Roscoe

the content confirms the suspicion given by the line 'Weekly business Update' that this is a (fairly poor) attempt to throw together all the strands of the story accumulated over a 7 day period and come up with something a little different.

signed. email sent to BBc complaints.

the Wilson peice is about te most sensible I've read. Makes some good points and raises some genuine concerns without appearing xenophobic or precious.

Rivaldo has attempted it many times

As I have made cear I agree entirely, it seems ot many are interested in contemplating the down side at the moment though. I am excited about us getting the investment that we deserve and need and I do recognise that the DIC being associated with Liverpool may have a positive effect both ways, but it is at best remiss for people to just arrogantly dismiss concerns about the nature and level of exploitation that underpins this fortune.

none whatsoever, but it would make a change from your patronising asides and as you seemed fairly certain all negativity was a result of prejudice I thought you might like to enlighten us.....as you have set yourself up on here as someone who has had 'direct' dealings with these people, you could in the interests of balance and perspective give your take on what we read in articles such as those posted by Kacangpool if you weren't so busy being smug.

all I've heard is moral equivocation. oh, and I've been told to get a grip. Are you stating categorically that any concerns re the potential investors are nothing more than prejudiced bullsh1t?.

RP, you obviously have more 'first hand' knowledge of the way business is done in the area than many on here. Why not use this knowledge and give us your take on the situation, perhaps giving a counter point to those who have some concerns about the labour practices and human rights record of the ruling family. If it's not too much trouble like.

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seems someone thinks the camel jockey point is worth a response: http://www.ordoesitexplode.com/me/2006/09/...nor_of_dub.html September 15, 2006 Governor of Dubai Hit with Child Slavery Lawsuit The enslavement of young boys from around the world - Mauritania, Bangladesh, Sudan, etc. - as camel jockeys has long been the shame of the UAE sporting scene. Camel racing is a national pasttime in the Gulf state, sort of like Monday Night Football. And like football, the sport can be quite violent, with young jockeys thrown from camel saddles at high speeds - causing major injuries and even death. Rather than sacrifice their own offspring for this entertainment, the Dubai sheikhs for years purchased slave boys to do the dirty work. Boys as young as four would be tied down into the saddle and forced to ride the camels for the harrowing high-speed race. The boys were not paid, and lived in terrible conditions near the racetracks. This human rights outrage existed for decades in plain view. Britain's Prince Charles would often join his Dubai royalty pals to take in the jolly old spectacle. But in the past few years, international media attention became too much for the Dubai dignitaries to ignore. So they announced new Swiss-built robo-jockeys would take over - although reports of on-going slave trade in young boys from Africa and South Asia persisted. But now the Vice-President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (personal website here), and his brother Hamdan may at last have to face some legal consequences. The South Carolina lawfirm of Motley Rice has filed a class-action lawsuit in Florida court against the potentates: Filed this week in Florida, the class action lawsuit targets several Arab sheikhs, including the prime minster of United Arab Emirates. The complaint alleges that boys as young as 2 years old have been stolen from their families and kept in brutal camel-racing camps... A report last year by the State Department documented how young boys from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sudan are kidnapped or sold into bondage and then placed in camps near camel race tracks. The report said children are deliberately starved to prevent weight gain. Many are injured or killed in camel stampedes. "Those who survive the harsh conditions are disposed of once they reach their teenage years," the report said. The lawsuit targets two high-flying United Arab Emirate brothers: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the country's prime minister, and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, minister of finance and industry. The lawsuit alleges that Sheikh Mohammed travels the world in his personal 747 and that both brothers own billions of dollars in assets in the United States. Both also are well-known in international horse- and camel-racing circles. More info here: A legal case has been filed in a US district court alleging that the governor of Dubai and his brother enslaved about 30,000 children over the past 30 years for use as camel jockeys... The case has been filed in Florida, where the defendants have property, on behalf of six parents. Lawyers are seeking class-action status on behalf of about 30,000 children. In Dubai, of course, no one would even dare trying to hold the Brothers Maktoum accountable. What lawfirm would take up this case? What human rights group would - oh, wait, independent human rights groups are outright banned in the UAE. The real shame is that the only way these dictators can be held accountable - and only in theory - is in a US court of law, via the arcane Alien Tort Claim Act (originally developed during the 18th Century to hold sea pirates accountable). The brothers are so wealthy that even if they cannot get diplomatic immunity, they can easily afford to settle without feeling any pinch. Real victory will be the day when a lawyer dares to sue them in Dubai.

