titles and they are determined to not only match Liverpool's record of 18, but to overtake it. This has increased the expectancy and added urgency to the Reds' title challenge this term as opposed to previous seasons.

The boos that rang around Anfield after the West Ham match seemed a bit quieter after this result. Perhaps they were still ringing around the Emirates stadium for Emmanuel Eboue from last week or maybe the supporters are becoming apathetic to Liverpool’s title bid.

The voices inside Anfield yesterday were the same that were heard during the previous two league games and drew similiarities with the voices that eventually called for Gerard Houllier to be removed after a gradual decline following the 2001 treble and a 2nd placed finish in 01-02.

Whilst kneejerk reactors vented their frustrations on the local post match phone-ins with some calling for the manager’s head, others are still maintaining their beatification of Benitez. This blind faith has left the manager’s decisions and the team’s results exempt from scrutiny in the eyes of some who liken the slagging of the players by seasoned supporters to the fickle booing shown by Arsenal fans towards Eboue last week that reared its ugly head five days previous after Liverpool drew with West Ham.

The misfortune of Benitez’s position at Liverpool is that he became a victim of his own success by winning the Champions League in his first season with an inherited team. Since then the expectancy placed upon him to deliver club’s first league title for 1990 and the tactically stubborn manager is now struggling to meet expectations, four seasons after the miracle of Istanbul.

With a faltering title challenge starting to seriously derail, where Liverpool go from here remains to be seen.

Liverpool, Liverpool top of the league

After consecutive back-to-back draws at home, Liverpool got back to winning ways with a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at the weekend.

The decision to start the inexperienced Emiliano Insua was a brave one by Rafael Benitez. His choice to start Yossi Benayoun looked to be a borderline suicidal one in terms of tactical decisions. What could a player of Benayoun’s ability bring to a relatively full strength Liverpool side?

Those voices of doubts coming from Reds’ supporters, including myself, were silenced when the Israeli scored in the 79th minute, ten minutes after Liverpool had broken the deadlock through Xabi Alonso.

Up until that point Liverpool’s performance had been very reminiscent of the games with Fulham and West Ham – a scrappy performance where chances weren’t converted.

As with their previous two opponents, Liverpool allowed Blackburn the space and freedom to attack Pepe Reina’s goal. The Spanish stopper was called into action a few times in the first half, most notably to tip Pedersen’s goal-bound shot onto the bar. The second half was a little bit different but the Reds’ defence were caught napping late on when Santa Cruz headed home as Rovers trailed 2-0.

It was nice to see Steven Gerrard score the third goal at the club he made his debut against in November 1998. Whilst he has been our best player in those ten years he will need to adapt to life on the right to accommodate the team’s style of play. The central midfield pairing of Alonso and Mascherano has worked to Liverpool’s advantage this season but such is the impact of Gerrard on the team that Benitez has been unable to omit him from his preferred position.

Dirk Kuyt is once again proving his worth with a tireless work rate which would be better utilised in a second striker role behind Fernando Torres as opposed to the right wing. This would solve the problem of where to put Gerrard but it would not solve the problem of Robbie Keane.

The former Spurs striker was an unused sub on Saturday and there have been strong rumours linking him with a move back to White Hart Lane for as little as £5 million after a poor start to his Anfield career.

Whether the rumours are true or not, Keane is going to struggle to fit into a side where Benitez has every position pretty much covered. His lack of confidence is plain for all to see as he fails to reproduce the form that saw him gain such cult hero status at Tottenham and at £20.3 million it could prove to be a signing Benitez, who claimed Keane was Liverpool’s ‘missing link’, will regret.

Time to kick the boo boys into touch

booing ^{v. to boo}

Definition: Booing is the act of showing displeasure for someone or something, generally an entertainer, by loudly yelling "Boo" (and holding the "oo" sound) or making other noises of disparagement, such as hissing. If spectators particularly dislike the performance they may also accompany booing by throwing objects onstage, though the objects may not be meant to physically hurt the performer. Booing can also be expressed to startle someone.

