Since our regular columnist Keith Perkins is on vacation this week and I don't have the time to write right now, we'll publish Keith's questionnaire. I've been bugging him to have a week off so I can put this in the newsletter and here it is.

If you want to do one of these as well, feel free to put in your own answers and send it our way.

P Gill

Name: Keith Perkins

Age (optional): If age is optional, I’d like to be 29 please. Actually, I’m 49.

How long have you supported Liverpool for?: 40 years, give or take.

Why Liverpool: First relative to get to me was red instead of blue. Yes it was that simple...and that frighteningly close to being condemned to a life of misery.

Best memory of being a red: There are lots to choose from, so I’ll go with the most recent one being May 25 2005. I know that’s not an original or a unique answer but it will do for now. I’ll be happy to share some of my best memories later.

Worst memory of being a red: Hillsborough is by far the worst moment for all of us. Heysel was a close second in my mind. After that there are lots of disappointing moments that I won’t go into now.

Fave LFC players (all-time): Tough to choose only two or three, I have to say St. John, Peter Thompson, Hunt, Lawler, Yeats and Callaghan as some of the earliest. Then Keegan, Toshack, Heighway, McDermott, Dalglish, Rush, Beardsley, Grobbelaar, Fowler, Owen, Carragher, Gerrard, Riise, and more recently Garcia, Morientes and Alonso just to name a few. Naturally I’ll think of a few more as soon as I think I’ve finished the list. Of course, Torben Piechnik, Istvan Kozma and Stig Inge Bjornebye make it onto my list of favourites purely because of the sound of their names.

Current LFC faves: The one in the shirt with the liver bird on the chest. I should have used that answer for the last question, but then I wouldn’t have had the chance to say Torben Piechnik, Istvan Kozma, and Stig Inge Bjornebye, which I try to do at every opportunity.

Most hated team(s): For various reasons, the nominees are: Man Ure, Chel$ki, Arse – nil, Real Mud-rid, just to slag a few. The envelope please, and the winner is: whoever comes up against us next.

Best LFC game: Again not an original answer but I’ll take the most recent of the best ones: May 25 2005. Also have to mention the quarter final first leg against Juventus, the 2001 FA Cup final, the 1986 FA Cup final, and so many others.

Fave current non-LFC player: Have to say Ronaldinho, purely for his entertainment value.

All time best non-LFC player: Pele, Best (reluctantly) and Cruyff (you don’t seriously expect just one do you?). George Best is the only one that I ever saw play in person; I still remember him as being unstoppable once he had the ball at his feet. Pele is probably the best player of all time, a class act all around during his playing days. Cruyff was possibly the best athlete ever in any sport.

How’s Rafa doing?: Genius in Champions League; rapidly improving in Premier League. It’s easy to say that now, but I would have given the same answer six weeks or a couple of months ago (honest).

If you were the manager, 3 players you’d sign: I don’t know enough about most of Europe because we don’t see much of them. So I’ll take the easy way out and say Sol Cambell and Damien Duff, both of whom should have signed for us when they had the chance, and Michael Owen who should never have left.

What do we need to do to the side right now?: I think we are only two or three players away (not necessarily the ones named above) from being a serious championship contender. More than three might disturb the mix or “chemistry” of the team too much if brought in too quickly.

LFC dream starting 11 (and 5 for the bench): Another tough one but I won’t kop out (if you’ll excuse the pun)...I’ll start with 11 from the European dominating sides of 1977 to 79:
Clemence, Neal, Thompson, Hansen, A. Kennedy, Case, McDermott, Souness, R. Kennedy, Dalglish, Keegan. Then Grobbelaar, Hughes, Owen, Gerrard, and Molby on the bench.

International footy…yay or nay?: A lukewarm yay.

Which country’s team does it for you (if yay): Canada, England.

Opinion on the state of football right now: I’m still as passionate about the game as ever (especially the reds of course) but I worry that the costs due to salaries and transfer fees etc. are getting out of control. That could cause a lot of clubs to over-extend themselves financially in an effort to compete with the big money clubs and then collapse. That’s essentially what happened to the NASL. An equally unattractive alternative would be the private takeover of clubs by the likes of the Glazers, purely as a corporate branded money maker, which would take all of that passion out of the game. Maybe a salary cap is the answer, but I don’t know.

Anything else?: I look a lot better in person than I do in the picture, or at least I hope so!

the Kop got tired of encouraging chants before the Fulham game, and tried a more direct way of assistance to our strikeforce... P Gill

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