I think its difficult, as I said yesterday, its obviously important that "moving on" isn't seen as "forgotten about" but I don't think there is any real danger of that happening anyway.

The difference between this and say Munich memorials for Man Utd is obviously that you could be asking friends and family of people who died at a football match to attend a football match if a fixture falls on that date. I think if it was the anniversary of the death my Dad/brother/friend I would struggle to attend the very type of event that saw them perish. On that basis alone I think most would be respectful to Liverpool if they didn't want to play.

On the other hand as you say it can also be a channel to mark the occasion with all fans together which may be seen as appropriate too.

I think time will tell really and it will progress naturally.

I think after this year, can't speak for UEFA but the FA at least might want to ask the Hillsborough families if they'd be okay with Liverpool playing an FA Cup semi-final on that date if we're still in the competition. By the time we progress from the quarter final there'd be plenty of time for them to discuss and then set the date according to their wishes.

It could of course also depend on the opposition. If it was Liverpool vs anyone else, they may or may not be okay with it just yet, if it's Sheffield Wednesday then, well I'd have said it wouldn't happen but the fact that it'd be played at Wembley may change that. If it was Nottingham Forest I can see that being a problem, and if it was Everton I could see it happening since Everton have respected the disaster quite well.

The said charity game that I mentioned could be a Liverpool-Everton thing, would be a nice way to give something back to Everton and their fans for their support throughout the whole thing.

As you say, time will tell, but they do say time is the ultimate healer, and I think as the years go by people might become more open to the possibility.

I think when the whole court thing is resolved that will bring a certain amount of closure (in theory) for people to move on. That said i'm not sure if it actually will for the families as I feel that the void left by the deaths was filled for the last almost 30 years with the fight for justice. If justice is served and there is nothing left to fight for the families may find there is a void there once again.

Yeah the fight for justice will have definitely made it difficult for them to properly mourn for the 96 people they lost. It'll provide some sort of closure but the actual disaster won't go away, in fact for the people who were close to the ones who were lost, and people like Kenny Dalglish it won't ever go away.

Ive seen it happen personally (obviously not on the same scale or timeframe) with someone who died in a situation where perhaps "blame" could be attached. Their partner because consumed by a desire to clear the dead persons name (rightly so) and it became such a focal point for them that it replaced the void left in their life by the now departed person. `When the name was cleared publicly obviously there was a huge sense of relief but the actual physical time spent achieving it was now free time with nothing to fill it and of course the departed gone too. The person really went through a total grieving process again as the void hit them once more. I could see parallels here no doubt about it.

Oh, I can see where you're coming from with this. I agree, with the fight over, after spending the best part of their lives on this cause it can kind of feel...empty...when it's over.

Also when this is over, I don't know what'll become of the charities set up for the families, and events like said football matches and the Hillsborough-to-Anfield run they have every year.

When this is all over, as well as the subject of playing a football game on the 15th of April I can imagine people trying to bring up the subject of safe standing, and getting the views of the Hillsborough families. Like the football match it was a bit of a taboo subject but since it wasn't just the standing that caused the disaster people might start asking us (fans or club) the next time the topic comes around as it eventually will.

And to be honest as long as it is safe, and actually safe, like what they have in Germany (where there are chairs, so you CAN sit down if you want to) then I'd be okay with that, even though it wouldn't make any financial sense. In fact I'd welcome those bars there that I see on pictures of the safe standing they have in Germany.

Oh goody, now Ibe's out with a hamstring injury. Do we have an NHS loyalty card or something?!

Sam Allardyce gave his opinion on the subject for some reason.



More quotes here:

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/01...sam-allardyce/

I particularly liked the last line.

Klopp is certainly making it as hard as possible for me to try and dislike him!

As he said, he gave his opinion as he was asked for his opinion, and to be fair to him, he has tried to play it down and apologise

It's not surprising, to be honest, he's asked a question, because they felt the need to ask him, and journalists picked it up and tried to create an issue out of it. It's like they're taught to be annoying while doing their degree in university.

Hillsborough and 'moving on' - what does that mean? Is it possible? Tough questions - I will give some random thoughts.