Example of booing:

A villainous character may also be booed to show a dislike of said character, rather than the acting skills of the thespian portraying him or her. Melodrama performances such as the traditional British Pantomime may encourage it, along with cheering at the hero/heroine.

Source: Wikipedia

As regular visitors to this blog will testify, I have nothing but strong contempt for the current football era with its overpaid prima donnas and fickle fans.

That is why I waste no time in condemning Arsenal’s ‘supporters’ for their continuous booing of Emmanuel Eboue during their side’s 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic yesterday.

Eboue, a first half substitute for Samir Nasri, was replaced by Mikael Silvestre in the 90th minute after being booed continuously throughout the match. Admittedly Eboue  did not have the best of games for the Gooners but the booing unwarranted.

A commentator, covering the game for Asian channel ESPN Star Sports did not mince his words as the cheers rang around the Emirates when Eboue’s number was flashed on the fourth official’s board which were followed by yet more booing as the player left the field.

 “The reaction of the fans here disgusts me,” he said.

“How many different professions are in this 60,000 crowd – did none of them ever make a mistake in their own walk of life? Alright, he’s had a bad few minutes but he doesn’t deserve that.”

Clearly embarrassed by the barracking, Eboue refused to sit in the dugout for the remainder of the match and instead stormed down the tunnel – something his manager Arsene Wenger understood.

"I can understand him going straight down the tunnel because the crowd were very hard on him. When you're a fan, you're behind the players and that's what you want them to do”, said Wenger.

After the game, Arsenal supporters bombarded BBC 5 Live’s 606 message board. Here is a selection of the comments condemning the boo boys.

Soon the players will want to play away from the Emirates. What good does that do for the team booing? Idiots. You can go on about paying for your ticket and therefore being able to do what you want as much as you like. Fair play, you can. You paid you can boo. You're just an idiot if you do.

I was really disappointed to be an Arsenal supporter yesterday. While we are top 4 league team I'm not sure the same could be said of the quality of our support. The extent of the booing of Eboue was a new low. Any muppet can turn up and watch a team win, supporting the team through difficult times is what real supporters do. When you see how some of the opposition in the Champions League and in the premiership come and support their teams it puts us to shame. We are a lot better than we showed on Saturday and I hope we never see a repeat of that behaviour again.

I was at the Emirates yesterday and was ashamed to be an arsenal fan with all of the booing. Eboue is a right back, he was played left wing. I have said privately that we should consider selling him but it was just crazy to boo him. You could physically see it affecting both him and the team. I think a few people need to read the definition of fan in the dictionary. It actually involves supporting your players

I must admit that the noises coming from the Emirates yesterday afternoon did not surprise me as much as the boos that greeted the final whistle of Liverpool’s goalless draw with West Ham United did on Monday night.

The Emirates stadium, like ex-Gooner Ashley Cole, symbolises everything that is wrong with the modern game. Predominantly for corporate hospitality with the regular Joes that sit in the stands being far from regular and definitely not the type of person to be christened Joe.

Their justification for the booing is that they have paid top dollar to sit in this pristine, plastic stadium and because the players are not up to their unrealistically high standards (i.e. their team is not 3-0 up in the first half hour) they behave in a manner akin to a lynch mob; baying for blood and calling for the manager’s head all at once.

However this epidemic is not exclusive to Arsenal and the Emirates. It is already common place at various stadiums across the country with fans (and I use that term very loosely) when things do not go their team’s way.

The first high profile sign of this ‘trend’ was seen back in October when Ashley Cole was booed vociferously by England supporters during the 4-1 friendly over Kazakhstan in October. The Wembley crowd did not hold back their feelings towards the Chelsea defender after he was at fault for allowing the visitors to score what would prove to be a consolation as England led 2-0. His every touch of the ball following the goal was greeted with jeers.

