Liverpool fans mock Everton's 'sockrobbers'

05 February 2009 12:37
Socks? Why socks? Was it a goodwill gesture from the richer half of Merseyside to their hard-up neighbours? Or an easy way of getting rid of unwanted Christmas presents? [LNB]None of the above - in reality it was a dig at Everton's proposed move to a new stadium in Kirkby on the outskirts of Liverpool. [LNB]Residents of Kirkby, a mainly working class area whose famous sons include boxer John Conteh, former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson and playwright Alan Bleasdale, are sometimes derided as 'sock-robbers.' This is a rather cruel reference to the way that burglars from the area allegedly put socks over their hands to avoid leaving behind finger-prints. [LNB]What started as a joke on a Liverpool supporters' internet forum mushroomed into Wednesday night's carefully-organised stunt, which was embellished with a raucous chant of 'sock-robbers.'[LNB]It is not the first such dig. In last season's league derby at Goodison, Liverpool fans released onto the pitch Tesco carrier bags filled with balloons - a jibe at Everton's reliance on the supermarket chain to part fund the new stadium project. They also used Tesco's slogan on a banner to taunt their blue rivals: 'Every Little Helps.'[LNB]And older fans will remember the time in the 1960s when a Kopite ran onto the Anfield pitch to present Everton goalkeeper Gordon West with a handbag. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph