Liverpool FC - News, Developments and All Seasons

[txj]

After a week of vitriolic criticism levelled at football clubs for using the government’s job retention scheme to put some employees on furlough during the Covid-19 crisis, on Wednesday some balance was finally applied. Considering that the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, had warned some Premier League clubs the scheme was not for them, and his fellow Conservative MP Julian Knight accused clubs of operating in a “moral vacuum” by furloughing staff while still paying players, the source of the measured response was perhaps unlikely: their own chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

He was asked at the government’s Covid-19 press conference about reports that British companies could put a remarkable nine million people on furlough, which, as the government pays 80% of a person’s wage up to £2,500 per month, could cost the Treasury £40bn in three months.

Sunak did not respond by saying, as Dowden did about football clubs, that his scheme was not designed for people employed by billionaire owners, nor that it has to be a last resort. He did not say, as Knight did about football, that if companies are still paying other employees much higher wages they are in a moral vacuum.

On the contrary, Sunak said the high take-up was a sign of the scheme’s success. It was set up for all seriously affected businesses, as a huge economic stabiliser for an unprecedented shutdown, aiming to prevent millions of people being laid off and consigned to the poverty-level welfare of the government’s universal credit system.

“We [set up the scheme] so that people were not … unemployed, they had a good income to get them through this, and they remain attached to their company and their employer,” Sunak explained. “If it ends up being significantly used I will view that as a success.”

Newcastle, Tottenham and Liverpool, owned by Mike Ashley, Joe Lewis and John Henry’s FSG respectively, look like a neat collection of least deserving cases. These are billionaire owners, Lewis in a tax haven; they had not looked to subsidise furloughed employees’ wages from players’ galactic pay, so were depicted as grasping at public money. Critics pointed to Liverpool paying agents £44m last year, making a £42m profit, paying a £310m wage bill, to scorn the furloughing of shop and administrative workers while football is suspended.

The spectacle of players paid so much makes a glaring contrast and many Liverpool supporters did feel their club’s cherished values were being contravened. As has been seen, however, the issue of players taking pay cuts is not straightforward for clubs. Players are employed as assets clubs can sell and their contracts are protected; if their pay is cut, they become free agents. They have been lauded now for contributing to charity via the #PlayersTogether initiative agreed after talks between the captains of all 20 clubs but that has nothing to do with pay cuts. Still, none have been agreed at any of those clubs.

It was left to chancellor Rishi Sunak to be the voice of reason after Knight’s comments about Premier League clubs.

Similar critiques could be made of many major profitable companies but the scheme was not set up as a moral test or to carry stigma. Sunak said football clubs and all companies should use the scheme responsibly but he specifically did not require company owners or higher-salaried employees to pay furloughed staff’s wages, nor for companies to show they do not have cash. Nor do companies have to pick painfully through the complications of their particular business before putting some employees on furlough.


Dowden’s argument that the scheme was set up for struggling companies, not those owned by billionaires, is wrong. Some of Britain’s largest companies are making very substantial use of it. They are supported by trade unions, who were consulted on its design and are mightily relieved it enables people to remain employed, on wages they can live on.

To take just one example, British Airways’ owner, International Airlines Group, is costing the government many, many millions, having furloughed 30,000 staff. IAG last year had a £23bn turnover, made a £2bn post-tax profit and paid shareholders £630m in dividends. Its major shareholder is Qatar Airways, owned by the world’s richest per capita state. No government minister scorned this vast corporation for using the scheme, or complained at so much UK government money being advanced to pay its staff. Unite the Union welcomed the deal, saying: “This is what can and should be done to protect workers.”

Liverpool did, though, buckle under the criticism, their chief executive, Peter Moore, saying he was sorry and reversing the decision. Yet after the U-turn, a note of “deep concern” was sounded by the Labour MP and Liverpool supporter Ian Byrne, who wrote to Dowden arguing the stigma could discourage other clubs from protecting people’s livelihoods using the furlough. “We need to avoid singling out football clubs for using a scheme they are entitled to use … and ensure that government media briefings do not contribute to this,” Byrne wrote.

As for Knight, a representative of several top players told the Observer this past week they were aware the MP had written a book in 2004 giving advice for tax avoidance, including the suggestion that people might consider emigrating to avoid inheritance tax. The agent said his players, very aware of their seven-figure PAYE tax bills, failed to see how Knight could accuse football of existing in a moral vacuum and did not understand how he could qualify to be an MP.

