Liverpool For Champions League Glory Again !

[muckypups]

As UEFA, typically, directs all the blame for the ticket fiasco in Athens at Liverpool, the English club involved, this article from the Independent tells a different story...

Champions League final: A fan's eye view

Final shambles as cigarette boxes pass for stadium tickets

By Evan Fanning in Athens

On Wednesday afternoon in Syntagma Square here the atmosphere was jubilant ahead of the European Cup final, but there was an underlying feeling of anger that so many fans were unable to find tickets anywhere. There were plenty of forgeries available from both Greek and English touts, and they even had their own market value based on the fact that they were not genuine tickets.

About 5pm I made my way to the Olympic Stadium ahead of the 9.45pm kick-off. At the first ticket check my ticket was examined by stewards, initially with an ultra-violet light to prove that it was genuine, and then marked with a hole punch. This allowed me to enter a vast concrete area outside the actual ground.

As the crowds built up, the stewards at this checkpoint asked the fans to hold their tickets in the air as they approached the crash barriers. I saw one middle-aged man's ticket being snatched from his hand by someone who disappeared in the crowd. The man gave chase but fell as the thief hurdled a crash barrier. Amazingly, a policeman held the crash barrier steady as the thief scaled it and stood still while he escaped.

At the stadium itself my ticket was checked again with an ultra-violet scanner and then the perforated section was removed. After the game I spoke to friends who were sitting in other parts of the ground who had entirely different experiences. As they approached the entrance to the stadium itself the stewards asked the large numbers in front of them to simply hold their tickets in the air.

The stewards then watched to make sure everyone had a blue ticket in their hand and that was the extent of the ticket check. At no point over the course of the night - at any of the various ticket checks - had anyone examined their tickets in more detail than this.

My friends spoke to people who had held up blue cigarette boxes and other pamphlets with the Uefa logo on them and had found themselves sitting in a seat in the stadium or, like hundreds of others, watching the match in the gangway that lead to the seats.

This, it is worth noting, was not in the Liverpool area but in a mixed area, populated by Liverpool, Milan and neutral supporters. The direct result was that a lot of fans with genuine tickets found themselves locked out and angry about the non-existent ticket checks. After telling them the stadium was full, the police then fired tear gas and charged with batons.

While Uefa blames Liverpool supporters for forging tickets, it is clear to anyone who was there that the whole operation was a shambles. Stewards did not care, police were looking for trouble and Uefa was nowhere to be seen. With next year's final in Moscow and all that it entails I, like many other Liverpool fans, might settle for a Premiership title challenge instead.

Edited May 25, 2007 by muckypups

[highchol]

Glory huters , flash in the pan !!!!! , does every other true footie fan feel the same way about CHELSKI fans ( those under 40 years old ) ????????

"From Stamford Bridge to Upton Park, You Can Stick The Blue Flag Up Your **** "

Reckon so

But they'll implode whenever Mourinho goes.

Where will all the badge kissing be next then, Frankie boy.

Shut up you mugs! I've been a true blue all my life as my family was before me!, I started going to Stamford Bridge in 1986, so dont tarnish all blue boys with all that flash in the pan bullsh*t and I'm only 31!!

Flash in the pan? glory seeker?

A little history lesson for you ...

my favourate comment though Posted by millerward on 24 May 2007 23:33

http://boards.footymad.net/mboard/fmb.php?...;mid=2133165332

League div 2 1983 Pld Home Away Overall Pts GD

W D L F A W D L F A W D L F A

1 Queens Park Rangers 42 16 3 2 51 16 10 4 7 26 20 26 7 9 77 36 85 +41

2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 14 5 2 42 16 6 10 5 26 28 20 15 7 68 44 75 +24

