Sir Bobby Robson - A Footballing Gentleman

Most Liverpool supporters adhere to the mantra of 'We're not English, we are Scouse' and their only concern with the national side is if Steven Gerrard's involvement in the international set up will lead to any potential injury lay off for his club after representing his country.

However perhaps a few of the self-proclaimed 'Scouse separatists' will soften their stance slightly in light of the death of Sir Bobby Robson - who lost a 17-year battle with cancer. Many Reds' fans have paid tribute to the man that the football world will remember as a true gentleman of the game. Robson's managerial career was littered with trophies from championships including three major European leagues. He took Ipswich Town to the heady heights of European football by lifting the FA Cup and UEFA Cup during his time in East Anglia. With the hive of activity in the current transfer market Robson's decision to make just 14 signings in his 13 seasons at Portman Road seems inconceivable for a club who were challenging for major honours under his tenure. The Tractor Boys finished runners-up in the First Division in both 1981 and 1982.

Despite riding high with Ipswich, Sir Bobby chose to go on to bigger and better things by succeeding where Don Revie had failed - by making the transition from club management to country - as England manager. He proceeded over two World Cups, seeing his country dumped out in the latter stages of the tournament in agonising fashion; first to Argentina and Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' in 1986 and in the semi finals against West Germany at Italia '90 - an event which endeared the entire nation to the game for the first time since 1966 thanks to some fine amateur dramatics from Paul Gascoigne. It wasn't the high that he had hoped to sign off on but Robson made the tabloid hacks who crucified him and his England side in the early stages of the tournament eat their words with a performance that was a credit to the Three Lions. In the nine years that followed his England exit, he coached at Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto and Barcelona where he counted a translator by the name of Jose Mourinho as part of his backroom staff. No doubt the current Inter Milan manager is indebted to the gentle Geordie for some of the pointers he received at the Nou Camp.

Trophies and successful managerial stints are all well and good but Robson had something that most managers in the game today don't - humility and common decency. You only have to look on the various websites and message boards to see the lasting impression he left on supporters of all clubs, regardless of affiliation. He will never be regarded as one of the greatest. The likes of the outspoken Brian Clough will be ranked higher in the managerial polls than him. Arrogance and controversy reigns supreme in 21st century football, much to the misfortune of the late Sir Bobby.

Born in County Durham, Robson was from the old school of football. In the 1960s, when Robson was in the twilight years of his playing career, Bill Shankly, Matt Busby and Jock Stein - three of the greatest coaches at the time - were described as the managerial Holy Trinity as they were all vastly successful with Liverpool, Manchester United and Celtic respectively. In additon, they all came from working class backgrounds in Scotland. I believe that the North East has its own Holy Trinity - all of whom are named Bob. First there was Bob Stokoe who led Sunderland to FA Cup glory in 1973 and promotion to the First Division in 1976, then there was the legendary Bob Paisley whose record of three European Cups has yet to be equalled and finally there is another gentle Geordie in Sir Bobby Robson.

Robson's remarkable story saw him lose his 17-year battle with cancer. He had been diagnosed with five different strands of the disease on five separate occasions but continued the fight on and set up the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation for cancer research. Even when he was told that the cancer in his lungs was terminal, Robson still saw the glass as half full. When asked about his remaining time in life, he said: "I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute." Humility and optimism - that was the man down to a tee, You would be hard pressed to find another former Newcastle or England manager anyone could say that about.

RIP Sir Bobby Robson

Gentleman, Ambassador and Footballing Legend.

You'll Never Walk Alone

The end is nigh, Mr Cohen

To paraphrase comedian Mort Sahl's remark about former U.S. president Richard Nixon - Would you listen to a radio show presented by this man?

Yesterday Fox Soccer Channel unveiled Eric Wynalda as the new host of their flagship show 'Fox Football Fone-In'. I wonder what state Steven Cohen's cat was in after the London-born broadcaster received the new last month. The TV giant wouldn't comment on why Cohen's contract with them wasn't renewed but now that his comments about the Hillsborough disaster are common knowledge amongst Liverpool fans and the general footballing public, his broadcasting career is on its last legs. Virtually every main sponsor of his World Soccer Daily radio show has cancelled their agreements with the show and even his beloved Chelsea FC have disowned him.

