Dalglish on Suarez’ Return Blown Out of Proportion, News at 11

So true!

Sooner or later the club needs to behave as though they realise that this is in fact a war they cannot win by playing nice and attempting to change the minds of a group of people who at their core simply don’t like them very much.

Well written, totally Agree, Dalglish must not be afraid to stand up for what he believes, and I support him for that.
As an LFC supporter we will not change the minds of the LFC bashing media, we may as well say it as it is.

This is a similar take to what Rob Gutmann wrote on the Anfield Wrap last week. A marvelous piece, well worth reading, in addition to Noel's above.

http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/...

Your last paragraph leaves very little room for optimism and, frankly, is depressing.

I got so used to hearing that Suarez was a great player that I think I
started to believe it myself however I have recently formed the opinnion
that he is not so great after all. He flatters to deceive and does the
things you say but he isn't a particularly good player. Bit of a show
pony you might say! Liverpool are doing better without him. When he
throws the towel in at Anfield all their fans will say he was shite like
they do now about their former idol Torres.thanx! @JOSIE:)

Padded cell awaits the author!!!!!

Hello Woy Hodgson i'm glad to say you don't manage our club anymore. Let me show you to the door..................

I don't think anybody's saying Torres was shit when he was with Liverpool, they're saying he's shit now, at least in front of goal, which is sadly and objectively true.

Hold on a second, Ed.
You may be right about Torres being a formerly-great striker who has lost his elite abilities, and I'm in full agreement that anyone claiming this to be true is simply stating fact, but I think you've overlooked a golden opportunity. I may be mistaken, but it appears to me that this nice young lady has access to CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TICKETS, which, if I can speak for everyone (and, I believe I can), is a pretty big deal.

@JOSIE:), if you would be so kind, do treat us to more of your erudite, lettered opinions, and don't forget to divulge where we might go about getting our unwashed hands on these CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TICKETS of which you speak.

Sadly the media do have a huge influence on hearts and minds. How many fans do you hear regurgitate the opinion that Joe Hart is the best keeper in the world, just because Sky Sports 'expert' Jamie Redknapp said so?
 
It is almost impossible to hear sensible opinions on football anywhere across the media in this country. There is either a ceaseless advertising campaign and sensationalism going on (Sky Sports - Premier League best in the world etc) Pre set agenda's (the gutter tabloids) blatant xenophobia (The Mail, Sky Sports etc) or deliberate dumbing down to appease the majorities.
 
The football media are blind (or choose to ignore) the hypocrisy and lies that they spread. Just about any form of footballing media would say that the FA are generally a bunch of incompetent old codgers. However, none of them have thought to question the FA's decision on Suarez. Why? Because it suits their agenda's not to.
 
At Liverpool FC we have often suffered at the hands of the media. The tragic events at Hillsborough and Heysel only increased this. Just about all true Liverpool fans would refuse to read the S*n after the lies they printed about Hillsborough. So there is no reason for that trashy tabloid (England's most read paper) to ever give Liverpool a fair report.
 
The BBC has centre’s in Manchester and the majority of the press is London-centric. Again, there is no self interest in giving Liverpool a fair time. Scouse-bashing will be very popular for their London and Manchester viewers and readers.
 
It's incredibly frustrating that we have to read their lies and bias but we have two choices. Either bow down and hope they will give us a fair deal (never going to happen). Or do what the King (and Rafa before him) has been doing and fight back with honesty, facts and intelligence.
 
There is no other club in the world like Liverpool FC with our combination of the best fans in the world, our history, our heroes, Shanks, the king, God, Barnsey, Paisley, Gerrard, our 5 European Cups, the Shankly gates, the Kop, the atmosphere, Anfield. I could go on, and on.
 
We support a unique club and most importantly the greatest club in the world. I'm proud to say that and the media, the fA, Fungus and Evra can all go to hell.
 
YNWA.

Living proof of someone who is there for club and will die for it. Will give the truth about anything when it is needed. People might say "Oh why would he say that blah blah blah" or "He doesn't even know what he's saying blah blah blah" for whatever reason. But right now, he is what the club needs to most. Someone who is there no matter what and gives the honest opinion. True supporters will see this and realise what the club is all about, understanding what is going on and what needs to be said. No matter he situation he knows what will happen if he says or does something, and he does the right thing bearing the consequences that comes with it.

Ugh. 

