[lfc-news] Parry's sympathy for travelling Reds - Official Site

Official LFC Website, 8 Jan 2005
PARRY'S SYMPATHY FOR TRAVELLING REDS
By Mark Platt

Liverpool Chief Executive has sympathised with the fans who made their
way to Burnley for Friday night's FA Cup tie, only for the game to be
postponed 40 minutes before kick-off.

Parry has no complaints about the fact that the match was called off but
he's blasted the late decision by referee Mark Clattenburg.

"Why does no-one ever think of the fans in this situation?" he fumed.
"I've no criticism of Burnley, who made a tremendous effort to get the
game on, but I can't understand why the referee waited so long before he
called it off.

"It's not as if we didn't anticipate these conditions. A match was
abandoned on the same pitch a week ago and the weather has been even
worse since then.

"Yet again, the supporters are allowed to come all the way here before
it's called off. Okay, Burnley may not be as far to travel to as
Plymouth, but it's still an inconvenience for a lot of fans.

"I would ask why the referee wasn't here from midday to inspect the
pitch? I hear he arrived two and a half hours before kick-off. It seemed
obvious to everyone this morning there could be a problem with this
fixture, and yet it's taken until the last minute to call it off.

"It's very frustrating for the supporters and players. We arrived geared
up for a game but it was pretty obvious as soon as we got there it
wouldn't get the go-ahead. The needs of the spectators aren't considered
enough in these situations."

Clattenburg has explained his reasons for the postponement by insisting
the Turf Moor pitch was not safe to play on.

He angered Clarets Chief Executive Dave Edmundson by calling the game
off just 40 minutes before the scheduled 7.45 pm kick-off.

But after inspecting the surface for well over 20 minutes he admits the
safety of the players was paramount and for this reason there was no way
the tie could have taken place.

"When I arrived two and a half hours earlier, I felt it had a 90 per
cent chance of going ahead," he says.

"There was a major problem in front of the stand though and we had to
clear the water off the far side of the pitch with the machines.

"The machine was plugged though and couldn't collect any more water and
that meant that there was a problem in that area.

"I have to think of the players' safety first and they wouldn't have
been safe on that side."

* Liverpool have been dealt more bad news on the injury front after
Richie Partridge was ruled out of action for six weeks.
Partridge underwent keyhole surgery to cure a minor knee injury on Thursday.

The 24-year old Irish winger has endured a torrid time with injuries of
late and this is a further blow to his hopes of establishing himself in
the first team picture under Rafael Benitez.


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's
'Thanks & Giving.'
http://us.click.yahoo.com/6iY7fA/5WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/2_TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Unsubscribe: lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.lfc-list.org.uk/
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lfc-news/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/