Last week their spokesman Gareth Mills spoke to LFC's New York Supporters Club and said: "He is not a representative, nor ever has been a representative of the club. We have some 90 million fans worldwide and cannot account for every fan’s opinion.” It appears that nobody wants to have anything to do with someone who launched a scathing attack on the survivors of Britain's worst ever stadium disaster on a national radio show - even if if it is a vehicle of the Rupert Murdoch empire.

The crux of the matter is, as Cohen is starting to find out, that Hillsborough has been a very sensitive subject for Liverpool fans all over the world and the boycott show after the blatant lack of respect shown repeatedly by the 46-year-old has proven have proven this much. Nobody with half a brain can fail to see that Fox dropped him like a piece of dog foul as sponsors started to withdraw from WSD and Cohen started to implode following the refusal by Reds fans to fall for his cheap attempt at an apology. His flippancy knows no bounds and, with the able assistance of his snidey sidekick Kenny Hassan, he has failed to cover himself in glory in the aftermath of the now ongoing uproar he and his show are currently facing.

Some Americans will see the boycott against Cohen started by Liverpool fans in the States as a smear campaign. To those who think that - I suggest you take some considerable time out of your day to do a little research into Mr Cohen's broadcasting history relating to Hillsborough as he has shot himself in the foot time and again on this issue. This is not a hate or smear campaign; it is a basic mission to raise awareness of the true events that happened on that fateful day in Sheffield 20 years ago and not the lies perpetrated by The Sun newspaper and others - a list which now includes Steven Cohen.

By the way, anyone who genuinely believes that Cohen is a lifelong Chelsea fan should take a few seconds to watch this video of hiim switching loyalties from Tottenham to Arsenal in 2002 following the Gunners' league and cup double truimph:

An urgent request

As most of you will probably be aware, there's a campaign to get US radio broadcaster Steven Cohen off the airwaves following continuing comments he has made about the Hillsborough disaster, accusing Liverpool fans of causing the tragedy and playing the victims. As the nephew of four Hillsborough survivors and a strong supporter of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, I've given this cause my full support and will continue to do so until Cohen is taken off the air.

Earlier this week Chelsea said that Cohen wasn't a supporter of their club and would never be after the lies he perpetrated about Hillsborough. With your help we can rid the airwaves of this despicable individual who has used the death of 96 Liverpool supporters to further his own agendas and cause controversy all for the sake of his radio programme. All you have to do is take a couple of seconds to copy and paste the following into an email:

Dear Sir or Madam

You advertise on either one or both of Steve Cohen's shows on Fox and Sirius. Mr Cohen has, and not for the first time, told lies about the deaths the 96 innocent people at Hillsborough, claiming that Liverpool fans were responsible for killing their own, amongst other lies. Is this the type of person you want representing your company? Steve Cohen has done this before, apologising when the outrage grew too large. Clearly, he will not stop, so our objective is to see him taken off air permanently so as to restrict the audience for his continued lies he repeats.

Over 50% of World Soccer Daily's original sponsors have already withdrawn all advertising from the show in light of his actions and this week Chelsea Football Club, the team Cohen claims to support, distanced themselves from him following his comments about the tragedy in Sheffield 20 years ago. Club spokesman Gareth Mills said: “We have distanced ourselves and will continue to distance ourselves from any comments that disrespect the memory of Hillsborough.

"He is not a representative, nor ever has been a representative of the club. We have some 90 million fans worldwide and cannot account for every fan’s opinion.”

I urge you to reconsider your purchasing of advertising. I will be boycotting all your products and services until your support for Steve Cohen and his lies ends.

Thank you

And send it to the following addresses:

matt@objectivo.com

info@cartan.com

support@wespeakwine.com

sonyonline@sonyusa.com

nickr@psgsports.com

declanhill2002@yahoo.com

customerservice@joinvip.com

These are all sponsors of World Soccer Daily who everyone connected to the boycott is hoping will follow in the footsteps of previous sponsors of the show such as Heineken as well as Cohen's 'beloved' Chelsea FC and UCLA professor Mark Sawyer in distancing themselves from this pathetic excuse for a human being. You won't even have to send the emails individually. Just paste the addresses into the BCC field on the email so that you be able to send them all in one go.