Maybe because in Australia we don't get football news in the capacity that you guys do   which is one of the few times I'm grateful I'm a football fan here. 

As bad as this sounds, I like when Kenny says things like this even though I know he's only throwing oil into the fire. I mean its like he's flipping the bird at everyone and I find it awesome. And to be honest, it shows that even though Liverpool FC accepted the ban for Suarez, Kenny still believes in Suarez. 

absolutely right.  Kenny's job is to stick up for his players and he had very solid grounds for doing so.  

The club as a whole often has to take lots of other things into account and may act differently, that's their right and their responsibility.

I posted the article by Rachael Singh on The Telegraph comments page, on 2 articles today, within 10mins both pages comments section were wiped clean. It seems that if we don't agree with the establishment we are not worthy of comment???, yet the case against Suarez is frankly risible. We can see that a political agenda lead the FA to find an innocent man guilty, that is terrible.

We are not stupid but it seems nobody gives a toss???, this is an appalling piece of administration by the FA. I hope we win the FA Cup and let Suarez collect the trophy from the FA personally, poetic justice!!!!!

Lucid and comprehensive as always Noel. It would be lovely to think that highly paid so-called journalists would aspire to a similar level of dispassionate analysis. Alas, that is a utopian ideal. 

On hearing Kenny's comment immediately post-match, I feared a media frenzy and lo and behold, yet another hysteria-laden batch of screeching headlines arrived to berate Dalglish, the club and it's supporters. 

Now, I would love to have RedOrSled's faith in humanity's capacity to think independently and not be influenced by these sensation-mongers, but alas I do not. Half a year on Twitter has taught me to despair for the majority of the human race and give effusive thanks for the few sane souls that can be found there. 

This is Christmas for the press. They will stoke the embers of this fire until it's dead. At the moment, it's an inferno of misinformation, spite, bias, bigotry, hypocrisy and greed - let's not forget that 'Johnny Foreigner's Racist Rant Backed By Dour Scot' shifts units for these parasites. 

We are in a lose-lose scenario here and I wholeheartedly agree with the commenter who reasoned that a period of silence and restraint is the only way to gain a positive outcome. No matter how justified, indignant or righteous the anger of the manager and the supporters of LFC, it will be perceived and spun as the benighted raving of small-minded bigots. That is the agenda. It's clear. Our club needs to accept that unpalatable reality and stop raging against the media machine. 

The particularly dangerous aspect of what is happening at present is that Holt, Samuel and the odious Barclay DO reach a massive audience whom they DO influence via their columns and the Sky show on which they spend Sunday mornings pontificating about the game and pushing their blinkered views. Any of us with a smattering of logical thought could tear those views apart were we afforded the forum. Sadly, the only critique they receive is via 140 characters of ignorant bile that does the standing of LFC no favours. 

Strange and frustrating days to be a Redman.

 I can't tell you how much I love this site, the writers really are first class and the comment contributors are (mostly) intelligent, thoughtful and eloquent. I might not always agree with their point of view (like here) but by crikey I enjoy the quality of the debate.

The press won't influence any of us on here, thats for sure. Also I doubt they'll make much impact on Liverpool fans as a group - so we're all right.

As for others well I can only draw on anecdotal evidence, those whom I speak to that aren't naturally ardent anti Liverpool don't appear to have been influenced about the Suarez/ Terry issue. They typically thought he probably shouldn't have said what he said but the 8 match ban was disproportionate. And John Terry seems to have definitely sad bad words to Anton but shouldn't have lost his captaincy until the hearing, which is bound to show his guilt.

The Labour government was in power for a very long time up against what is generally regarded as a quite heavy Conservative bias in the press - showing the lack in their opinion forming powers. On top of that newspaper sales have dropped by 30% over the last 4 years, their reach is shrinking.

I believe that once we realise the Emperor has no clothes and shatter the illusion that our peers believe the headlines they write we will and all see that it is just one small group of people's insincere opinion designed to meet a hidden agenda and not the controlling influence that they would like us to believe.

Interesting take, eloquently put RedorSled. I think it's the spectre of the tv coverage (in particular the sensationalistic Sky) that looms ugliest in my peripheral vision here.  

It's not just that widely read hacks like the ones mentioned above are disseminating untruths and biased views but the fact that those same views and untruths are then repeated as fact on TV and in the so-called 'quality' papers. I probably seem overtly pessimistic about the ability of the masses to separate fact from fiction...but that's because I am! 

