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LFC Vancouver Newsletter
You'll Never Walk Alone | Volume #2 - 25| 08 March 2007 |
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For the last edition of the newsletter check here.
For last year's archives, check here. Comments/feedback/anything is always welcome. The email for the newsletter is Andy [at] lfcvancouver.com.
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News and Notes
Aston Villa Match 7PM Tape Delay - At 'The G Sport' LFC Vancouver will be meeting on Sunday 18 March to watch the Aston Villa v Liverpool match at The G Sport at 7:00PM Tape Delay. The G Sport is located at 1208 Granville Street (corner of Granville and Davie). You can find directions, on their web site, or on this map (with nearest parking lots), or on Google Maps. For those SkyTrain users, you can get off at the Granville Station and walk 5 blocks south to reach the G Sport.
18 New Members! A big welcome to new LFC Vancouver Members Mike Speakman, Brady Cameron, Rick Verma, Jack Hutchinson, Janet Dee, Michael Dee, Andrew McFee, Scott Wareing, Gary Wareing, Denis Thomas, David Harris, Ken McEwan, Raj Davda, Alastair Hughes, Angela Huxtable, Mark Cannon, Joe Sinnott, David Doherty!!
Liverpool v Barcelona - Pictures Out very own Ste took these photos of LFC Vancouver during the Liverpool v Barcelona on 6 March 2007.
Liverpool v Barcelona - Pictures from Anfield LFC Vancouver Member Chris Cole has contributed these photos from Anfield during the special European night. His friend Andy Hamilton took them during the match.
The Run Inn and LFC Vancouver Sponsorship
The Run Inn has an account with Adidas and can order numerous LFC licenced goods. You can find the LFC Catalog here. NOTE: 635196 - Originals track top, 635197 - Retro Jersey, 635189 - Retro Tee, as well as the current 053327 - Home short sleeve Jersey are all available now. Everything else is available july 2007. Pre-orders are stronly encouraged by Chris. You can see the samples now, contact Chris for more details. You can place an order with Chris Cole in person at LFC Vancouver matches, or by email at info [at] runinn.com.
Liverpool FC YouTube.com Video of the Week The Kop v Barcelona 6th March 2007
You can send comments or LFC videos to the following email address. YNWA/JFT 96,
Andy Neumann |
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Member's Corner
VHS Copy of Liverpool v Barcelona? LFC Vancouver Member Ian Hutchinson will gladly supply a beer to anyone who can lend him a VHS tape of the Liverpool v Barcelona match from 6 March 2007. If you can help him out let me know: Andy [at] lfcvancouver.com
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Last Results
Liverpool 0 - Barcelona 1
Liverpool 0 - Man Utd 1
YNWA/JFT 96,
Andy Neumann |
UPCOMING GAMES & EVENTS
Sunday 18 March - Aston Villa v Liverpool (Premiership),
Saturday 31 March - Liverpool v Arsenal (Premiership),
Tuesday 03 April - PSV v Liverpool (Champions League - 1/4 Final),
Saturday 07 April - Reading v Liverpool (Premiership),
Monday 09 April - Liverpool v Middlesbrough (Premiership),
Wednesday 11 April - Liverpool v PSV (Champions League - 1/4 Final),
Saturday 14 April - Man City v Liverpool (Premiership),
Saturday 21 April - Liverpool v Wigan (Premiership),
Saturday 28 April - Portsmouth v Liverpool (Premiership),
Saturday 05 May - Fulham v Liverpool (Premiership),
Sunday 13 April - Liverpool v Charlton (Premiership), When any of the match information above is updated, an email will be sent to notify all of you.
If you can help out with the club in any way, let us know as we're happy to have helping hands.