We really do need all the help we can get in driving this hate-spewing monster off the airwaves before he repeats his lies about the 96 brothers and sisters that lost their lives in Sheffield 20 years ago.

Many thanks in advance

JUSTICE FOR THE 96

Dementia anyone?

It appears that the concept of irony has not been lost on Sir Alex Ferguson. The United manager launched into a rant yesterday afternoon, all because of a poster unveiled by local rivals Manchester City last week.

The newly-rich Citizens have plastered one advertising board with an arty blue and white print of new signing and former Red Devils striker Carlos Tevez with the heading 'Welcome to Manchester' printed across it. The image of the Argentine with his arms outstretched was taken as he celebrated scoring against Wigan Athletic - his last goal for the Old Trafford club - in May.

When asked about the cheeky PR stunt, Ferguson remarked :"It's City isn't it? They're a small club with a small mentality. All they can talk about is Manchester United; they can't get away from it. They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."

In April this year, the Scot attacked Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez for his labelling of nearest rivals Everton as a 'small club' in February 2007 and accused the Spaniard of being arrogant for doing so.

“He called them [Everton] a small club which points to his arrogance,” he said at the time. “They are a big club and David Moyes is doing a great job.”

Mr Pot, I'd like you to introduce you to Mr Kettle...

Fair play to the Beckham boo boys

FOOLS NO MORE: LA Galaxy fans make their feelings known

about David Beckham's extended stay in Italy.

When David Beckham arrived in Los Angeles around this time two years ago, his arrival was greeted with a large fanfare. The England international was offered cheers and confetti in his grand unveiling for LA Galaxy which possessed all the razzmatazz that only Tinseltown could pull off.

He was polite, smiled, looked directly at the camera, waved to the fans who were going crazy at his arrival and said the right things. "Potentially, soccer in the States can be as big as anywhere in the world,” he told the fans that flocked to the Home Depot Center stadium to herald his arrival. "I want to be part of that and to help do that over the next five years and maybe more. It's great to see so many fans here and I'd like to thank them for that."

Twenty-four months later his words came back to haunt him when he stepped back out onto the field and faced those fans who had previously been greeted him with adulation. Instead of cheers, they reserved a chorus of boos and a barrage of abuse for the England international.

Beckham incurred the wrath of the Galaxy faithful after he missed the first half of the MLS season due to an extended loan spell at AC Milan, following a recommendation by national team manager Fabio Capello that he plied his trade in Europe ahead of the World Cup finals in South Africa next year.

During last Sunday's pre-season friendly ironically against AC Milan, Beckham was subjected to a series of chants, booing and banners questioning his loyalty to the Galaxy following his stint at the San Siro. "At the end of the day, I play my game, whether I get booed or not doesn't matter to me," he said after the game. However, Beckham lost his cool when approached some of the fans hurling abuse at him at half time and appeared to be singling out one and acting in an aggressive manner. "I don't like my family seeing that and hearing that (abuse), from an organised group of fans," he later admitted. "I think it was disrespectful, some of the things that were being said and also some of the banners, but it is what it is."

His family were too busy being fawned over by the likes of David Walliams and creeping to Tom Cruise in a corporate box to pay much attention to the abuse he was receiving. As for disrespectful, what would he call the failure to honour his contract in order to further his international ambitions with a loan spell in Italy? Is it any wonder that Beckham’s return to LA was greeted with more venom that the arrival of Perez Hilton at a Black Eyed Peas concert?

The Galaxy fans who made their feelings known to Beckham should be commended for showing some backbone – a rarity in MLS football, or ‘soccer’ as it is more commonly known to the Yanks. Through their actions, the player himself learned that the entire world and his wife does not bow down to kiss the feet of Brand Beckham and turn a blind eye to his broken promises. He said he was going to try and make the game big in the States but instead chose to jump on the first plane to Europe to boost his chance of keeping his place in the England squad.

It appears that the Land of the Free isn’t so gullible and superficial as was once first thought.

Youngster must learn from foolish mistake

NUMBER ONE: Dean Bouzanis in action for

Liverpool's youth team last season.