We as a fanbase are also widely believed to be whingers and wallowers in our own misery. I've been told that LFC fans and Scousers in general love to play the victim. This disgusting generalisation is just one reason why I believe in the negative power of the media (in all it's forms). The lamentably long struggle of the Hillsborough families is damning proof of how an agenda can develop and take root, sheltered by an aloof, uninterested government. 

I like to think that myself and the tens of thousands of others who don't buy the S*n are engaging in a small but significant protest against the likes of Kelvin Mc Kenzie and others who consider truth an incosequential thing. 

By the by, if Frank Mc Clintock and Rodney Marsh get sacked by Sky for their stupid remarks, I sincerely hope I never have to see that horrible little man Patrick Barclay on the tv on a Sunday morning again.

"So while having had his comments blown out of proportion following the
match against Spurs was unfortunate, and that many in the press
over-reacted to them deserves mention, those within the club tasked with
dealing with the press should by all rights know how their slightest
slip will be treated at this point."

This is what annoyed me about how the club continues to deal with this. The press can be hypocritical all it likes, but for the love of god can we just move on from this on our end? Would it have killed Kenny, given his skill in deflecting media questions he doesn't want to answer, to just say "We're glad to have Suarez back" and left it at that? Why we feel the need to flog a dead horse, even in a seemingly innocuous manner, is beyond me. Suarez is back, so let's move forward.

I actually was happy that Kenny said that. It showed that he doesn't give a damn about the opinion of the media, and he will stick up for the club, its players and what he believes in.

That in and of itself shouldn't be news to anyone, with or without the comment. It just seems like we have bigger fish to fry at the moment and that drudging this up yet again seems like an unnecessary and pointless distraction.

Yea, it probably would have killed him to curtail his comments.  It'd be like saying in 1989, "We're glad Hillsborough is over", without once mentioning the injustice of the media.  He's not going to stop until the truth comes out, and neither are the rest of LFC.  That's the way we roll.  

You try telling 96 families that Hillsborough was a dead horse. Not happening...

I'd agree with Noel and argue that this is a far cry from any media hypocrisy surrounding Hillsborough.

Easy on the hyperbole, please. No matter your thoughts on the current Suarez/Evra/FA/media fiasco, trying to tie it in with Hillsborough like that strikes me as way over the top and just generally seems really, really icky. Though perhaps I'm wrong—I quite often am.

Hypocrisy at its best. 

Honestly, Noel that is a really excellent article. The hypocrisy makes my head spin, however I wonder if we don’t overly credit the headline writers with forming the public’s opinion. Are the public at large really as devoid of intelligence and free thought as to be influenced by such one-sided reporting?

I’m in the public, so are you and many others and we can see through it. Who are we worried about it influencing? And if they are so stupid as to have the ability of questioning what they read, do we, honestly care what they think. Do they even know what they think?

The football headline writers think they are opinion forming and have a sickly self-importance, have you seen the Sunday Supplement? But their true power is only to put a “story” on the agenda. Or to influence organisations who mistakenly think they speak for the people – they don’t.

Working in publishing myself I see a lot of journalists and editors daily and as a race (that’s not racist, or is it?) they’re always a bit self-important and yes the football writers you mention particularly have a very high degree of twattage but l won’t be getting too worried about what they say.

Are the public devoid of intelligence????, yes of course they are!!!!!................as long as x-factor is on and the beer is cheap in the off-licence it's a wonderful life??????