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Article - Two Defeats, Two Different Results
By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed, 08 March 07. This time last week I predicted that we wouldn’t lose to Man Utd, I was wrong. I should have known something bad would happen when I saw the players emerge from the tunnel wearing blue shirts, shorts and socks. No I wasn’t watching Everton or Chelsea or gone colour blind it was just the DVD player at the G Spot with the leads the wrong way round. Unfortunately I didn’t discover this until hours after the game ended so the small group of us that gathered for the tape delay had to endure watching Liverpool play in blue and Man Utd play in pink. That last part got a few laughs in the pub. Sadly they were the last laughs to be heard for the next two hours as we suffered the frustrations of the game. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see us lose right at the very end of a game we dominated. Even Sir Alex Ferguson and Gary Neville admitted afterwards that we were the better team. Speaking of Fergie, I’m not usually one to come out and praise him but he impressed me a great deal after the game ended. He walked onto the pitch, towards the Kop, began applauding the crowd and could be seen saying the words “you’re the best”. My uncle Marty made a good comment to me this week when he said; “we did enough to win but should have come away with a point so I am only looking at it as a point lost. That makes it easier to stomach”. When I think about it that way it definitely doesn’t seem as bad as it did at the time. I was so angry when the goal went in that I actually almost walked out of the pub. I jumped out of my seat in anger, muttered a few expletives and started heading for the door. It was only a few words of comfort from the landlord that led me to stay in the room. We didn’t have a lot of proper goal scoring chances to win the game but the few we did have looked pretty easy. Peter Crouch missed a sitter right before they scored. It looked as if he was worried about his broken nose because he tried to control the ball rather than heading it. However to be honest Crouch tends to do this with or without a broken nose so it probably didn’t make a blind bit of notice. I like Crouch but this is just one reason why he isn’t world class and will probably be sold in the summer.
But that’s enough of the negative talk because there is so much to be positive for this week. We are into the final eight and Arsenal is out of the competition, defeated by PSV Eindhoven. A team we smashed quite easily at Anfield in the group stages.
The crowd were outstanding as usual. On the Radio Merseyside phone in today, fans that went to the game came on raving about the atmosphere. Some said it was better than the Chelsea game in 2005 and others said it was close. The Barcelona fans were wonderful too, singing along with the Liverpool fans and joining in with the whole enjoyable camaraderie around the ground. George Gillett and Tom Hicks were certainly impressed with the evening and what a night for their first live game at Anfield. Hicks was interviewed on the radio after the game and you could hear in his voice how thrilled he was and you can tell that he seems to becoming more of a passionate Liverpool fan more and more with every day he is involved with the club. The draw is on Friday and the only teams I would prefer to avoid are Man Utd and AC Milan. But whomever we get in the quarter final we have no reason to be afraid. Rafa is a genius when it comes to European football and I’m confidant he will know what to do to beat any of the other seven teams still in the competition.
What do you think? Give Ste your comments at steSpeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.
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Article - Tom Hicks: In the Business of Winning
By LFC Vancouver member Keith Perkins, 7 March 07.
Liverpool FC were on the verge of a takeover by a group of investors from Dubai, when suddenly a previous bid from George Gillett was once again on the table. The difference between Mr. Gillett’s previous bid and the new one was not just a matter of the valuation of the club and the amount of money that would change hands, it was more to do with a renewed commitment to the future of Liverpool FC; and to reinforce this renewed commitment he had brought in a partner. This proposed new co-owner of our club was Mr. Tom Hicks, another American investor in sports teams and in whom we had plenty of reasons to be suspicious. But, we soon found that George Gillett’s record of non-interference with the Montreal Canadiens, combined with his obvious understanding of their past success and proud traditions, was enough to let us relax and not worry about drastic changes to be made in the running of our club. That was fine for Mr. Gillett, but what about this new partner?
The retirement was extremely short as he started up Hicks Holdings in January of 2005. Under this company, he expanded his billion dollar sports and real-estate interests, and began buying up and investing in diverse companies including DirecTV, and others involved in pet food, electronics, landscaping materials, etc. That’s the official story of Tom Hicks the successful business man, but what we want to know is what about Tom Hicks the owner of sports teams? Nobody can predict the future, but we can look to the recent past to get a good idea of how Tom Hicks’s co-ownership of Liverpool FC will affect us.
The Dallas Stars were first in their division from 1997 to 2001. They were Conference Champions in 1999 and 2000. From the conference championships they went on to win their first Stanley Cup in 1999, and finish as runners up in 2000. Since then, they have been Division Champions twice. They have also won two Presidents’ Trophies as the team with the best regular season record. That’s an amazing turnaround in fortunes in the eleven years since Tom Hicks took over the club.