On Saturday afternoon I was on the Mid-Wales coast to watch a Liverpool XI take on Aberystwyth Town to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Seasiders' formation. The Reds had previously visited Park Avenue nearly 20 years previous to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Ceredigion Evacuees Association in August 1989. The result that day finished 2-1 in the visitors' favour with a young Steve McManaman in the Reds' team that day.

The team of Liverpool youngsters that took to the field at the weekend included rising stars from the club's Academy, such as Lauri Dalla Valle, Jordy Brouwer and captain Victor Palsson to name but three, and ran out 4-1 winners over the Welsh minnows but it was upcoming goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis who made the headlines. The keeper was not called into action much during the game with the notable exception of Aber's goal in the early stages however it wasn't what he was doing on the pitch that got all the attention.

A group of Liverpool supporters made the trip to the game and took issue with the young Australian; aiming chants and a spray-painted banner at him, relating to an incident last September when it is claimed he tried to tout a complimentary ticket for the Merseyside derby to a supporter for £80. When one considers that the face value of a ticket for the Goodison derby was £36, it doesn't reflect too well on the player himself. Nor does it reflect too well when it also emerged that this wasn't the first time that Bouzanis has been known to tout. He offered tickets to supporters for the Champions League encounter with Real Madrid in February, via Facebook no less, for up to £750 a pair.

LOUD AND CLEAR: Supporters made their feelings

about Bouzanis known during Saturday's pre-season

friendly at Aberystwyth

This was the worst kept secret amongst many match-going supporters but it was made public by the banner and the chanting that originated from the small section of travelling supporters. Some supporters have said that it was wrong for Bouzanis to be targeted in the manner he was and have even condoned his actions which begs the question what's the difference between your average man on the street touting a ticket for extortionate amounts and a youth team player doing exactly the same? The answer is that the latter is a professional footballer and, in this instance, not only a Liverpool player but also an ambassador for the club both on and off the pitch.

Those tickets were issued to the player by the club, completely free of charge, for his own personal use as well as additional stubs for friends and family. To abuse that privilege is not part and parcel of the moral code at the Liverpool academy nor has it been. Whilst it is common knowledge that the Academy lads aren't exactly on megabucks compared to the likes of Gerrard and Torres but he and the rest of the Academy squad aren't exactly sat in a doorway on Bold Street pleading poverty are they?

In the player's defence, it is worth mentioning that Bouzanis turns 19 in October - therefore he is still only 18 years of age. You would be very hard pressed to find someone who hasn't done something they regretted at that age and if he has any sense, which he probably does given where he is career-wise, Saturday will have served as a mini wake-up call and deter him from trying to abuse his privileged position because it will remind him that these things have a habit of surfacing as he found out at Park Avenue.

As far as the supporters involved are concerned, the point was made to him loud and clear and the matter is now closed unless he fails to learn from his mistakes and history repeats itself for a third time. Bouzanis is a very good goalkeeper and, like Palsson, Dalla Valle, Brouwer et al, has a very promising future at Anfield but he will need to learn from this incident and try and conduct himself like a model professional should in order to make the grade both on and off the pitch.

Getting shirty

Replica football shirts long become a fashion accessory since they were released onto the market in the early 1980s. Liverpool were one of the biggest pioneers in those early days long before Manchester United commercially dominated virtually every continent on the planet. In 1979 the Reds were the first club in the UK to carry a sponsor on their kits in the form of electronics firm Hitachi. They were soon replaced by Crown Paints, then another electronics firm in Candy and since 1992 they have been branded by Danish brewer Carlsberg.

Their kit manufacturer 30 years ago, when the Hitachi deal was struck, was Umbro and if the rumours are to be believed, things will come full circle. In 2007 Nike followed in the footsteps of Adidas, their biggest competitor, by taking over the English sportswear firm. The German label completed a successful takeover of Reebok, Liverpool's previous kit supplier, in 2005 and the mark with the three stripes have made the Reds' kits since 2006.

With their current deal expiring in 2012 Adidas will be keen to leave a lasting impression with their final home shirt, due to be released next summer. As most Liverpool supporters know, the club change their home shirt every two seasons and their away strips every year. With the product expected to be in the design phase ahead of its summer release, budding kit architects have been showcasing their own designs on specialist websites.