In Defence Of Luis Suarez by Rachael SinghFebruary 8, 2012 · Comments ( 11 )Like him or not, Luis Suarez has been the most talked about and divisive character of the season. I had my say a few weeks ago, but Dispatches is nothing if not fair. As this week the law is under the microscope on here, Liverpool fan Rachael Singh pleads the case for the defence. Take cover.There probably isn’t a view that hasn’t yet been expressed on the subject of Luis Suárez and the allegedly racist remarks that he allegedly made to Patrice Evra. Much has also been said in response to Liverpool’s handling of the situation; nearly all of such comments have been negative. Not a great deal at all has been said, comparatively, about the FA’s handling of the case or even the content of the report issued by the ‘independent’ panel – appointed by the soi disant ‘independent’ FA. Sports journalists have never had quite as much fun stoking fires and pouring oil onto them when they’ve not been pandering to personalities and egos (not least their own).In my eyes, as a Liverpool-supporting linguist and sociolinguist who originally trained as a barrister, the Suárez case has highlighted and confirmed many points that have been raised over the years about the FA, its deeply ingrained bias that so reflects the attitudes and interests of its members, the flaws that continue to afflict its procedures. At no stage has an actual concrete case been mounted against Suárez. I don’t mean a case that would stand up in court; I mean a case that could reasonably be decided on the balance of probabilities.Firstly, there was no actual evidence – no witnesses, no TV recordings, no officials, stewards, players, colleagues – no-one – just Evra’s word against that of Luis Suárez. There has been no explanation as to why Evra had three separate meetings with the committee while Suárez was only allowed one… a cynical  mind may draw conclusions as to the position of David Gill, Manchester United’s CEO and a player in this process and wonder if some degree of ‘coaching’ wasn’t taking place.  In the end, with no actual evidence to go on, no independent witness of any other kind and despite Evra’s insistence at different times that Suárez called him (in a Spanish conversation) ‘negro’ – pronounced ‘neh-gro’ and simply being the Spanish word for black once, then 5 times, then 10 times (when on a French TV interview), the panel found Evra a more ‘credible’ witness and insisted that Suárez had called Evra ‘negro’ SEVEN times – a whole new number plucked from thin air. This, despite the FA having called Evra an ‘unreliable witness’ on two occasions in the past, though admittedly when accusing Englishmen. The French FA after the South African World Cup went further, calling Evra ‘a man of low character and a liar’…but then, David Gill wasn’t on their board and they were not afraid of the possible repercussions of Alex Ferguson.And all this before you go into the panel’s decision to disregard the testimony from linguistic experts on the nuances of South American Spanish – which, incidentally, isn’t the same Spanish that Evra speaks. Continental Spanish and South American Spanish each exist in their own cultural context; none of this was taken into account, either.Liverpool Football Club saw all of this clearly. They spoke up in strong support of their team-mate, because that’s what people are meant to do in the face of injustice. Mock the t-shirts all you like, but it really is that simple.Contrast all that with the current media furore surrounding John Terry – captain of Chelsea and erstwhile captain of England and a man with a reputation (much of it proven) lower than a snake’s belly. He verbally abuses Anton Ferdinand, brother of Rio, Terry’s defensive partner for England. The incident is reported, heavily witnessed, clearly filmed and even reported further by a member of the public to the police. Naturally, the police have investigated the allegation of such a racially motivated public order offence (Emma West, anyone?) and passed their file on to the CPS… who have brought charges on the basis of the evidence before them. In the meantime, the FA closed their own file on the matter, having concluded that there was no action to be taken. Imagine the shock when criminal charges were brought. Imagine the pressure to be seen to take proactive steps to kick racism out of football  when a racist act is perpetrated by none other than the captain of the national squad. Imagine the embarrassment of having to approach the CPS and ask for their evidence before deciding whether to re-open the FA investigation.Take note also of the reports from our sports media, not least from Terry’s self-serving biographer who tells us that calling someone “a black c*nt” isn’t racist – and he knows this because he asked a black person (coo gosh, how’s that for investigative journalism). The same sports media that unquestioningly accepts the FA’s cowardly abdictation of responsibility in transgressing its own rules with a view to preventing a replay at Loftus Road of ‘that’ memorable John Terry/Wayne Bridge handshake incident way back at Stamford Bridge. Ah, the wonders of the FA PR machine blundering along.So here it is. On the one hand, you have one man’s dubious word against that of a newcomer to the Premier League; he is a foreigner and ought to be put in his place. The (English) word ‘negro’ is unacceptable – who cares what he said in Spanish, right? So, £80,000 fine and an eight game ban. And this is in spite of Evra, the FA and the independent panel declaring fulsomely that Suárez is not a racist. On the other hand, you have an English player facing criminal charges brought on the basis of evidence from a number of witnesses (including the victim), evidence deemed sufficient to conduct a prosecution and secure a conviction. Rather than re-open its file, the FA has taken five months to strip that player of the captaincy (a position to which, as many feel, he probably ought never to have been reinstated – or indeed elevated – in the first place). No committee, no report, no procedural impropriety, no £80,000 fine, no eight game ban – just an endless discussion, between now and the European Championships this summer, of who will succeed John Terry as captain.Nooooo, Stevie, don’t do it!