At the first press conference after the completion of the transfer of majority ownership, George Gillett and Tom Hicks answered a lot of questions and calmed the fears of many of us. These are two men who intend to be involved with Liverpool FC for a long time, and are showing their commitment to the club by putting forward the money for the new stadium. Tom Hicks has been through the building of a new venue recently, and I’m sure his experience in that will be extremely valuable. It’s a strange coincidence that both Dallas and Liverpool are combining the building of a new venue with local revitalisation. Messrs. Gillett and Hicks have also said that there will be adequate funds available for transfer market dealings this coming summer. Again, this should not be a surprise seeing the way that Tom Hicks opened up the accounts for the Dallas Stars to bring in the necessary players to win their first Stanley Cup.
Tom Hicks loves to win. He talked about the sheer joy of success in a recent interview: “The reason any businessman goes into sport is because they have a passion for winning. Despite all the success I’ve had in life, nothing has given me more satisfaction on an emotional level than winning the Stanley Cup in 1999 and being able to get my hands on the trophy. At that moment, my smile touched both ears.” He’s also known for his modesty in success and how he expects it in others. “We work real hard not to get an attitude of arrogance or haughtiness, which you see in this business all the time.” I wonder if he was thinking of anyone in particular.
It very quickly becomes crystal clear that Tom Hicks is not just concerned about making money; he’s equally concerned with winning trophies and providing excellence for the players and the fans. If the past eleven years with the Dallas Stars are a fair representation of Tom Hicks’s attitudes to his sports enterprises, then we have nothing to worry about. This is a man who wants what’s best for Liverpool FC, which is simply to put us back at the top where we belong. What do you think? Give Keith your comments at keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.
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Article - Ex Red of the Week – Volume 5: Le Boss et Moi - Gerard Houllier By LFC Vancouver Member Chris Cole, 3 March 07. It was back in October 2003, when my girlfriend Karin and I had hammered our way up the M6 and made the left turn onto the M62, for the final stretch of the 5 or so hours drive into Liverpool. This was for a three week trip to ol’ Blighty, with tickets to Leeds United at Anfield, as well as Manchester United a fortnight later, also at Anfield, but with no place to stay yet. As we get into town, I go into the Holiday Inn, not a chance...sorry all rooms sold out. Next, I drop into the Marriott hotel, but the tart behind the desk gives us the same answer: sorry no rooms, but if you pop around the corner there is a Travel Inn and you should be fine there. As I turn to exit the Lobby I see Gerard Houllier coming through the doors of the Marriott Hotel. Yep, it’s "Le Boss". As he gets closer I approach him and request his autograph. He says, “Give me a minute to check in and I will give you an autograph.” As he is checking in I run out to our illegally parked rental car, grab Karin, the camera, and a pen, and head back to the lobby. As Mr. Houllier is signing, I mention to him that we are here for 3 weeks holiday and he says to me, “Would you like to come to Melwood to watch the team train on Thursday?” After I ask myself, “Did I just hear that right?” I quickly respond with a capital Y-E-S, as he is writing down Sheila's (his personal assistant) phone number, and then he also asks if I need any tickets for the other two matches that are upcoming: first one away vs. Blackburn at Ewood Park (Carling Cup) and the other vs. Fulham at Loftus Rd (Premiership fixture), again it’s a Capital Y-E-S. As we went on to actually get a room at the Travel Inn, I asked Karin twice if what had just happened was true or was I drunk , on drugs, or dreaming? She confirmed it and I was double checking I had Sheila's phone number on me. The next day at Anfield we lay the boots to Leeds 3-1, and then on Monday I get on the blower to Sheila. I get through to her direct line, and she says, “Mr. Houllier has put aside two tickets each for the Blackburn Fixture and the Fulham Fixture next week and you can pick them up on Wednesday afternoon at the Preston Marriott hotel. Please call ahead and they will be at the front desk of the Hotel. So, 3pm Wednesday, I show up at the Preston Marriott Hotel, and the team is there and they are in a meeting, and I pick up the tickets from the concierge. That night at Ewood park Heskey gets a hat trick and we win 4-3 after Blackburn gets 2 late goals. The following morning, as arranged, we drive to Melwood. As you can imagine the security is tight; you have to pass by a security guard as well as your name is put on a list. We are greeted by a gentleman who says, Mr. Houllier is expecting you Mr. Cole, go right ahead. We park the rental car amongst the Ferraris and Porches, go through the front doors and are asked to sign in. Then Sheila says Mr. Houllier would like to speak to you, he is on the phone. I get on the phone and he says, “I have decided to give the boys the day off, they are tired, however Michael Owen, Jerzy Dudek, Steve Finnan and a few others are out the back. Ask Sheila to take you out there and you can watch them train. As we go through the doors to the Playing fields we are greeted by Phil Thompson. I take a picture, and then we are taken up to the balcony with a cup of tea and we watch Joe Corrigan train Jerzy Dudek, as well as the others, who are working their way back to fitness. We then proceed downstairs and wait for Michael Owen to finish his training and we are allowed a Picture. All in all, it was an incredible experience. I do not give a toss about what anyone says about Houllier while he was in charge of the club. He took a lot of criticism towards the end of his tenure; but we would not be the club we are today without him. He brought us to a modern day club in the sense of the Academy, and the training facilities, not to mention the 2000-2001 season. He had a five year plan, made it to six years, literally almost gave his life to the club after heart surgery, and is living proof to me there is reward for being a LOYAL Supporter. The next week when we are in London at Loftus Rd away to Fulham, sitting in the Travelling Kop next to me is Glen Roeder and his son, and on the other side it just happens to be Sheila's husband, and I am still pinching myself. Walk On!