Whilst many revelled in the abuse Cole received which they viewed as justification for Cole’s mercenary behaviour during his acrimonious move from boyhood club Arsenal to rivals Chelsea as well as the reports of infidelity in his marriage to Cheryl Cole.

However Eboue’s plight was more a reflection on the modern football fan’s fickleness towards the players. Yes ticket prices are ridiculously inflated and admittedly the players are paid ridiculous wages but that does not excuse the type of abuse that was heard and seen at the Emirates yesterday afternoon.

Ahead of the new season the FA launched their Respect campaign which, according to their website, will ensure ‘a safe, positive environment for everyone to enjoy football’. Unfortunately the protection of players from such onslaughts as the one suffered by Emmanuel Eboue does not feature in their constitution.

Perhaps the anti-racism campaign ‘Kick It Out’ should be extended to try and eradicate the foul behaviour being demonstrated by supporters in today’s modern game.

The Premier League generation - a Red perspective

It's funny how life throws up the slightest thing at any given moment to see an angry young man metamorphose into a misty eyed old codger reminiscing about the bygone days.

One such flashback occurred to me at Anfield prior to the pre-season friendly with Lazio. At five to eight the PA system relayed a message after a loud two tone noise: 'This is a Liverpool Football Club announcement. Due to problems at the ticket office and the resulting queues at the turnstiles kick off will now be moved to 8.15' or words to a similar extent.

Upon hearing those words my mind was immediately transported back to Tuesday 25th October 1994 where my dad and I queued outside the Main Stand waiting to take our places during the Coca-Cola Cup tie with Stoke City. This wasn't the usual late arrival of match day drinkers; this was exactly the same as the game on August 8th this year albeit on a smaller scale.

After ten minutes of queuing up we heard a vociferous roar from beyond the stadium walls. Liverpool, or more specifically Ian Rush, had scored. Four minutes into the game and he had scored. As a young boy who was devout on Liverpool and had never missed a goal at every game I had attended, one from my first ever Anfield heroes left me feeling colder than the winter air that night.

There was no apologies for the gridlock at the turnstiles, no apologies for missing the goal and definitely no delay to the kick off time. Rush scored again in the fifty sixth minute but that was little consolation to me as a seven year old kid but the game would deal more devastating blows than that with events off the pitch.

A season later I found myself the proud co-owner of a 'dad and lad' season ticket on the now all-seated Spion Kop. Block 306 Row 64 Seat 91. Every other Saturday from the day those leather books dropped through my letterbox in was like every Christmas and birthday rolled into one. The excitement was inexplicable and unsurpassable. My obsession with Liverpool had burned brightly ever since my dad had dragged me down to Anfield one Saturday afternoon in October 1992 to watch Don Hutchinson net the winner against Sheffield Wednesday.

My time of match-going began at the dawn of the Premier League, a season too late for the old First Division but this flame was further fanned by my attendance at every game of the club's road to that 1995 League Cup - climaxing at the old Wembley stadium - and my equally LFC mad school mate Steven Reid. Looking back now - although I didn't know it at the time - but football as a working class past time had changed greatly and it coincided when all football grounds in the old First Division were made all seated stands in accordance with the Taylor Report, a report which corrected the dressed up version events of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster perpetrated by the authorities responsible for the tragedy.

The FA Premier League was formed in 1992 and BSkyB were already waiting in the wings to pounce and change the game for the worst. The broadcaster, owned by Rupert Murdoch, had struck an exclusivity deal with the newly formed League that awarded their offspring Sky Sports the right to broadcast live games in accordance with the new organisation. This deal was unlike the highlights package that the League renewed with the BBC.

This all tied in with the organisation's right to negotiate sponsorship deals with whichever brand they saw fit. Fronted by a rather smug Richard Keys who proclaimed "weekends will never be the same again", Sky promoted their brand as the future of football to the background of fireworks from the roofs of stands and stationing cheerleaders on the touch lines at their featured Sunday games which were now known as 'Super' Sundays.