3 Leicester City 42 11 4 6 36 15 9 6 6 36 29 20 10 12 72 44 70 +28

4 Fulham 42 13 5 3 36 20 7 4 10 28 27 20 9 13 64 47 69 +17

5 Newcastle United 42 13 6 2 43 21 5 7 9 32 32 18 13 11 75 53 67 +22

6 Sheffield Wednesday 42 9 8 4 33 23 7 7 7 27 24 16 15 11 60 47 63 +13

7 Oldham Athletic 42 8 10 3 38 24 6 9 6 26 23 14 19 9 64 47 61 +17

8 Leeds United 42 7 11 3 28 22 6 10 5 23 24 13 21 8 51 46 60 +5

9 Shrewsbury Town 42 8 9 4 20 15 7 5 9 28 33 15 14 13 48 48 59 0

10 Barnsley 42 9 8 4 37 28 5 7 9 20 27 14 15 13 57 55 57 +2

11 Blackburn Rovers 42 11 7 3 38 21 4 5 12 20 37 15 12 15 58 58 57 0

12 Cambridge United 42 11 7 3 26 17 2 5 14 16 43 13 12 17 42 60 51 -18

13 Derby County 42 7 10 4 27 24 3 9 9 22 34 10 19 13 49 58 49 -9

14 Carlisle United 42 10 6 5 44 28 2 6 13 24 42 12 12 18 68 70 48 -2

15 Crystal Palace 42 11 7 3 31 17 1 5 15 12 35 12 12 18 43 52 48 -9

16 Middlesbrough 42 8 7 6 27 29 3 8 10 19 38 11 15 16 46 67 48 -21

17 Charlton Athletic 42 11 3 7 40 31 2 6 13 23 55 13 9 20 63 86 48 -23

18 Chelsea 42 8 8 5 31 22 3 6 12 20 39 11 14 17 51 61 47 -10

19 Grimsby Town 42 9 7 5 32 26 3 4 14 13 44 12 11 19 45 70 47 -25

20 Rotherham United 42 6 7 8 22 29 4 8 9 23 39 10 15 17 45 68 45 -23

21 Burnley 42 10 4 7 38 24 2 4 15 18 42 12 8 22 56 66 44 -10

22 Bolton Wanderers 42 10 2 9 30 26 1 9 11 12 35 11 11 20 42 61 44 -19

COLOUR KEY: Champions / Promoted team(s) Transferred team(s)

Play-Off team(s) Relegated team(s)

[jjp]

As UEFA, typically, directs all the blame for the ticket fiasco in Athens at Liverpool, the English club involved, this article from the Independent tells a different story...

Champions League final: A fan's eye view

Final shambles as cigarette boxes pass for stadium tickets

By Evan Fanning in Athens

On Wednesday afternoon in Syntagma Square here the atmosphere was jubilant ahead of the European Cup final, but there was an underlying feeling of anger that so many fans were unable to find tickets anywhere. There were plenty of forgeries available from both Greek and English touts, and they even had their own market value based on the fact that they were not genuine tickets.

About 5pm I made my way to the Olympic Stadium ahead of the 9.45pm kick-off. At the first ticket check my ticket was examined by stewards, initially with an ultra-violet light to prove that it was genuine, and then marked with a hole punch. This allowed me to enter a vast concrete area outside the actual ground.

As the crowds built up, the stewards at this checkpoint asked the fans to hold their tickets in the air as they approached the crash barriers. I saw one middle-aged man's ticket being snatched from his hand by someone who disappeared in the crowd. The man gave chase but fell as the thief hurdled a crash barrier. Amazingly, a policeman held the crash barrier steady as the thief scaled it and stood still while he escaped.

At the stadium itself my ticket was checked again with an ultra-violet scanner and then the perforated section was removed. After the game I spoke to friends who were sitting in other parts of the ground who had entirely different experiences. As they approached the entrance to the stadium itself the stewards asked the large numbers in front of them to simply hold their tickets in the air.

The stewards then watched to make sure everyone had a blue ticket in their hand and that was the extent of the ticket check. At no point over the course of the night - at any of the various ticket checks - had anyone examined their tickets in more detail than this.

My friends spoke to people who had held up blue cigarette boxes and other pamphlets with the Uefa logo on them and had found themselves sitting in a seat in the stadium or, like hundreds of others, watching the match in the gangway that lead to the seats.

This, it is worth noting, was not in the Liverpool area but in a mixed area, populated by Liverpool, Milan and neutral supporters. The direct result was that a lot of fans with genuine tickets found themselves locked out and angry about the non-existent ticket checks. After telling them the stadium was full, the police then fired tear gas and charged with batons.

While Uefa blames Liverpool supporters for forging tickets, it is clear to anyone who was there that the whole operation was a shambles. Stewards did not care, police were looking for trouble and Uefa was nowhere to be seen. With next year's final in Moscow and all that it entails I, like many other Liverpool fans, might settle for a Premiership title challenge instead.

yep, those loonypool fans are the best in the world

[lampard10]

[

But they'll implode whenever Mourinho goes.