What do you think? Give Chris your comments at info [at] runinn.com.
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Offer - A Partnership Offer From the Vancouver Whitecaps
![]() It’s often been said that, “there’s no free lunch.” Some of you would respond, “Oh yeah? Well I’ve had a few free lunches courtesy of The Whitecaps, so that’s not true.” But, in fact those “free” lunches do come with a cost, and that is that they are hoping that all of us will become members of the KickStarters program. But what does that involve? Well, to put it simply, KickStarters is a group of interested parties, all with the common aim of promoting the sport of soccer in Vancouver and throughout British Columbia. Part of that is naturally The Vancouver Whitecaps, and other parts include the efforts to build a new stadium, and to develop the sport from youth level all the way up to the professional ranks. There are several special events for KickStarters members during the season, which can include the lunches that we have so far enjoyed, meeting visiting players, and promotional events with Whitecaps sponsors. Becoming a member of KickStarters is quite easy. Anybody who buys a season ticket to the Whitecaps can be a member, but LFC Vancouver members have been given a special offer from the Whitecaps. Normally, the season ticket requirement would be the “Gold” ($349) or “Platinum” ($449) level season tickets, each of which would automatically include a KickStarters membership. Our offer is that we can receive two memberships for each “Bronze” ($199) season ticket that is purchased through LFC Vancouver. Information is included here to give more details about the bronze section for seating at Swangard Stadium. We can be allocated a block of seats in the bronze zone, so that we make up a Red section of LFC Vancouver members. Note that season ticket holders also have priority for special events which may include the visit of the LA Galaxy later this season, and also priority for seats at the new stadium once it is completed. Past events have included Real Madrid vs. DC United, and Whitecaps vs. Sunderland. One international friendly is included with the season ticket, with this year’s visiting team yet to be determined. Season tickets can be purchased between any number of members, with the individual game tickets divided up in any way that you please, but each season ticket will have no more than two KickStarter memberships included. The Whitecaps season starts on April 21st, so if any members are interested in taking advantage of this offer then please let me know as soon as possible. If we don’t have enough members interested then we cannot take advantage of the special KickStarters offer, or the Red section in the seating area. Contact Keith Perkins at keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.
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Update - Whitecaps Stadium
![]() As you may know, the City of Vancouver is conducting a 16 month planning process to create an Urban Design and Transportation Plan for the Central Waterfront Hub area around Waterfront Station. Early stages of this planning process will also involve a review of the revised proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. The review will focus primarily on demonstrating the ability to the resolve five key requirements raised by Vancouver City Council last July, including a revised site situated slightly west of the previously proposed site, just north of the CP Rail tracks and near the SeaBus hub. The results of the review will be presented to Council this summer, at which time Council will decide whether the proposed stadium will proceed to a rezoning process. As part of the process that was approved in January, there are now a number of opportunities for the public to provide input through public open houses. The Vancouver Whitecaps encourage you to participate in the public open houses that are being hosted by the City of Vancouver in the following times and places:
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007 We appreciate your ongoing support throughout this process and look forward to seeing you at an Open House.