Here are four of the best. Click on the images to enlarge:

Simplicity as well as the recycling of old Adidas kit templates have been the inspiration for these designs. Unfortunately Adidas will most probably use their current default template, which will be seen on the kits of Chelsea and Bayern Munich to name but two clubs sporting the design template next season, and is more likely to resemble something from the Incredible Hulk's wardrobe as one designer has predicted (see below).

Are you watching Molyneux?

Five years ago, Liverpool Football Club was in a period of transition. With a new manager on board who was determined to bring the best players to Anfield, the powers that be aimed to secure substantial investment from far afield. The issues of management and investment had intertwined earlier that year when business magnate Steve Morgan, who owned a 5% stake in the club, publicly voiced his opinions about several aspects of the club including the position of them manager Gérard Houllier whose carefree spending on heartless mercenaries he believed had no place in the Anfield dugout.

"Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish were controlled by the board led by John Smith and Peter Robinson, who imposed strict financial controls," he said in May 2004. "That's what I believe should be happening now. I would like to think we can return to the old culture of the club. I remember the days when all 11 players on the pitch would give their everything for the club. Unfortunately, apart from the obvious few, we haven't seen that in recent years. We need people who want to play for Liverpool back in the side, not those who want a huge salary at the end of the month."

Days later, the club entertained the idea of selling a 30% stake in the club to then Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who had previously tried to buy shares in Fulham and would enjoy a short-lived spell as owner of Manchester City between 2007 and 2008. This prompted Morgan to table several takeover bids to majority shareholder David Moores but to no avail. His decision to speak so openly about Rafael Benitez's predecessor did not curry favour with the chairman or the Anfield board. Shortly after meeting with chief executive Rick Parry in his native Thailand, talks with Shinawatra were pulled and any plans for new investment were put on ice.

In December 2004 Morgan made another takeover bid as Moores, with the aid of Parry, continued to search for investment into the club. The Garston-born building magnate, whose rags-to-riches tale saw him earn his fortune with Redrow, made a pledge to the club and to the new manager. "Rafael Benitez can have funds and there will be finance to build a new stadium. Please accept my offer," he pleaded with the board. But his offer was declined and so began another fruitless search for investment. Little over a year later, following the club’s successful Champions League victory, a potential buyer was found. Robert Kraft – an American sports tycoon – was the reported buyer and seemed like the ideal candidate to takeover the club, also owning MLS outfit New England Revolution who had since 2002 had been coached by former Reds defender Steve Nicol. Kraft had previously spoken of the admiration he had for the club and his desire to spawn a new Anfield legacy, rivalling the one the club experienced between the 1960s and 1980s. ”Liverpool is a great brand and it's something our family respects a lot,” he said at the time. “We're always interested in opportunities and growing, so you never know what can happen." However no agreement was reached with the Moores family and yet again Parry scoured the financial world for a sugar daddy to help Liverpool compete in the transfer market with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, both of whom had incurred wealthy new owners. Kraft later admitted that the two stumbling blocks in buying the club were the inability to place a salary cap on players as well as the uncertainty over building the proposed new stadium in Stanley Park.

In late 2006, Moores was reported to be in talks with Dubai International Capital – the investment arm for the government of Dubai and its ruling family – over a deal to sell the chairman’s majority stake in the Reds. DIC’s Sameer al-Ansari, a self-confessed Liverpool fan, was at Anfield to witness the 4-0 thrashing of Fulham in the December of that year. A lot of was made of the proposed takeover by the group owned by Dubai’s ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum however by March 2007 all talk was shelved after DIC tried to force Moores’ hand whilst he considered a rival offer from American duo George Gillett and Tom Hicks. Since that takeover, Dubai have been heavily linked with the club as Gillett and Hicks struggle to finance the club’s new stadium as well as service the debts the club incurred as part of their refinancing deal in January 2008.

Steve Morgan meanwhile sits pretty as owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers, having bought the club from Sir Jack Hayward for a token fee of £10. Hayward made the grand gesture on the proviso that Morgan invested a minimum of £30million into the Midlands club which he has long regarded as his ‘second team’. Less than two years later Wolves were crowned winners of the Championship, earning them a place in this season’s Premiership. Morgan will return to Anfield on Boxing Day to see his side take on his boyhood club safe in the knowledge that, unlike his opposite number, he has not saddled Wolves with debts on anything close to the scale that Gillett and Hicks have placed on LFC. Whilst a yo-yoing Championship club and a top four Premiership side are two completely different prospects altogether, Morgan may privately feel that his rejected takeover was a blessing in disguise given how things have turned out at Anfield off the pitch.