The Observer put that to Knight after he issued another statement this past week calling the Premier League “laughable” and saying clubs should not use the furlough scheme. He did not respond.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/bl ... otect-jobs

[danfo driver]

demonic club

[danfo driver]

El Hadji Diouf the legend! That b@stard Gerrard probably thought this was a slave he could talk to any how.

At half-time, in the dressing room. Stevie G is all like, "You have to pass, you have to pass" and [Diouf] just loses it.

'He didn't speak English. His English was rubbish. You know what he did? They hated each other so much. Steven Gerrard arrives, he insults Diouf. "Hey, you f*****".

'And [Diouf] couldn't answer, so he grabs [former Liverpool boss] Gerard Houllier and says: "Tell him, I'll f*** his mum".

'He came in and said: "I'm not his mate, I'll do him in straight away".'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... rrard.html

[kajifu]

El Hadji Diouf the legend! That b@stard Gerrard probably thought this was a slave he could talk to any how.

At half-time, in the dressing room. Stevie G is all like, "You have to pass, you have to pass" and [Diouf] just loses it.

'He didn't speak English. His English was rubbish. You know what he did? They hated each other so much. Steven Gerrard arrives, he insults Diouf. "Hey, you f*****".

'And [Diouf] couldn't answer, so he grabs [former Liverpool boss] Gerard Houllier and says: "Tell him, I'll f*** his mum".

'He came in and said: "I'm not his mate, I'll do him in straight away".'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... rrard.html

Correct bobo

[Alategun]

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Milner, Fabinho, Henderson, Keita, Minamino, Mane, Firmino.

Subs: Adrian, Wijnaldum, Lovren, Salah, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Origi, Elliott, Williams.


Interesting line up. Robbo out. Hope he is ok. Will be interesting with a Keita. Hope for a win. The sooner we wrap this up the better. Let’s go RedMen! YNWA.....

[maceo4]

Iwobi having a tough go at it early on, nothing is clicking so far, hopefully he settles down.

[maceo4]

Much better play from Iwobi now, Mane with a great run fouled.

[Alategun]

Mr dependable Milner is hurt.

[Alategun]

Drab match that was. Looked like a preseason game. I am worried about Minamino. Right now he doesn’t seem to fit our system. Maybe better in a 4231 formation where he is a 10. We surely miss the width provided bybRobbo and of course we miss Salah

[ohsee]

I wish commentators will stop saying that this thing is in the bag. In football, anything is possible.

[danfo driver]

I wish commentators will stop saying that this thing is in the bag. In football, anything is possible.

Uncle DeDe, i thought you said it was 2 more games?

[ohsee]

I wish commentators will stop saying that this thing is in the bag. In football, anything is possible.

Uncle DeDe, i thought you said it was 2 more games?

Chief, that was before Coro. How could I know that your best friend Peperempe was training his troops right through the pandemic when everybody else was resting? Look at how they are just destroying people who did not train enough. That Pep na wayo man. Everybody was taking cover and resting, and he was training his troops.

[danfo driver]

I wish commentators will stop saying that this thing is in the bag. In football, anything is possible.

Uncle DeDe, i thought you said it was 2 more games?

Chief, that was before Coro. How could I know that your best friend Peperempe was training his troops right through the pandemic when everybody else was resting? Look at how they are just destroying people who did not train enough. That Pep na wayo man. Everybody was taking cover and resting, and he was training his troops.

e be like sey na only dem do undercover training.

By God's grace una go win the league. Just to see your happiness.

[Alategun]

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mane, Salah, Firmino

Subs: Adrian, Lovren, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino, Origi, Jones, Elliott, Williams

The trusted 11. Hope we can get some early goals and win this. Won’t be watching live so enjoy Pool fans. YNWA.....

[txj]

Two stonewall PKs not called...

[txj]

Oooh Fabinho you beauty!!!!

[Lager-back]

chei. see rocket by fabinho

[ohsee]

Two more points! Two more points! Two more points

[Alategun]

Just finished watching. Amazing penalty shout for Firmino was not called! And VVD got mugged. Will be interesting if we go to Etihad needing the draw or win to win it.
Fabinho was superb. Front 3 and Robbo too. Neco and Harvey Elliot are going to be players!

[Alategun]

Palace had no touch in our 18 yard box. 1st time ever....

[Coach]

Dead rubber. Palace are safe, nothing to play for. For Liverpool on the other hand, history. Fabulous application of pressure and aggression. Chelsea will snatch a draw tonight. Congratulations to the bast*rds.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Chelsea 1:0 Manchester City. Liverpool on the cusp


Cheers.

[kajifu]

Congrats Liverpool,now go ahead and break more records.I want to see City do the honor come next thursday