I worry about the close of the inquests for a few reasons some of which I hinted at yesterday. I am given to understand that the jury will not be able to find anyone guilty or similar and one thing that might happen is that they might say that person X behaved in a way that should be tried in a court. If there was such a court case that will further the agony even more as far as I am concerned (27 years for me is long enough) and tbh personally I would not want to do it - for me the truth being on the record at the end of the inquests will be sufficient.

In saying that I suspect there will be many LFC fans and even families of the 96 who may not agree with me - they want to see people put in prison or at least punished in some way for what happened and of course that will need yet more time in courts and the like - but in a way who am I to argue with that. I just question whether 'going after' individuals or groups of people who failed that day would in the end be worth it. after the inquest verdict the truth would be on the record and these individuals will have their failures and possible culpability in the deaths on their conscience for the rest of their lives.

These issues I hope will not result in some kind of public fall out amongst LFC fans as that would be the last thing we want. The bottom line to me is that the families are the most important people and not those who were guilty of neglect on the day and part of the subsequent cover up - what happens to these latter groups to me is almost immaterial.

Issues like safe standing, playing on April 15th, how to mark the day in future if there is no service ...etc are all hard issues and need careful thought and reflection and here is not really the place but in time it could be that we will play on that day and there may be safe standing (altho perhaps not at Anfield) but it must be done with the utmost sensitivity.

For me April 15th and what happens then has been very special as it unites football as we see scarves of all 92 teams at Anfield and it helps us all to realise that us fans are beneath it all one big family and that there are some things more important than whether we win lose or draw on a Saturday - despite what Shanks said (which btw I am sure was tongue in cheek and not meant the way some have interpreted it at all). I do hope that without the service that we can still retain the laudable sentiments that Hillsborough has brought out from across football at every level - fans, players and everyone involved in the game and I think we will cos for sure even with no service April 15th will never be a normal day, I think everyone knows that

You know how they roll.

we dont need a striker?

because we have good finishers?

lol

Prediction for tonight

Bogdan, Randall, Illori, Enrique, Smith, Stewart, Brannagan Kent, Texeira, Ojo, Sinclair.

While we may see Benteke either in the line up, or on the bench along with some of the other main team, I think it is going to be an interested match.

Yeah, it looks like Klopp has decided the first teamers have had enough and really need a little rest. It's going to be a strange team tonight, it's going to be risky and I'm not looking forward to it.
I understand why he's doing it and I even agree with him doing it, but I'm really uncomfortable that it appears we might not be taking the FA cup ( or Exeter ) that seriously, and I don't even want to start contemplating the humiliation if we get our arses kicked out!

At least we'll get to see Ilori at last and maybe even Enrique; what does he look like these days, has he still got all his hair and his own teeth . We could play Allen in midfield as he hasn't played that much this season and Benteke could put in an hour upfront, but that might be too risky at the moment.

Looking at our loan list and wishing the likes of Wisdom, Canos, Markovic and Yesil were still around.

Seems we're being linked with Mario Gotze, and it looks like a good possibility in the summer.

Someone was even linking us to Arjen Robben! While the journalists seem to have us raiding Bayern I wonder how long it'll be until we get linked with Neuer, or a return for Reina, given our goalkeeper situation?

Reina doesnt play for Bayern anymore.

I see Ibes done his hamstring now as well, unbelievable!

Bild are claiming we're targeting Mario Gotze. It's said he's not renewing his contract at the end of the season, and he'll be entering the final year of his contract. But it's £37m, which normally sounds great for a player like him, and he would improve us, but he'll only have a year left.

He might be thinking about following Guardiola to City or something.

Doubt we'll get most of them, but it's nice to see the calibre of players we've been linked with since Klopp's come in. If only we could actually get a couple of them...

Who gets the armband? Maybe Enrique, but If it's Brannagan he would have to be our youngest captain ever.

I am hoping we put out a decent team as if we lose then it's a farce.

I'd go something like...

Well, this is the side correctly predicted by Ollie Knight before the lineup was announced...

I thought Firmino would play.

Benteke is said to be the captain.