Extra, Extra - Don't Read All About It

HIT AND WISHLIST (From L-R): Barry, Villa, Lavezzi,

Silva, Ribery, Pranjic, Tevez and Albiol

Yet again, the summer transfer window has thrown up the names players who have been linked with a host of top-flight clubs from the continent and, despite a significantly smaller budget, Liverpool seem to be liked with a host of top names ahead of the new season alongside Europe's top teams. In the current window, the Anfield outfit have been linked with no less than ten high-profile players with only one making his way through the doors at Melwood so far in defender Glen Johnson, signed for a reported £17million from Portsmouth. His arrival was sealed after a three-way battle in which Rafael Benitez triumphed over his counterparts at Chelsea and Man City respectively.

The latest link with the Reds comes courtesy of a betting flurry late last Thursday which saw odds on Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery joining the club fall from 66/1 to 8/13 before all bets on the player moving to Merseyside were suspended - leading to intense speculation that the French international will be trading in the Allianz-Arena for Anfield in the near future. Interestingly Skybet, who lead the dramatic reducing of odds on Ribery's Liverpool move, also slashed odds on former Reds striker Michael Owen joining Manchester United 24 hours before it was announced that the former Liverpool player had signed for the Old Trafford outfit. Perhaps they know something that the regular Joe Bloggs in the stands and indeed those in the editorial offices of newspapers and websites don't.

COME IN NUMBER 2: Glen Johnson becomes

Liverpool's first summer signing

Other names linked with a move to Anfield include Croatian winger Danijel Pranjic who had touted a move to Merseyside on numerous occasions yet ended up signing for Bayern Munich from Heerenveen. Valencia defender Raul Albiol was also heavily tipped to join the Reds defence prior to the capture of Johnson until he signed for the free-spending Real Madrid.

Indeed Madrid have been involved with Liverpool a lot this summer, whether it be through trying to snap up their transfer targets in Valencia's David Villa and David Silva or trying to poach players away from Anfield such as Fernando Torres. The Spain hitman was linked with a move to bitter rivals Manchester United last month in the Daily Express and yesterday Benitez admitted that several clubs had enquired about the ex-Atletico Madrid striker.

WALKING ALONE?: Alonso and Mascherano have been

linked with moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively

He said: “Clubs wanted Fernando and we were contacted by agents working for those clubs but we always knew that when a bid came in we would say ‘no’. The main thing was that Torres wanted to stay here. People knew the player wanted to stay, but it did not stop clubs trying. We wanted to send out a message that Liverpool are a strong team and that we want to improve. You don’t improve by selling your best players.”

Two of Liverpool's best players expected to be leaving Anfield this summer are Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano. Both are expected to move to La Liga with Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Alonso's proposed move to the Bernabeu, however, has been very bitter and public feud between the two clubs by comparison to Barcelona's attempts to lure Mascherano.

Alonso's Anfield future was left in doubt last summer when Benitez openly courted Aston Villa's Gareth Barry only for the deal to fall flat in the August, ensuring the Spaniard remained on Merseyside. Barry was expected to make his long-awaited move to the Reds this summer but opted instead to join the lucrative nearly men of Manchester City, reneging on his comments 12 months previous about wanting to compete in European club competitions every year - something Benitez took time to mention during the unveiling of Johnson last week.

"In this market, money is not the main thing because everyone at this level earns big money. If it's just for money sometimes you make mistakes, like Barry," he said. "I won't say too much but that was clearly for the money, 100 per cent. If a player is motivated more by money than success, then maybe it is not a bad thing to miss out on him. I believe passion should be the main factor when you are signing a player."

HAIL TO THE KING: Reds legend Kenny Dalglish (right)

signed back in at Anfield as part of the Academy set up.

For all the names that have been linked with a move to the red half of Merseyside; whether it be Johnson, Ribery, Villa, Pranjic, Silva, Albiol, Negredo, Barry or even Lavezzi, one signing has already signed and the Reds supporters could not be happier after Kenny Dalglish returned to the club in a business capacity in a senior role at the club's youth academy as well as a global ambassador for LFC. This was one deal that truly represented value for money as the Reds legend returned to work at Anfield over 18 years after he sensationally quit as manager. The Scot, who is considered to be Liverpool's greatest player of all time, was appointed following a shake-up of the coaching staff by Benitez.

Whilst the likes of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo have been unfurling shirts for capacity crowds at the Bernabeu, Benitez has been quietly going about his business and snapping up some of the continent's best coaches for both his youth and senior squads with the likes of Jose Segura and John Achterberg being added to the ranks. Admittedly they are not names of the 'galactico' variety but, along with Johnson, they have been brought in to complete the much-maligned 'missing link'. Liverpool's summer rebuilding has been relatively small and it is expected to remain that way.

Unfortunately the gossip-hungry football fans will believe everything they read and Liverpool are signing players X, Y and Z. As The Jam once sang: 'Don't take it too serious - not many do. Read between the lines and you'll find the truth'.

Heysel - dissecting the myth

On 30 April 2005, Everton manager David Moyes made a controversial statement following his side's 2-0 defeat away to Fulham which appeared to infer that the 1985 Heysel disaster was a contributing factor to the Blues' downfall in the 1990s. This came less than a month before the 20th anniversary of the tragedy which cost 39 football supporters their lives:

"Personally, taking a team into Europe is something I wanted to do," he said, when asked about the Blues’ European ambitions. "This is a club that has won in Europe and if it wasn't for the years after Heysel maybe Everton would have been regular contenders. We've got to try and make sure this is not just a one-off."

Surprisingly no journalists or pundits pulled him up on this despite the fact that the statement impliesthat the repercussions of Heysel had a knock-on effect on the Goodison gravy train - a popular myth in the game. The Blues were crowned League Champions in the 1984/85 season which also saw them lift the European Cup Winners' Cup.

English clubs were banned from entering European competitions by UEFA for five years. Some Everton supporters believe that the implication of that European ban was the downfall of their greatest team since Harry Catterick's 'School of Science' squad of the 1960s.

If this was the case why did Gary Lineker join them in the summer 1985, when European football was off the menu?

A year later he moved onto pastures new in the form of FC Barcelona but money was at the forefront of the transfer rather than the prospect of European football although it may have served as an added bonus for the England international who claims he was sold against his will by the Goodison board.

Everton's team, contrary to myth, did not fall apart with the departure of Lineker as they proved in 1987 when they pipped the Reds to the title. The only person to leave the 'sinking ship' was manager Howard Kendall who grew frustrated with the embargo on his club playing on the continent.

Between 1985/86 and 1989/90, 20 English clubs were affected by the post-Heysel ban. Liverpool were banned for a further year on account of being in the final and their supporters seen as the sole culprits for the deaths of 39 supporters in the dilapidated Heysel Stadium.

Despite this, Liverpool bounced back. As did Arsenal, Manchester United and even Tottenham Hotspur. Had no ban been in effect, Arsenal would have qualified for the European Cup once and the UEFA Cup four seasons. Spurs would match their local rivals in terms of entries to the UEFA Cup, also with four. United would have made the competition twice whilst the Merseyside clubs would have, collectively, qualified for the European Cup five times, the UEFA Cup three times and the Cup Winners' Cup twice - although Everton's place in the 86/87 competition would have been awarded by default due to Liverpool scooping a League and FA Cup double the season previous.

Some Everton supporters will tell you that Heysel put paid to their club’s glory years but, in reality, it was the expansion and evolution of the game into the big-money monster that it continues to become that saw them left behind. Fresh investment into the coffers at Goodison Park has been scarce – partially down to the fact that potential suitors do not see Everton’s working class facade as an attractive selling point compared to the likes of Chelsea or Arsenal.

Regardless of this, the fact remains that Moyes claimed that Everton were the biggest victims of Heysel – a tragedy where 39 people lost their lives – to score points in his never-ending war of words with Liverpool Football Club is a disgrace and an insult to those who died on that fateful night in Brussels and their families who continue to grieve 24 years on.