That 95/96 season provided Sky's marketing team with an abundance of appealing material from goals that shook the frame of the goal to Kevin Keegan stating how much he would 'love it' if his Newcastle side pipped Manchester United to the title. Liverpool had their part to play in Sky's vision - clearly spelled out in their promotional adverts for the new season which were set to Queen's One Vision - when they played their first game of the season at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday. New signing Stan Collymore, who cost a then British transfer record of £8.5 million, scored a long ranged, fast paced shot on his debut.

Later that season the Reds faced title challengers Newcastle at Anfield on a dark spring night. The game was a thrilling 4-3 win for the home side with Collymore scoring the winning goal in the latter stages of the game. Sky, once again, had exclusivity rights to broadcast the game and this was a double boost to their already high viewing figures.

Two months later England was host to the 1996 European Championships and the entire nation was encapsulated in a mix of patriotism and football. People from the higher part of the class spectrum found themselves being spectators to a sport of the working classes.

In accordance with this new found obsession Sky rolled out Soccer AM - their in house pre-match light entertainment show which encouraged immature behaviour on the terraces. A new breed had been introduced to the football gene pool. As a consequence, there was a new type of clientèle attending matches and in greater numbers, none more so than at Anfield. Tickets that had once been in the possession of supporters from the city and surrounding areas were now in the hands of spectators from as far afield as Asia and as near as London.

Already the tide was turning. Another season, another league title for Manchester United and another marketing ploy by the suits at Sky. Enter Sean Bean telling the wealthier classes that life can be difficult but they knew that and encouraged them to become part of 'a feeling that can't be explained but we spend our lives explaining it' which was 'theatre, art, war and love'. The key demographic fell for the compilation of extravagant goals with a familiar faced Northerner encouraging them to become a part of the game.

In my experience certain things breed idiocy and that Sean Bean narrated advert was one of them. Another was success and despite Liverpool's inability to reclaim the heady heights of English football, the new age fans still sifted through the turnstiles and in greater numbers.

By the time the club had completed an historic domestic and European cup treble in 2001, the numbers increased and loss of the traditional game started to escalate even faster. Anfield was now a melting pot of high class hangers on who were now marketing tools for the club. If the club brought out three kits per season they would buy each one, complete with player names, numbers and Premier League patches. Foot long hot dogs and watered down cardboard cups of Coke were the order the overpriced day.

It wasn't long before the match day stall sellers outside the ground capitalised with half-half scarves and jester's hats which were lapped up without hesitation. The mentality of these people was that going to watch a game of football was just a day out for the family that they could brag about to other parents at the next PTA meeting Liverpool's Irish fan base was given a bad name through the amount of fellow countrymen following the lead of the wealthier classes but instead of treating it as a bragging right over Giles and Sandra whilst discussing the merits of Thomas and Lydia, it was treated like Saturday night down Mathew Street; a stag night in other words. Idiocy, arrogance and blatant disrespect to seasoned supporters was the obligatory hallmarks and greater numbers followed suit in 2005 following the club's European Cup triumph.

At Anfield the jester's hat became the universal symbol of where the game was headed. Were it not for the die hard traditionalists who tirelessly attempt to preserve the traditions and culture of the club's supporters, namely Reclaim The Kop and supporters' union Spirit of Shankly, the pantomime-like atmosphere and behaviour - which is common place at clubs such as Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City and Chelsea - would have become common place on the Kop.

With this change in attitudes comes a new precedent for the constitution of the standard of football both on and off the field in league with the gospel according to Sky. A goal is now not a goal unless it is scored from forty yards, curling in many directions, hitting the roof of the net followed by an acrobatic celebration in front of bottle blonde cheerleaders to the tune of Chelsea Dagger by the Fratellis as fireworks launched from the floodlights. Upon such moment spectators are required to don their jester's hats and begin seal-like clapping to accompany chants of 'who are ya? who are ya?' and 'eas-eh, eas-eh, eas-eh'.

