WE’VE MISSED IT ALL

I’M glad some of the authorities have come to their senses and lifted most objections to Premier League clubs playing matches on their own grounds.

The attitude towards supporters angered me. This assumption that fans would break rules and lockdown restrictions… where was the evidence for it?

Look around. By and large, people in the UK have stuck far more closely to the rules and guidelines than even toplevel Government advisers. So what is this ‘evidence’? For me, it is simple. It was the authorities being kneejerk again, dehumanising football fans as a group who have no individual responsibility or personality.

We’ve seen where that led. We’ve seen it in protests across the world in recent days, because authorities and a certain section of society dehumanise another whole section of society.

It’s wrong. Full stop. Let fans show they will behave – and then act if they don’t. Not the other way around.

In the case of the Merseyside derby, I feel certain the managers of both clubs will speak to their fan base, make a compelling case for following the rules.

It’s important for the club, sure, but for the fans too, their health and the health of thousands of people. I feel that will be enough.

Let’s celebrate that football is coming back.

We’ve missed the drama, the atmosphere, the occasion of football – really missed it.

And the prospect of Liverpool perhaps winning the title at Goodison

(above)? That’s a real football story… and we’ve missed those most of all.