John Rocha,
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Song of the Week - Fields of Anfield Road
By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed , 01 February 07. Fields of Anfield Road is sung to the tune of 'Fields of Athenry', this modern Liverpool song is popular both at Anfield and at away grounds everywhere. Lyrics:
Outside the Shankly Gates
All round the Fields of Anfield Road
Outside the Paisley Gates
All round the Fields of Anfield Road What do you think? Give Ste your comments at steSpeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.
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Joke - Gillett and Hicks Confused Over Euro Result
By LFC Vancouver member Keith Perkins, 7 March 07.
![]() “Well geez, I just don’t get it. How can we lose and still win?” “Hey pardner, don’t worry, be happy. It must be a European thing like that metric stuff we’ve been hearing about. Someone was telling me that road goals count twice or something. Make any sense to you?” “Nope. Let’s make like Riise and Momo.” “You what? “Let’s hit the bar.” What do you think? Give Keith your comments at keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.
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Song - POOR SCOUSER TOFFEE:
By LFC Toronto member Brian Lewis, 05 March 07.
Let me tell you the story of a poor team,
"OH, WE'RE BITTER EVER- TONIANS What do you think? Give Keith your comments and we'll pass them along to Brian keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.
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Headlines - The Week That Was Manager reaction: Liverpool v Man United - Anfield Road Alex Ferguson was - surprisingly - willing to admit Liverpool were "unlucky" and his own team were "lucky" as Manchester United snatched an unlikely win against Liverpool.
Benitez joy at Andriy swoop - Liverpool Echo ANDRIY VERONIN has been tipped by Rafa Benitez to prove one of the bargains of the summer when he completes his move to Liverpool.
Owen: It took two months to want out of Real - Anfield Road Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has been reflecting on the biggest decision of his career, a decision that saw him miss out on a Champions League winners’ medal, and now sees him playing for a club who seem destined to remain mid-table underachievers.
Liverpool chase Ross County kid - BBC Liverpool are understood to be considering a six-figure offer for Ross County 16-year-old Gary Mackay Steven.
Liverpool's player career ended with 19 leg fractures against Man Utd - LFC History The footballing career of Ted Spicer ended the day that Liverpool signed a new goalkeeper. That was the tragic and painful truth and the real reason that Eddie (as he was known to fans) never played after a fateful match against Manchester United on Saturday, December 19, 1953.
Liverpool consider move for U's youngster - ESPN Soccernet Liverpool are expected to make a decision on Cambridge City defender Danny Blanchett this week.
Carra’s honest opinion is spot-on once again - Liverpool Echo JAMIE CARRAGHER offered a blunt, two-word response to his interviewer.
Gerrard and Carra react to Barca game - Anfield Road ITV Sport interviewed Liverpool captain and vice-captain Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher straight after tonight’s aggregate victory over Barcelona.
‘Philistines’ converted in the ancient cathedral of the Kop - Times The Kop in all its glory has the ability to leave even the most hardened visitor spellbound and, just as Roman Abramovich gawped in admiration when his first match as owner of Chelsea took him to Anfield in August 2003, so were George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks gobsmacked by their first taste of the passion they have had the good fortune to buy into.
How Benitez beat Barca - BBC In the aftermath of Liverpool's Champions League victory over Barcelona, Rafael Benitez preferred not to comment on whether he had won the tactical battle with opposite number Frank Rijkaard.
Gerrard torn over stadium switch - BBC Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits he feels torn about the prospect of leaving Anfield for a new stadium.
Realist Benitez outshines Wenger - BBC/6-0-6 Take your mind back to the first week of January - the week when Arsene Wenger was hailed as the great visionary and Rafael Benitez as a bungler who did not know his best team.
YNWA/JFT 96, If you ever find an LFC article that you think others might find interesting, let me know about it by sending me a note at Andy [at] lfcvancouver.com. |
Contest Standings - Guess the Starting XI
Standings as of 08 March 07. Congratulations to Lance for correctly guessing the Barca starting XI!
To enter the members contest see the rules below.
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Contest - Guess the Starting XI
RULES:
Scoring System:
YNWA/JFT 96, Andy Neumann
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Liverpool FC Banner of the WeekLiverpool FC fans are famous around the globe for their fierce wit and loyalty to the club. These traits are commonly showcased in the banners that appear at every Liverpool FC match; home or away. Each week the newsletter will showcase one of those banners.
Thanks to LFC Vancouver Member Lance Litwin for this weeks banner!
Andy Neumann | ||
LFC Vancouver
LFC Vancouver, | ||