The Sunday Mirror's Michael Calvin wrote an article in the wake of the Manchester City takeover titled 'R.I.P English football - Comical Ali's ripped our game apart' but I am of the opinion that the game was dead and buried by the summer of 1996. Now it is being raped in its grave by the corporate suits, television companies and those who have no consideration for the history or traditions of the clubs to which they pledge their allegiance.

The general overview of the Premier League generation from veteran supporters is that we are all fickle, commercial marketing tools for the clubs we attach ourselves to with no regard for any football-related history prior to August 1992 with nothing but apathy and willingness as the game strays from its traditional, working class format. I may not have been part of the swaying masses in the 1970s and 80s but the game has changed considerably in my 16 years of match-going and it is certainly not for the better. There were no jester's hats, hot dogs or seal clapping when I started going to matches. If I wanted a drink at half time I would have to smuggle in a bottle of Coke, not pay over the odds for a watered down equivalent and I certainly didn't participate in idiot-like behaviour at any point before, during or after the game.

Perhaps this is the sentimental ramblings from the first of the Premier League generation, reminiscing about when children under a certain age were allowed free admission to sit in the Main Stand with their dads and not be charged £20 plus for the privilege of watching their family's footballing lifeblood or perhaps this is the ramblings of an early twenties Scouser on the verge of being booked in for anger management classes. Whichever way you look at it the game I learned to love back in 1992 has long gone and will never return.

No longer the voice of Merseyside

Despite this blog being predominantly football-orientated, it does offers the opportunity to comment on current affairs issues so forgive me for using this entry to exercise some diversity into the column.

The Liverpool Echo has been a fixture in the city which it has used the name of so unashamedly since 1879.

Although it has been part of Liverpool for nearly 130 years, it only gained widespread prominence amongst the city's residents in the mid 1980s after it was converted into a tabloid format to reflect the social unrest the city was experiencing under the iron fist of Thatcherism.

However since the paper was taken over by the Trinity Mirror group in 1999 it has declined significantly and if yesterday's front page was anything to go by it will spiral down further.

An article titled 'Ho! Ho! Woe: Santa Claus gets the sack' was published about a Father Christmas at the Liverpool One shopping development who was dismissed from his job following the discovery of a criminal record gained during his teenage years.

Despite declaring the conviction prior to obtaining the job, father of one Christopher Power was dismissed after the Echo contacted his employers about the now spent conviction.

According to the article the Echo said: "After speaking to a Liverpool One representative we were satisfied the criminal record dated back to Mr Power’s teenage years and the convictions were 'spent'."

Whilst they claim not to be pursuing the story, the meddling undertaken by Michelle Fiddler in informing both Liverpool One and Great Grottos, the company which employed Mr Power, of his spent conviction combined with her audacity and barefaced cheek to interview him about the incident is akin to the tactics used by the likes of The Sun newspaper - still reviled on Merseyside following their false reporting of the Hillsborough disaster.

Ms Fiddler would argue that the issue was a matter of public interest, as she stated in the article. However, as a journalism student who regularly reads the Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice - the basic commandments all journalists should adhere to - and the factors behind Mr Power's dismissal, orchestrated by the Liverpool Echo, do not fall into a matter of public interest.

Fiddler did not just tattle on Mr Power, she meddled all for the sake of a 'scoop'. Her actions have seen a husband and a father stripped of his job despite having done no wrong.

Indeed Mr Power admitted in the interview with Fiddler that he had turned his life around despite being a troublesome teenager.

“| got into trouble as a teenager and I made silly choices," he said.

“But I can categorically say that by the time I was 18 I had turned my life around.

“I did youth work at youth clubs and the Princes Trust gave me money to go to drama school.”

Power went on to become a qualified actor is registered with the Equity union and took the job at the shopping centre to tide him over during a quiet period work wise.