Are the American govt trying to buy us? I'm just pointing out that we shouldn't be under any illusions. To my mind anyone/any group with serious money will almost certainly have engaged in doubtful practices at some time. Is it a question of degrees, what is acceptable to us? We will each as supporters have to decide that for ourselves, I just think that the discussion is worth having and that it is not helpful to simply ignore the realities because they take the gloss off the situation. There has been enough condemnation of the Russians money on here to suggest that people do care about these things.

Dubai is a great place and it's leaders should be venerated. As long as you are not a homosexual (for which death is the prescribed cure). Or a child camel jockey. Or one of the 10s of thouseands of migrant workers virtually enslaved in camps in the dessert. Or one of the sex workers serving the rich western business traveller. Or someone who holds critical views about Islam or the government and dares air them. People were (rightly) wary about the possibility of Thaksin being involved with the club. Are we to just gloss over the fault lines here because the Dubaians are so very shiny and rich?

I really think that one of our main problems is a lack of real pace in either of the full back positions. Whilst Finnan is a great defender and crosser of the ball he does not have the pace to bomb down the flank and stretch the opposition and provide room for the midfield. Riise will score some great goals and is reasonably solid but he is more likely to be targeted as a weak link defensively than occupy a whole flank with menace. the midfield is chronically cluttered and teams know how to defend the 18 yard line playing us. Having genuinely attack minded full backs gives the width and the springbaord from deep which we lack at the moment. I think that with Alves in the side and Aurelio playing as Rafa intended him we would be a completely different team. What ifs.....

el zhar is replacing who and playing where?

we're having a lot of 'attacking throw-ins' according to the beeb. edge of the seat stuff.

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with a fit and premiership acclimatised Aurellio (sp?) and success in our purchase of Alves in the summer we would have seen a completely different outlook this season I think. Watch Arsenal, Chelsea and Manu, watch the succesful Milan side in the last few years, ditto Real Madrid, Brazil...they all relied for their attacking verve on fast attacking full backs - these are the players that give the centre midfielders the passing options and the wide midfielders and forwards the extra space in which to make runs. I agree that attacking full backs are a risk when our centre backs aren't blessed with pace but it is plain that we will not flourish until we have extra pace and creativity coming from the full backs. (This is why players such as Makelele, Sissoko etc are so important as they can help cover a rampaging full back). To be honest I think that GH had exactly the same problem as he tried to make the great leap from cup team to league challenging side.

nice bit about Garcia in here. I love watching him play, drives me to distraction at times but I think it is hard to overestimate his importance in giving us that extra dimension that really good teams need: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...061101-1229.htm "Luis Garcia is a luxury suited only to European matches Luis Garcia has now scored 28 goals in two and a bit seasons. All from open play. That's a great record, especially as he doesn't play every game, and is mostly a midfielder. In his first season he scored the crucial Champions League goals, which no one can forget, and he's got three in this year's competition already. However, last season he was 'directly involved' in more Liverpool goals per-90 minutes of Premiership football than any other player (involvement being based on the final three players to touch the ball in the scoring of any goal). His best form was in the English game, to which some feel he is not suited. He also leads the club's standings in the league this season, with an even more impressive rate. He makes things happen. Of course, he also has those days when nothing goes right. But isn't it time we learned to live with his faults, because it's the good things he does that ultimately make a difference, and often in big games? It's also worth remembering that not once since his arrival has he given the ball away and it led directly to an opposition goal (it might have indirectly at times, further down the line in a move, but then that can be said of anyone who concedes possession). Give me a Garcia over a player who only ever does the simple thing and never has the bottle to try something special - the kind of thing needed in the final third".

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liv...-name_page.html Meningitis scare for daughter of Reds skipper Oct 24 2006 Liverpool Echo STEVEN Gerrard rushed his six-month-old baby Lexie to hospital in a meningitis scare, it was reported today. The Reds captain and his fiancée Alex Curran parked in an ambulance bay and ran into Whiston hospital carrying six-month-old Lexie, a newspaper report said. Lexie was suffering from a rash and a temperature. Hospital sources say she and her parents stayed overnight. Yesterday Lexie was given the all-clear and returned to the couple's Formby home Reports say she had fallen ill on Saturday night while being baby-sat by Gerrard's family and doctors now suspect she had an allergic reaction. A club spokesman said: "We don't have a comment, it's a personal matter." Whiston hospital staff said they were unable to comment.

warnock breaks and dances through the defence only to be thrarted by their keeper.... we need to steady this down

close thing there - set piece undoes us and the header flashes wide with Reina beaten.....they are having a 'spell'

true, he could probably do with a few back to back games but a lot of players could say that.

pretty undewrhelming from Gonzales again, will come good I'm sure but it can't be easy playing in such a misfiring team. .

kuyt for crouch

I said it was coming. inevitable.