AGHHHHHHHHH at last you finally agree. It's the manager that makes Chelsea great, not the Russian cash. Thanks mate.

[EastSaxCol]

[

But they'll implode whenever Mourinho goes.

AGHHHHHHHHH at last you finally agree. It's the manager that makes Chelsea great, not the Russian cash. Thanks mate.

NO,NO !

Chelsington are a plastic Club that represent all that's bad about football, because they've built their success on money and nothing else. As I posted on the Chelsea Thread as an analogy , I prefer to see breasts that are real and not artificially enlarged (no reference to your namesake,btw).

It's just that Mourinho is the obvious link that holds the tenious loyalty amongst the Chelsington players together. Whenever he goes, so will a lot of them wan't out.

If Abramovich takes the money and runs (always a possibility) then the whole show will come crashing down.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Happy Hammer

[lampard10]

Chelsington are a plastic Club that represent all that's bad about football, because they've built their success on money and nothing else. As I posted on the Chelsea Thread as an analogy , I prefer to see breasts that are real and not artificially enlarged (no reference to your namesake,btw).

It's just that Mourinho is the obvious link that holds the tenious loyalty amongst the Chelsington players together. Whenever he goes, so will a lot of them wan't out.

If Abramovich takes the money and runs (always a possibility) then the whole show will come crashing down.

Sorry, mate. I was under the impression that the man who saved West Iceham from certain humiliation, was bought with mega-foreign-bucks. Please correct me if perchance I am wrong

And also, my dear mis-informed youth, you obviously know sod all about football, or you would realise that the big-money stars Chelsea have bought in have nearly all flopped. It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

Edited May 25, 2007 by lampard10

[scousemouse]

Chelsington are a plastic Club that represent all that's bad about football, because they've built their success on money and nothing else. As I posted on the Chelsea Thread as an analogy , I prefer to see breasts that are real and not artificially enlarged (no reference to your namesake,btw).

It's just that Mourinho is the obvious link that holds the tenious loyalty amongst the Chelsington players together. Whenever he goes, so will a lot of them wan't out.

If Abramovich takes the money and runs (always a possibility) then the whole show will come crashing down.

Sorry, mate. I was under the impression that the man who saved West Iceham from certain humiliation, was bought with mega-foreign-bucks. Please correct me if perchance I am wrong

And also, my dear mis-informed youth, you obviously know sod all about football, or you would realise that the big-money stars Chelsea have bought in have nearly all flopped. It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

Good old faithfull Chelski boys like Lampard and Cole ???? , were'nt they bought for big money from another team .. .

[scousemouse]

So then , in the end we were beaten by a handball by the Italians (scumbags).

Can't they ever win anything without there being some sort of scandal and the win being tarnished ????.

I suppose they were due one though after 2005 but now that that ghost has been laid to rest there is going to be a huge bulls-eye on Milans back for a few years now.

Roll on August .

p.s - what are we going to talk about now for the next 3 months , transfer rumours , actual transfers , pre season friendlies , new managers , shocking moves and shocking predictions , I think we've got enough .

[EastSaxCol]

Chelsington are a plastic Club that represent all that's bad about football, because they've built their success on money and nothing else. As I posted on the Chelsea Thread as an analogy , I prefer to see breasts that are real and not artificially enlarged (no reference to your namesake,btw).

It's just that Mourinho is the obvious link that holds the tenious loyalty amongst the Chelsington players together. Whenever he goes, so will a lot of them wan't out.

If Abramovich takes the money and runs (always a possibility) then the whole show will come crashing down.

Sorry, mate. I was under the impression that the man who saved West Iceham from certain humiliation, was bought with mega-foreign-bucks. Please correct me if perchance I am wrong

And also, my dear mis-informed youth, you obviously know sod all about football, or you would realise that the big-money stars Chelsea have bought in have nearly all flopped. It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

And also, my dear mis-informed youth

Listen 'mate'. I've supported West Ham for over 50 years. So less of the overwhelmingly patronizing presumptions if you please.

The difference between Eggert Magnusson and your Russian-mafia owner is that Magnusson actually likes football and has said on numerous occasions that he want's to maintain the traditions of West Ham. That is not become the replica of a Club that's had its soul ripped out and whose plastic 'supporters' will also be the same ones seen at Wimbledon week. Mind you at Wimbledon at least the gentile middle-class tennis fans are more vocal than your glory hunting , so called supporters

But as scousemouse has observed first, your poverty of knowledge is emabarrassingly exposed when without irony you write:

It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

Yeah right oh Lumpo, mate. I really take you seriously.

