LUTON TOWN v LIVERPOOL

[ynwa.tv]

Down Memory Lane

 

Meet the Referee

 

Double Agents

Edited January 4, 2008 by ynwa.tv

[Guest Snorky]

Gerrard, Arbeloa and Aurelio are all out injured.

[Bigal]

  Snorky said:

Gerrard, Arbeloa and Aurelio are all out injured.

 

Aurelio was almost fit for 2 weeks.

 

f***ing hell

[johngibo YPC]

i would like to see Hobbs, Lucas, Alonso, Babel and Pennant all play

[stressederic]

I hope it's a better game then than tediofest we had against them last time...

[Rory Fitzgerald]

Reina

 

Finnan Hyypia Hobbs Riise

 

...Sissoko Alonso Lucas

 

..Voronin..................Babel

................Crouch

[Bigal]

  johngibo YPC said:

Babel

 

STOP!!!

[Guest Taxman]

Intanje

 

Finnan Carra Hobbs Riise

 

Penannt Lucas Alonso Babel

 

Voronin Crouch

[richwilks]

Would we cup tie Crouch?

[Cunny]

  richwilks said:

Would we cup tie Crouch?

 

interesting point

if Rafa goes with Voronin and Kuyt, a transfer must be in the offing for Crouch

[ynwa.tv]

Down Memory Lane and Double Agents added...

[psl]

Reina should play.

[ali]

From The Times

January 5, 2008

Luton’s plea for financial help from Liverpool is turned down

Tom Dart

 

Liverpool have refused a request from Luton Town to donate their share of the gate money from tomorrow’s FA Cup third-round tie to their opponents, despite the Coca-Cola League One club being in such dire financial straits that they are in danger of folding and cannot afford to pay their players.

 

Luton are losing about £400,000 a month and went into administration in November. Their players have been paid only 2½ weeks’ wages in the past nine weeks. The club’s joint-administrator, Brendan Guilfoyle, asked the Barclays Premier League club if they were willing to forgo a share of the revenue from the tie, but was rebuffed.

 

“They probably said, ‘We have to pay players £100,000 a week. You must be joking, otherwise we will be like you,’ ” Kevin Blackwell, the Luton manager, said. “You just have to accept it. There are people in life who have got a Rolls-Royce while some people have a Mini. We are Mini drivers.”

 

The match will be televised live, earning each club £150,000, and Kenilworth Road will be full to its 10,000 capacity. Of the gate money, 45 per cent goes to each club and 10 per cent to a Football Association pool, so Luton and Liverpool stand to receive about £100,000 each from ticket sales. The winning club earns £40,000 in prize-money.

 

Blackwell is donating his wages to Luton’s trainees, who are paid £70 a week. “I’ve got players here on £175 a week, some on £400, so there are lads here who can’t even handle being in the situation because it came out of the blue,” he said. “We went into administration three days before pay-day in November. It wasn’t as if anyone was given any warning.”

 

While Luton’s mess - they also face a series of charges relating to alleged irregular payments to players - is hardly Liverpool’s problem, their decision not to make a gesture of support will reopen the debate about whether the nation’s leading clubs should do more to help their smaller cousins, given the vast amount of money flowing into football.

 

League One clubs receive about £375,000 a year from the Football League’s television deal. The Premier League’s various television contracts bring in about £900 million a year, of which they donate roughly 1.2 per cent to the Football League to be shared among its clubs. But even the club that finishes bottom of the Premier League this season can expect to be handed more than £30 million in TV revenue alone.

 

Going into administration provoked a ten-point deduction that leaves Luton in the relegation zone. With other clubs circling, they face a player exodus during the transfer window. The administrators have set a deadline of 5pm Monday for offers from prospective buyers and two parties are thought to be seriously interested.

 

An FA spokesman confirmed that there is no rule to prevent a club donating their share of the gate money to an opponent. Chelsea gave £25,000 to Scarborough for youth development when the clubs met in the FA Cup in 2004, though Roman Abramovich, the owner, can easily afford such largesse.