He continued: “I spotted an advert looking for actors. I had my interview in Liverpool when I told them details about my history.

“Two days later I got a telephone call to say they thought I would be brilliant for the job.

“I was contracted to work four days a week until December 24.

"During the two weeks I was there I got 85% excellence rating from shoppers.

“Then I got a telephone call to say someone from the Liverpool Echo was asking about my criminal record. Then on the Friday I got a telephone call to say I was being dismissed.

“I am not a criminal.. I have done nothing wrong. I am worried what people will think and how this will affect me in my job.”

As Mr Power said, he is not a criminal but Michelle Fiddler and the Liverpool Echo have portrayed him to be one and to add insult to injury they made his plight front page news - effectively ensuring that he will not gain future employment as a result.

This is not the first time the Liverpool Echo have dumped on their own doorstep in recent times after parent company Trinity Mirror embarked on a series of cutbacks.

By November 2009 some 140 local jobs will be lost as the Echo moves printing production from Liverpool city centre to Oldham, Greater Manchester. Furthermore, an additional 78 journalist and editorial positions will be axed.

It appears, now more than ever, that the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo no longer serves the people who made it the local institution it has become as it evolves into a sensationalist tabloid.

More stupidity from Soho Square

The Football Association has been something of a joke in recent times such as Mark Palios and Sven Goran Eriksson playing 'doctors and nurses' with a secretary whilst they were in powers of position at the federation.

However prior to that incident with Faria Alam, the FA have been involved in their share of controversy and they will continue to be involved in more as time progresses.

However it is disciplinary matters are at the forefront of their latest own goal as they asked Liverpool Football Club to explain their reasons for the public show of support for jailed supporter Michael Shields.

Shields has served three years of a 10 year sentence for a crime he maintains he didn't commit - something that was backed up by a signed confession from Graham Sankey who admits that it was he who attacked waiter Martin Georgiev in Bulgaria just days after the club's Champions League win in May 2005.

Michael's parents have been actively campaigning for his release since his incarceration and they were given a welcome boost by the club and its supporters on Monday night before the Premiership clash with West Ham United.

The Liverpool players wore t-shirts with the words 'Free Michael Now' over their training tops as they warmed up for the game.

Actress Sue Johnston joined Michael's parents to campaign for his release and during the first three minutes of the match the Kop held up red and white cards to form a mosaic spelling out 'Free Michael Now' in a plea to Justice secretary Jack Straw to pardon Shields ahead of the judicial review into his case tomorrow.

However the FA have demanded an explanation from the club as to why they did not consult the them about their intention to stage the show of support for Shields during the televised game.

This is the same FA that turned a blind eye to Liverpool's 'Truth Day' protest during an FA Cup tie in January 2007 where home supporters displayed a mosaic in retaliation to Kelvin Mackenzie, former editor of The Sun newspaper, following comments he made in relation to an article that the paper ran in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster.

Mackenzie allowed an article titled 'The Truth' to run as a front page headline which accused Liverpool supporters at the disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans, of stealing from the dead and urinating on the corpses.

The protest against Mackenzie was broadcast on BBC One as the game was ongoing and commentator John Motson spoke highly of it as 40,000 Liverpool supporters chanted 'Justice for the 96' during the first six minutes of the game at Anfield.

The FA did not take issue with this incident and despite stating that they will not be charging Liverpool over their support of Michael Shields they did demand an explanation. What is the difference between protesting at the wrongful incarceration of a young football supporter and protesting against a contemptible gutter journalist for libellous comments he made about survivors of the worst football disaster in modern times?

Furthermore why did the FA not take issue with a similar show of support organised for Shields in August 2005 when Liverpool faced Sunderland in a Barclays Premier League match at which the Kop held up a mosaic that said 'Free Michael' prior to the game?

It appears that, as with everything to do with the FA, the goal posts have been shifted once again.

It's all a case of history repeating...