[highchol]

Chelsington are a plastic Club that represent all that's bad about football, because they've built their success on money and nothing else. As I posted on the Chelsea Thread as an analogy , I prefer to see breasts that are real and not artificially enlarged (no reference to your namesake,btw).

It's just that Mourinho is the obvious link that holds the tenious loyalty amongst the Chelsington players together. Whenever he goes, so will a lot of them wan't out.

If Abramovich takes the money and runs (always a possibility) then the whole show will come crashing down.

Sorry, mate. I was under the impression that the man who saved West Iceham from certain humiliation, was bought with mega-foreign-bucks. Please correct me if perchance I am wrong

And also, my dear mis-informed youth, you obviously know sod all about football, or you would realise that the big-money stars Chelsea have bought in have nearly all flopped. It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

And also, my dear mis-informed youth

Listen 'mate'. I've supported West Ham for over 50 years. So less of the overwhelmingly patronizing presumptions if you please.

The difference between Eggert Magnusson and your Russian-mafia owner is that Magnusson actually likes football and has said on numerous occasions that he want's to maintain the traditions of West Ham. That is not become the replica of a Club that's had its soul ripped out and whose plastic 'supporters' will also be the same ones seen at Wimbledon week. Mind you at Wimbledon at least the gentile middle-class tennis fans are more vocal than your glory hunting , so called supporters

But as scousemouse has observed first, your poverty of knowledge is emabarrassingly exposed when without irony you write:

It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

Yeah right oh Lumpo, mate. I really take you seriously.

does maintaining west hams traditions include the winning nowt one?

sorry I couldn't resist

[lampard10]

But as scousemouse has observed first, your poverty of knowledge is emabarrassingly exposed when without irony you write:

It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

Yeah right oh Lumpo, mate. I really take you seriously.

Sod this football lark; I'm taking up fishing

[Seapok]

But as scousemouse has observed first, your poverty of knowledge is emabarrassingly exposed when without irony you write:

It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

Yeah right oh Lumpo, mate. I really take you seriously.

Sod this football lark; I'm taking up fishing

Lamps, I think all the football nuts should get together next Songkran in your bar and have it out over some chilled beers! that would be an interesting evening!! haha where is your bar anyway?

[lampard10]

Now tell me this with all honesty 'arry the 'appy 'ammer; if by chance Magnus magnesson or whatever his name is, decided that West Ham were not good enough, and bought loads of top players. Next year, they finished runners-up in the league, won the Carling Cup and the F.A. Cup, would you in all honesty go looking for another club to support, or would you say YEAH, we are good now.

It's a good job you didn't write Cinderella, or she would still be washing her frigging floors. No fairy God-mother in your story.

And I have supported Chelsea for 50 years by the way. And I'm very happy at last.

And Seapok...........it's in Surin.

Edited May 25, 2007 by lampard10

[Seapok]

But as scousemouse has observed first, your poverty of knowledge is emabarrassingly exposed when without irony you write:

It's been the good old faithfulls that have kept the club ticking over. Like Lampard & Cole.

Yeah right oh Lumpo, mate. I really take you seriously.

Sod this football lark; I'm taking up fishing

Lamps, I think all the football nuts should get together next Songkran in your bar and have it out over some chilled beers! that would be an interesting eveing!! haha where is your bar anyway?

[EastSaxCol]

Now tell me this with all honesty 'arry the 'appy 'ammer; if by chance Magnus magnesson or whatever his name is, decided that West Ham were not good enough, and bought loads of top players. Next year, they finished runners-up in the league, won the Carling Cup and the F.A. Cup, would you in all honesty go looking for another club to support, or would you say YEAH, we are good now.

If we became another Chelsington I'd do what many of the old timers of your Club have done, i.e start watching lower league or non-league football instead. Success doesn't come at any price for those that genuinly love the Club, its history and traditions.

I've never liked Chelsea, mate. But at least I used to respect the fact that you had passionate support ( your ever so 'ya-ya', Sloane pull of the sixties, and after, apart) But now ? You've got to admit what Chelsington are now is a sad reflection of what you were. Sorry,but if West Ham ever became that, then it just wouldn't be West Ham anymore. But ,fortunately, it ain't gonna happen.