Did the FA close the file on Terry for lack of evidence, or did they have to hold back because the police were investigating the matter, with a view to responding after the judicial process had taken it's course?

It's important to get these details correct.

It's important that judicial processes aren't influenced by outside briefings though I'm not sure if the rules kick in only when a charge has been formally made, or if it's before that while the police are investigating.

The FA is waiting util the close of the trial before deciding on a course of action w/r/t Terry. Of course, the higher evidentiary standard in the court system means that Terry's guilt will be harder to prove, which will allow the FA to do nothing in the event Terry is found not guilty. Good times.

On another note, pretty irritating that - as Barnes pointed out - that a level-headed discussion of race appears impossible. The term "Negro" is a particularly good example of a term some find a offensive while others don't: Exhibit A: it was a selection option in the 2010 U.S. Census, which offended some Americans of African descent yet was backed by the NAACP. (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetw... and re: NAACP support (http://www.jaxobserver.com/201.... 
And why would you have a level-headed discussion when you can scream CHICKEN CHICKEN DALGLISH RACIST DIE instead?
People are stupid. Sigh.

I would suggest a little silence is called for. The press is simply baiting LFC furiously in order to get a reaction that they can pounce on as "racist" any way they are able. Even the PFA have entered the ring now. They have decided that Suarez must be further hounded and humiliated (being a Johny Foreigner) during the United game to come. The Ferdinand/Terry issue allows the escape of no pre-match handshakes because they are I suppose English and national team players. Not so in the Suarez/Evra issue. It will be seen as good business to ingratiate oneself with Ol' Rednose  by belittling Suarez further. United know what they are doing when they say there should be a handshake ( something they wouldn't agree to previous) as it will give the home crowd a chance to howl with derision before even a ball is kicked.

There should be a waiving of this rule in the interest of security. 

Why doesn't someone who speaks for the club publicly point out the discrepancy between coverage of the two incidents?  That seems like such an obvious course of action-- to ram the analysts' hypocrisy down their own throats, and to do it publicly in a press conference.  I originally supported the club's staunch, aggressive support of Suarez, back when I assumed we had good and unassailable reasons for taking such a stand, precisely because I thought it had that element of reasoned defiance that is so often missing from newsmakers' responses when they're being painted in a negative light.  I think we lost sight of the justification for that aggressiveness but have continued to pursue a bullish course, at least somewhat, and that's why the club looks so bad in the court of semi-neutral public opinion... And why LFC and Suarez are such easy targets for the less neutral voices guiding that opinion, like Samuel or this degenerate Patrick Barclay (a Fergie biographer, no less) whose pseudo-witticism had all the class of a monkey-chant from the terraces.  What an absolutely heinous human being.  These people are not sacred cows, and if they make their wealth from pimping out their opinions, egos, and personas to the general public, why shouldn't they individually be put through the grinder, just like the game's other personalities?

Brilliant article. Given a +1 on me g+ account. :-)

Sweet f'ing snowtrooper helmet, though if I'm going imperial issue garb, it's gotta be the imperial guards': 

The media campaign against anything Liverpool is just getting tiresome now.

Judging by their standards, those individuals would be all too happy to be judged guilty on a charge of murder/racism/rape/theft/(insert your most sinister offence here) without a fair trial and based on a "balance of probability" and would feel fit to sit on their sentence with no intentions to appeal and wouldn't understand if someone told them that they were being treated unfairly and unjustly. 

For all their nonsense about LFC not wanting to move on, they're the ones left hanging on it because controversy always sells papers. 

As a supporter, I'm all focused on us getting our results to improve our chances of silverware and getting that 4th spot. Bring on the mancs!

The ONLY way is to stop buying the daily media AND i might add Sky, of which i am a subscriber !All we ask is FAIR comment,not biased as with United,just a level playing field,which,may i say,has`nt been level for YEARS not a few months.     YNWA

That's the first time I've ever read 'Liverpool fc boos Kenny Dalglish'.

At least I get to blame somebody else for that one.

Thank god when asked about Shrek's comment, Kenny didn't say "That is like pot calling kettle black". The immediate headlines in all these rags will be "KENNY REIGNITES RACE ROW, CALLS KETTLE BLACK", "UNACCCEPTABLE RACISM AT KLANFIELD", "KING KENNY RACIST", and of course comments from Powar and everyone else about how racist we are.