For the second consecutive league game, Liverpool underperformed and frustrated the masses at Anfield with a goalless draw with West Ham United.

Whilst the Reds have gone a point clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership, last season's winter blues appear to be making a return.

Here is how Liverpool's win record compares with the team's statistics on 2nd December 2007:

December '07               P 15       W 8        D 6        L 1       30 PTS
December ’08               P 15       W10       D 4        L 1       34 PTS

Despite having a far better record than that in the previous season combined with landmark victories over title rivals Manchester United and Chelsea, Rafael Benitez's side are being exposed in games which derailed their title challenge last term.

Defensively frail and out of sorts in front of goal, Benitez's team are suffering from a lack of confidence - something which the Spaniard admitted to in his post match press conference.

"Maybe some players are but it's just a case of us trying to keep creating chances - then I'm sure we'll start taking them", he said.

The anger of the Anfield faithful was evident for all to hear as a chorus of boos greeted the final whistle - an act several supporters have condemned as a breaking of the Kop commandment  'thou shalt never criticise manager or the team'.

It cannot be disguised that Liverpool were at their worst for a second consecutive league game at Anfield. According to the Liverpool Echo's Tony Barrett, "the fact that the evergreen Sami Hyypia carried their biggest threat says it all."

Indeed the veteran Finn, a surprise inclusion in the squad ahead of Daniel Agger, proved to be the only candidate for the Man of the Match award on a night where the only positive was off the field with the unified support of jailed Liverpool fan Michael Shields before the match and during the first three minutes of the game as the Kop held up a mosaic proclaiming 'Free Michael Now'.

Former Red Craig Bellamy went closest to breaking the deadlock for the visitors with a long range effort which skimmed the inside of Pepe Reina's right hand post in the first half but West Ham had several other chances to take the lead.

As with the same result against Fulham, Benitez's team selection and substitutions were called into question as the team looked reminiscent of that which ended Gerard Houllier's time in the Anfield hot seat.

Despite Steven Gerrard's air shot, Yossi Benayoun was made the prime scapegoat by disgruntled home supporters whilst David N'Gog and Ryan Babel also came in for fierce criticism. The Dutch forward has recently aired his frustrations at a lack of first team opportunities and bemoaned Benitez for playing him out of position.

If Monday night's performance is anything to go by then perhaps he should consider a future away from Anfield. His pace and raw determination would have been a valuable asset to Liverpool's front line had he been utilised properly by his manager. Instead he was ordered to fill the void left by Albert Riera's departure from the field and felt understandably out of his depth.

Kop legend Kenny Dalglish has said that Babel has the ability to terrorise defenders in the Premier League with his pace and on-the-ball skills. Perhaps Benitez should learn from the mistakes of his predecessor Houllier who failed to heed the warnings of the Anfield old guard who, the majority of the time, were completely accurate in their observations.

N'Gog's presence on the pitch in the second half had chilling echoes of Houllier's mercenary French bastion circa 2003 as the 19-year-old was easily knocked off the ball by West Ham's bullish defence. The £1.5 million signing from Paris Saint Germain this summer was one that baffled Kopites both young and old and it appears that they were right to hold reservations about the youngster.

Another of Benitez's much criticised signings showed visible signs of improvement as Andrea Dossena started to show why he was brought to the club as John Arne Riise's replacement.

The Italian was drafted into the starting line up after Fabio Aurelio was sidelined by injury during last week's Champions League win with Olympique Marseille and despite a faltering start to his Anfield career, the left back gave a glimpse of his true potential with surging runs on the left hand side of the field with several impressive crosses into West Ham's area. Benitez's prediction that Dossena would come good appears to be ringing true and no doubt those words will have served as a confidence boost for him during what has been an unfortunate honeymoon period for him at his new club.

As attention turns to the game with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday, Benitez will be eager to capitalise on his side's lead over Chelsea at the top of the league following two consecutive draws.