But as it happens. I think that the ManUre way is probably the best model to follow now. A mixture of buying in players and a having good, working youth policy. Fortunately, we now have an excellent chairman and some very promising youngsters coming through our Academy. Young, Mark Noble is one good example.

One thing's for sure. We are now in a position to build and not having to sell our best youngsters to those

parasites who can only leech off what others have nurtured.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Happy Hammer

[Sarge]

faaaaaaaaaaaaaaackin hells bells .

Well ,I thought that word REVENGE had been spoken a bit too much leading up to the final .

Thanx to all you muppets who were calling me and texting me after the final , I had to be up at 5:30 for work you benny's , call yourselves family\mates .

I am man enough to be gracious in defeat , well on tv anyway ( I got sent home early from work today , nuff said ).

Congrats to milan , I'm feeling just a bit of what you lot felt in 2005 and its not nice.

I was going to post along the lines revenge, justice is done blah blah... but your gracious post took the wind out of any intentions of doing so. To be fair, I think Liverpool acquainted themselves better on the pitch and were close to scoring goal on occasion. But for most Milan (and Italian) supporters it was most gratifying to give Liverpool a taste of their own medicine. If only the British tabloids (and some TV pundits) would follow scousemouse's lead then British teams will enjoy a better reception abroad. Among tons of comments flooding the net about this final, one geordie git said that out of 3 of 4 teams in the CL seminal were British but the winner come from a different nation. That sums it up all really.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Sarge

[lampard10]

But as it happens. I think that the ManUre way is probably the best model to follow now. A mixture of buying in players and a having good, working youth policy. Fortunately, we now have an excellent chairman and some very promising youngsters coming through our Academy. Young, Mark Noble is one good example.

One thing's for sure. We are now in a position to build and not having to sell our best youngsters to those

parasites who can only leech off what others have nurtured.

"ang on 'ang on...........................isn't that what farming is all about. You train youngsters to be professionals. Then they decide which way to go. There must be 100 at the academy at any one time. You mean to tell me you want a squad of 100. That's a bit like saying all the pupils at one school must work within that school when they leave.

[EastSaxCol]

But as it happens. I think that the ManUre way is probably the best model to follow now. A mixture of buying in players and a having good, working youth policy. Fortunately, we now have an excellent chairman and some very promising youngsters coming through our Academy. Young, Mark Noble is one good example.

One thing's for sure. We are now in a position to build and not having to sell our best youngsters to those

parasites who can only leech off what others have nurtured.

"ang on 'ang on...........................isn't that what farming is all about. You train youngsters to be professionals. Then they decide which way to go. There must be 100 at the academy at any one time. You mean to tell me you want a squad of 100. That's a bit like saying all the pupils at one school must work within that school when they leave.

Tch, tch. Out of any academy of promising young players very few actually make it to the top grade at any one time, five or six at the most maybe.

Many younsters drop out - or more likely are rejected, some make it to the reserves - but no further, some move to lower leagues - very few of which actually go on to realise a potential not seen whilst they served their apprenticeships. At least that's the experience of what's happened at our Academy over the years. But I'm sure that it's the same with any other Clubs that have a recognised youth policy.

So. it's plain daft to talk about one hundred academy players at any one time even getting near to the youth team or making it to the reserves, let alone the first squad.

[scousemouse]

Right lads , enough of Athens , I've got a quandry concerning a certain Mr. Michael Owen.

We are rumoured ( along with everyone else ) to be intrested in signing him.

Now dont get me wrong , when Owen was with us I loved him to bits , so much so that my first born son is called Owen. And when he came back to England from spain a few years back I was really hoping he would return to Anfield , but the geordies spoiled that one.

Now we cant forget that he left us to pursue trophies , ironic that he has won nothing since and we have won the champions league and F.A cup .

Do we really need him or want him back ????

[scousemouse]

The last word on Athens :

Our Athens police hel_l May 24 2007

by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL fans were tear-gassed and baton charged by Greek police amid chaotic scenes at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.

Today shocked fans said the “shambolic organisation” of the Champions League final led to:

Ugly scenes and heavy-handed police tactics

Genuine ticket holders were not allowed in to see the game by Greek police

Clashes breaking out before kick off as police lost control at entry points to the ground.

Fans queuing up were told the stadium was full and they would not be allowed in but as angry supporters begged to be allowed in they were pushed back by riot police who hit out with batons.

