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I think this guy just about deserves a thread after announcing his retirement.

Right, I'm trying to get things organised so we can have the first one tomorrow, but I need to see how many people we defo have in, and who have paid. This is the list I have of those who wanted in. Those who have paid, have a '*' after their name. If you don't have one, but have paid, let me know as I know I have forgotten a few. At the moment I can't access my online banking to check which standing orders are set up, so if you've set one up and have no '*' next to your name let me know. I'll edit this post each time someone pays, or if anyone takes one of the vacant numbers. So far, we have: 1 The Chap * 2 Truered * 3 DT * 4 Jorgen B * 5 Silvah 6 Scouse Missionary 7 Cath * 8 Weeksie * 9 23 Carra Gold 10 Al66Golf * 11 Sh#t Waffle * 12 Stouffer * 13 14 rb14 * 15 Robslappa * 16 atk (Thomas) * 17 AWS * 18 Lofts * 19 Redrobmol * 20 Atk (Eileen) * 21 Kop * 22 23 Kopitegaz * 24 Brownie * 25 26 Me Dad * 27 This Is Anfield * 28 29 Fivetimes * 30 King Emlyn * 31 32 ATK (Lily) * 33 Owen * 34 Dave U * 35 ATK * 36 Me Mum * 37 LFCfanbymistake * 38 39 Redkegs7 * 40 Mr Cath * 41 Will Robbo * 42 Dark Train * 43 44 Wudzy * 45 Mav * 46 Gumps * 47 Sangria * 48 Paul * 49 Drewy *

From Football365: How Journalism Works At Manchester United First of all, let's begin by recounting the tale that was the centrepiece of Daniel Taylor's latest column for The Guardian. Despite the length, it's worth a read, so cut Mediawatch a little slack: 'First of all a little story to tell you what kind of man we are talking about. It is January 9, 2008, and in an upstairs room at Manchester United's training ground five elderly men in smart blazers are struggling with their emotions in front of a hushed audience. It is the club's media day building up to the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster and Sir Bobby Charlton's polite smile does not hide the fact he is trembling as he takes his seat. Bill Foulkes is straight-backed and dignified but only a couple of questions have been asked before the tears appear in his eyes and he reaches for a glass of water. 'In an adjacent room Wayne Rooney has agreed to offer a modern-day perspective of that seminal day when 23 people, including eight members of Sir Matt Busby's team, were killed in the wreckage of the burnt-out BEA Elizabethan. It is not his specialist subject but he handles the occasion with dignity and more eloquence than some people might imagine. But then Cristiano Ronaldo comes through the double doors and the mood is broken. 'He is wearing a white suit jacket and ripped jeans, looking every bit the boy-band hunk, but it is very obvious he is in a bad mood. He begins by berating Karen Shotbolt, the club's press officer, because he is waiting for Rooney and the event has over-run. He is banging his watch with his hand, flapping his arms and gesturing in the way that Portuguese footballers usually reserve for fussy referees and, at first, he is so animated it appears as if it might be a wind-up. 'When he flounces back through the doors, cursing loudly, it is very obvious he is being deadly serious. Rooney is professional enough to carry on with his tribute but the attention is no longer exclusively on him. Thirty seconds later Ronaldo appears again, first rapping his forefinger against the glass in the door, then opening it by a fraction and starting to whistle at Rooney in the way that a farmer beckons his sheepdog. 'It was such an unpleasant scene the journalists decided not to write about it because we had been invited to the training ground to cover a far more important subject and, when you have sat with men as noble as Charlton, Foulkes, Albert Scanlon, Harry Gregg and Kenny Morgans and seen the hurt in their eyes, it felt incongruous to veer off-track.' It is a riveting and fascinating tale and one that has prompted a great deal of comment since it appeared in Saturday's edition. But from Mediawatch's perspective, the interest lies not with the story itself but the newspaper's refusal to tell it until six months after the event. Taking responsibility for the censorship, Taylor depicts the decision as the only honourable option given that the assembled hacks 'had been invited to the training ground to cover a far more important subject'. Rather than merely revealing the secrets of Ronaldo's behaviour, Taylor has instead confirmed what has long been suspected - namely, that journalists tend to toe a party line agreed between themselves and only spill the beans at a moment that is convenient to them. There's nothing particularly surprising in the disclosure but - in a story that is intent on depicting Ronaldo as a man not to be admired or trusted - it is ironic. Not, of course, that Mediawatch is buying this 'we didn't publish because it would have been hurtful' guff. Journalists are, after all, not renowned for their delicacy or sensitivity. The suspicion must be that Taylor - and his chums - didn't publish the story through fear of repercussions. As The Guardian's man on the beat in Manchester, Taylor is reliant on staying in the club's good books in order to maintain access to their star names - such as Rooney, who, as you might have noticed, is depicted as the hero of the story, and Charlton, with whom he subsequently held an exclusive interview to mark the 50th anniversary of Munich. It's worth remembering, too, that Taylor wrote a warts-and-all book on Sir Alex last year. According to some, Ferguson was less than pleased. Was staying quiet on Ronaldo the equivalent of a favour being returned? In any case, the belated (and highly convenient) decision to publish now is the clearest indication yet from inside Old Trafford that Ronaldo will be leaving the club. If the story wasn't published in January or beyond because it would have upset Manchester United, it's a Tuesday-follows-Monday certainty that Taylor has only published now in the knowledge that ManYoo no longer care if Ronaldo's character is discredited. Why? Because he's off and no longer their problem. And in a scrub-my-back-and-I'll-scrub-yours world, look out for a Guardian exclusive bylined by Daniel Taylor with Rooney in a couple of months' time.

Would you treat an openly and content gay liverpool fan (me) views with a fair and open mind? I don't want to post here if my views and opinions aren't recognised purely because of who I am. Thank you for your honesty. p.s I do post on other LFC forums and encounter no problems at all.

i havent :no

As a few of you might know, the other year we played a little game in Istanbul. It went quite well and we won the European Cup. I had a ticket for that match but could not get a flight for love nor money. I was very upset to say the least but still buzzing like every other red when we lifted the European Cup for the 5th time. As fate would have it, and as a few of you on here know, I'm in Greece at the moment sunning my beautiful arse this summer. But life has a way of biting you in the arse and I won't be able to get a ticket. This is the reason for my post. Just seeing if anyone out there who can get a ticket but can't get out here due to work, flights etc could help me out. Obviously they won't go without. As a lot of you know, I'm not a newbie pisstaker so if anyone can help, I'd be really made up. Or if anyone could give me a bit of advice then spot on. Whatever the weather, I'm going to Athens on the 23rd. I'm taking the train and am in the process of sorting a room out. Ticket or no ticket. So if any TLW heads are going out (and I know you are!) let us know and we'll have a bev. I speak the lingo and that always helps in these situations, i.e to stop the Greeks ripping you off in bars etc. Anyway, I'm still buzzing. If anyone can help me in anyway let me know either on here or PM.