 

Liverpool’s American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, are not in Abramovich’s financial league. Their takeover of the club last year and plans to build a new stadium rely heavily on bank loans. Liverpool refused to comment on Luton’s request.

[Cobs]

on SSN just now - the red tops are going for us tomorrow over this

 

STINGY KOP

 

&

 

YOU TIGHT WADS

 

were two of the headlines, no doubt they'll step forward and give Luton £200k for feck all....

 

[Guest Ant]

dis de libpool way

[CarraLegend]

Good on us, it might "only" be 100k but it's our money and why should them c**** have it? They brought this mess on themselves. We're filling the away end aren't we? You've sold out on the back of our name haven't you? So you've had your help now f*** off.

 

Blackwell talking about it to the press can f*** off aswell.

Edited January 5, 2008 by CarraLegend

[floyd]

  ali said:

While Luton’s mess - they also face a series of charges relating to alleged irregular payments to players - is hardly Liverpool’s problem,

No mention of that in the article written by the fvckin worst sports journalist in Fleet Street.

Were does the article say anything about our £350m+ debt?

 

 

SWEET FA

Skint Luton beg Liverpool for Cup cash to help rescue the club . . but Kop say NO

By Darren Lewis 05/01/2008

 

Liverpool last night shattered the magic of the FA Cup by refusing to donate their share of tomorrow's FA Cup third round gate receipts to penniless Luton Town.

 

Bankrupt Luton, who play the six-time FA Cup winners in a David v Goliath clash, face extinction if they do not find a suitable buyer by Monday at 5pm.

 

The Bedfordshire club, docked 10 points for going into administration in November, swallowed their pride to go begging to Liverpool.

 

But even though the Reds' share of the ticket sales would have amounted to around the £100,000-a-week earned by star striker Fernando Torres, Anfield chiefs rejected the move.

 

Luton boss Kevin Blackwell confirmed: "It has been asked by the administrator."

 

He then put a brave face on the snub by joking: "They probably said: 'We have to pay players £100,000 a week. You must be joking! Otherwise we will be like you!' You just have to accept it. There are people in life who have got a Rolls Royce while some people have a Mini. We are Mini drivers. We tried to live like a Rolls Royce but that's why we are where we are."

 

Luton have been unable to pay their players for the past nine weeks and the cash from tomorrow's game at Kenilworth Road has already been earmarked to help clear their debts.

 

The League One club are losing a whopping £400,000 per month as they battle to keep themselves afloat and this match offers some respite. They will receive £150,000 for being on TV and their share of gate receipts will add up to £100,000.

 

Chairman Bill Tomlins had agreed to fund the losses of the club out of his own pocket but that deal expired at the end of the year. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich made a donation to Scarborough when the two teams met in the FA Cup fourth round in 2004.

Daily Manc

Edited January 5, 2008 by floyd

[Tosh]

FWIW, I reckon the bad press/potential good press far exceeds the £100,000...

 

Perhaps we could have said, if we win, you can have our share of the gate money.... Performance related pay!

[Guest Snorky]

If the top clubs do this more often then it will be expected of them to do it all the time.

 

I applaud Liverpool for doing this, although they could have made a 'donation' for good will.

[Guest sniffer]

A sensible decision. After all, we can't afford to give them any money anyway. We have to sell to buy as it is..... Latest in the frame to go this month is Kewell.

[Redkop]

If they do forego their gate money, who's to know that the money won't go straight to the Administrators to pay their fees.?

 

Luton FC might not see any of it if they go out of business on Monday like BBCSport is claiming.

[Bailo]

  sniffer said:

A sensible decision. After all, we can't afford to give them any money anyway. We have to sell to buy as it is..... Latest in the frame to go this month is Kewell.

[muleskinner]

b******s to them, plastic pitch loving away fan banning w*****s.

[stonty]

  muleskinner said:

b******s to them, plastic pitch loving away fan banning w*****s.

 

 

Is the correct answer

[oakie bob]

and if it is a replay lets see if they turn up this time..................blaming the snow