When they refused to disperse, police fired tear gas at them, causing scores to flee the area with streaming eyes.

Reds supporter Vicky Campbell, 29, from Hunts Cross, said: “We got through the first two ticket check rings around the ground and just as I approached the turnstile, this man came out and said the stadium was full.

“I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There were hundreds of people in my section who had genuine tickets and were locked out.

“People got angry, there was no violence or anything, but the police came out and started firing the tear gas.

“It was dreadful - so unnecessary. There were children in the crowd and the police just didn’t give them a second thought.”

Reds fan Nick Page told the ECHO he was deeply shocked by what he had seen.

He said: “It was an absolute disgrace.

“I managed to get in but I know loads of people with tickets who were stuck outside.

“The police just started hitting out at them with batons, it was horrible.

“I can’t believe they used tear gas - there were women and kids there and all they were guilty of was wanting to see their team in the European Cup final.”

There were also claims that Liverpool supporters had attempted to rush the gates. One fence had been pulled down.

Mike Connerty, from Bootle, said he turned away from the stadium rather than trying to get in when he saw the trouble.

He said: “There’d been rumours going around all day that the gates were going to get rushed.

“I told my mates we’d have to get to the ground before then but we got held up in traffic and when we got there I saw a gang of lads pulling a fence down because the police wouldn’t let them in.

“The next thing, the police just waded in, hitting anyone who was in their way.

“It got really bad so I just walked away.”

Billy Spears, from Croxteth, said: “It was a joke. Every step of the way the Greek police slowed up the movement of fans into the stadium and this caused bottlenecks.

“I’m a big lad but I don’t mind admitting it was scary. People were panicking more and more as kick-off time approached and all of a sudden the police told us no-one else would be getting into the ground.

“Then they started pushing us back to try and clear the concourse but all of a sudden they started hitting out at us.

“I got hit once across the legs just for being there. Then they started using pepper spray because some lads at the back of the crowd had started throwing stuff.

“I can’t believe it happened, to be honest. I never got to see the game but I’m not even that bothered. I’m just stunned.”

Despite insisting they would be able to deal with the problem of an estimated 5,000 forged tickets being in circulation, the Greek force was unable to cope.

Around 120 fans were arrested for possessing forged tickets, but many, many more managed to breach security and the so-called ring of steel.

There were four ticket checks on the way into the stadium but they were breached, with genuine tickets being passed back by hand and thousands with forgeries managing to avoid the scanners.

That resulted in thousands more people being in the Liverpool end than the stands were supposed to hold.

Mike Hill, from Formby, slammed Uefa and the Greek authorities for failing to deal with the situation.

He said: “The organisation was a shambles but no one at Uefa will take any responsibility.

“The whole situation could have been avoided if they’d given Liverpool a decent ticket allocation instead of the scandalously low 17,000 they gave us.

“All that did was make fans desperate and that gave the touts and the forgers the chance to cash in.”

Philip Smart, from Fairfield, added: “We were treated like cattle.

“At every single checkpoint we were jostled by the police and people were genuinely scared.

“It is a joke that Uefa could choose a stadium which doesn’t have turnstiles for such a huge game”

Video journalist Jessica Shaughnessy - who works for the ECHO’s sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post - got caught up in a scramble outside the ground, triggered by an announcement that the ground was full.

Jessica, whose footage of the incident can be seen at www.liverpoolecho.co.uk, said: “As fans were coming out of the Metro station, an announcement was made that the stadium was full.

“There were still a lot of Liverpool fans trying to get to the ground, with legitimate tickets.

“They started running towards the front of the pen which fans coming out of the Metro were put in until there was space closer to the ground. They were shouting ‘We have tickets’.

“The police then appeared, pushing people back with their shields.

“The crowd got angry and one fan shouted ‘Ambush, run at them’.

“Then a few of them ran towards the police, jumped over the fence, while the police on megaphones were shouting ‘Get back, get back, stay back’ and they sprayed the tear gas into the pen.”

No one from Uefa or the Greek police force responded to the ECHO’s messages requesting their response over the chaos in Athens.

[scousemouse]

This doesnt sound too good .

Parry plays down Benitez reports Benitez has a long list of reported summer targetsLiverpool chief executive Rick Parry has played down reports that manager Rafael Benitez is unhappy with the progress made over new signings.

