Source: Manchester_EveningNews
Andy Mitten column
Half an hour after Sunday's final whistle at Old Trafford, the 3,000 strong Liverpool following spilled out of the away end and across the rain soaked forecourt towards their coaches. Despite a large police presence which prevented disorder, United fans goaded them with cries of Murderers,' while chants about the Munich Air Disaster proliferated from the visitors. It was base, pernicious bile, an illustration of that there's no love lost between United and Liverpool. But United have got far more in common with Liverpool than people would like to admit. So how will history remember the lily-livered legislation which allowed the two biggest and most successful English teams to be taken over by Americans and plunged into hundreds of millions of pounds of debts? We know well what has happened at Old Trafford but it's even worse at Liverpool. Football fans are fickle. The notion of a fit and proper owner is irrelevant if they offer to spend £30m on a striker. Liverpool fans saw their team dominate in the 1970s and 80s, but their last league title was in 1990. By 2007, their chairman admitted that he didn't have deep enough pockets to build a new Anfield to help them compete with the revenues at United and Arsenal. So he sold the club to two Yanks. Unlike at United, where the Glazer takeover caused an outcry, desperate Liverpool fans bought their vision, yet not a sod of terra firma has been turned for the club who need a new home. The Scouse welcome afforded to owners Gillette and Hicks turned into protests and the club is up for sale. I take no pride in Liverpool's misery. Their owners are tearing the heart out a proud club with a rich past. Unless you're a short-sighted clown who likes to see rival teams go under, this goes beyond football rivalries. The authorities should never have allowed Liverpool and United to be bought and burdened with debt. The Americans saw opportunities and took advantage. We are only just beginning to find out the scale of the disasters which might lie ahead. I hope United demolish Liverpool every time they meet. Sunday was sweet but I want a strong United to be able to meet and beat them as worthy foes. And for that reason alone, Liverpool fans deserve better. What do you think? Have your say. [LNB]