Parry insists American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett will provide Benitez with money for transfers.

"They think Rafa is the right man for the job, they think he's a fantastic coach and they want to provide him with the backing," he told BBC Five Live.

"The position is to focus on getting things done and stop the speculation."

Spaniard Benitez has called for substantial funds so he can strengthen his squad in a bid to challenge Manchester United and Chelsea for the Premiership title

The Reds reached this season's Champions League final, where they lost to AC Milan, but again fell short in the league, finishing the season 21 points behind champions United.

It is now 17 years since Liverpool last won the domestic title.

"The commitment of the owners is absolutely clear," added Parry.

"They are going to provide backing and have made that clear to Rafa and we will be moving forward very positively."

However, Gillett is not convinced the Premiership crown is a realistic target next season.

"I don't know if we are capable of challenging for the title next year," stated the American.

"We want to make progress but it is a multiple-year programme. We want to challenge but we won't do it overnight.

"Manchester United are formidable competitors, Arsenal are one year older, with brilliant young players, and Chelsea are not going to get any worse.

"Next season is up to Rafa Benitez and our chief executive Rick Parry.

"They have a plan and we're working on it. We're right behind it but we've got a big job to do."

Meanwhile, Parry hopes Uefa make positive strides in assessing and reacting to the crowd chaos at the Champions League final in Athens.

Thousands of Liverpool fans failed to get into the ground, despite having tickets, and riot police used tear gas and batons outside the Olympic Stadium to quell disturbances as supporters were turned away.

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard has suggested future finals could be rotated around stadiums with a capacity of at least 70,000 and Parry would back such a plan.

"It has got to be a good idea to stage finals in stadiums that are up to the task," said Parry.

There was real breakdown in procedures by any analysis

Rick Parry

"To have a stadium with no counting systems and no turnstiles in this day and age is simply unforgivable for any standard of game, let alone a major final.

"We produced a report for Uefa the week before predicting, sadly, all of the things that actually did go wrong.

"We told Uefa our intelligence suggested there were 5,000 forged tickets in existence.

"They knew and we knew that thousands would travel without tickets and stressed the need for a proper check at the outer cordon.

"We don't condone the behaviour of Liverpool fans who charged gates, who stole tickets or knowingly had forgeries but, at the same time, we are hugely concerned that many innocent fans with valid tickets did not get in.

"There was real breakdown in procedures by any analysis and the checks at the outer cordon clearly didn't work.

"Short of having 40,000 tickets you are always going to have disappointed people.

"But 17,000 was nowhere near enough. We have seen the numbers in Dortmund for the Uefa Cup final in 2001 and Istanbul for the Champions League final two years ago and it was clear there was going to be the same or even a greater demand in Athens."

[scousemouse]

The latest from the Liverpool regarding transfer rumour news :

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has urged the club to re-sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen. (Telegraph) Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Peter Crouch has been told he does have a future at the club. (Telegraph)

Chelsea forward Hernan Crespo, who is on loan at Inter Milan, has predicted that whoever buys West Ham striker Carlos Tevez will win the Premiership next season. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool will make a £10m bid for France and Lyon winger Florent Malouda. (Daily Mirror)

[Penkoprod]

Well, there's certainly a lot of smoke and mirrors about, thats for sure

One thing that people haven't picked up on though is this:

Chelsea are going back to the bargain basement, and telling Maureen in no uncertain terms that there will be NO more big signings for the forseeable future.

The American owners of Man Utd are rumoured to be looking to offload the club, owing to the fact that its not turning out to be the great cash cow they thought it was.

Hold those two thoughts for a moment, and look whats happening/has happened in the recent past at Liverpool:

New AMERICAN owners promising untold wealth will be made available, and rumours of players being lined up that will cost upto 30 million................each !!!!!

Talk about going against the tide !!!!!

Lets hope that, with both Chelsea and Man Utd backtracking on their previous modus operandi as it were, the game might revert back to something sensible again, huh?

Penkoprod

[scousemouse]

So the mancs have started early with the summer spending spree then eh .......!!!!!!!!!.

Rafa will be coming in with his cheque book soon dont worry about that .

[scousemouse]

Liverpool's fixtures for 2007-2008 , before sky sports and cup games change them all .

Not the easiest of starts and spurs away last game of the season.

Saturday, 11 August 2007Barclays Premier LeagueAston Villa v Liverpool, 15:00Wednesday, 15 August 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v West Ham, 19:45Saturday, 18 August 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Chelsea, 15:00Saturday, 25 August 2007Barclays Premier LeagueSunderland v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 01 September 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Derby, 15:00Saturday, 15 September 2007Barclays Premier LeaguePortsmouth v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 22 September 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Birmingham, 15:00Saturday, 29 September 2007Barclays Premier LeagueWigan v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 06 October 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Tottenham, 15:00Saturday, 20 October 2007Barclays Premier LeagueEverton v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 27 October 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Arsenal, 15:00Saturday, 03 November 2007Barclays Premier LeagueBlackburn v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 10 November 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Fulham, 15:00Saturday, 24 November 2007Barclays Premier LeagueNewcastle v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 01 December 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Bolton, 15:00Saturday, 08 December 2007Barclays Premier LeagueReading v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 15 December 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Man Utd, 15:00Saturday, 22 December 2007Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Portsmouth, 15:00Wednesday, 26 December 2007Barclays Premier LeagueDerby v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 29 December 2007Barclays Premier LeagueMan City v Liverpool, 15:00Tuesday, 01 January 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Wigan, 15:00Saturday, 12 January 2008Barclays Premier LeagueMiddlesbro' v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 19 January 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Aston Villa, 15:00Tuesday, 29 January 2008Barclays Premier LeagueWest Ham v Liverpool, 19:45Saturday, 02 February 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Sunderland, 15:00Saturday, 09 February 2008Barclays Premier LeagueChelsea v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 23 February 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Middlesbro', 15:00Saturday, 01 March 2008Barclays Premier LeagueBolton v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 08 March 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Newcastle, 15:00Saturday, 15 March 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Reading, 15:00Saturday, 22 March 2008Barclays Premier LeagueMan Utd v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 29 March 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Everton, 15:00Saturday, 05 April 2008Barclays Premier LeagueArsenal v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 12 April 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Blackburn, 15:00Saturday, 19 April 2008Barclays Premier LeagueFulham v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 26 April 2008Barclays Premier LeagueBirmingham v Liverpool, 15:00Saturday, 03 May 2008Barclays Premier LeagueLiverpool v Man City, 15:00Sunday, 11 May 2008Barclays Premier LeagueTottenham v Liverpool, 15:00

[Penkoprod]

The west Ham game is already a non starter, due to a Champions League qualifier, which means the Anfield curtain opener will be against...........Chelski

Penkoprod

[nev]

i thought liverpool finished 3rd so dont have to qualify.

[Penkoprod]

No, its only the first TWO places that qualify automatically (chapions and runners up)

The number of places in the competition depends on the association's rank in the UEFA coefficients table:

• associations ranked 1 to 3 have four positions,
  
• associations ranked 4 to 6 have three positions,
  
• associations ranked 7 to 15 have two positions,
  
• associations ranked 16 or lower have one position.
  

An association's rank also determines the stage at which the clubs enter the competition. For example, the three highest-ranked associations have two places in the group stage (for champions and runners-up) and two in the third qualifying round (for third and fourth-placed teams), whereas the lowest-ranked associations have only one place in the first qualifying round for their champions. Nine highest-ranked associations have at least one automatic place in the group stage.

An additional place in the group stage is reserved for the title-holders, in case they don't qualify via their domestic league. However, an association is limited to sending at most four clubs for a season. This means that if the title-holders come from a league given four positions, but finish out of the top four, it will take the place of the fourth placed team.

Penkoprod

[scousemouse]

The west Ham game is already a non starter, due to a Champions League qualifier, which means the Anfield curtain opener will be against...........Chelski

Penkoprod

sawadee cap penkoprod , any news on when the draw for the qualifying rounds for the champions league will be ????.

And if it's true that the Hammers game is off, what a way to start the first game at home against chelski , who knows what the starting line up for both teams will be !!!!!

[scousemouse]

It's that time again eh ???? ........... that was quick !!!!!!.

I was thinking that as seen as we've already got a Liverpool thread now we could use this one as a Champions league thread ( I'll p.m JS to see if it's possible to re-name a thread ).

The live games on ubc are

Milan v Benfica 1:00 Star Sports

Porto v Liverpool 1:30 ESPN

I know that Chelsae are playing Rosenborg tonight aswell and it will be shown on delay after the Liverpool game and it might be shown live on thai tv , either channel 3 or 7.