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FEW sets of supporters produce banners to match Liverpool FC’s. And there is one which has been omnipresent amongst the travelling Reds in recent months.

Simple, to the point and yet still hugely resonant, it reads “Football without fans is nothing”. Argue with that. I dare you.

This week the Spirit of Shankly, Liverpool’s supporters union, released minutes of a meeting with Reds managing director Ian Ayre, in which they discussed the recent announcement over ticket prices at Anfield.

SOS say that the proposed increases, which will see ticket prices in some areas of the ground go up by as much as 9%, as well as a new tiered-pricing system implemented from the start of next season, are “an insult” to long-standing supporters, that they “fly in the face of economic reality” and merely add to a situation which has, since 1989, seen Liverpool fans shoulder price increases disproportionate to the “football-wide average”.

The cheapest season ticket at Anfield today costs 1108 per cent more than it did in 1989. When you consider the rate of inflation across that period stands at just over 77 per cent, it is a frightening figure. The rise is also some way above the football-wide average of 716 per cent.

With individual ticket prices having broken the £50 mark - it costs £52 to watch ‘category A’ games in the Main and Centenary Stands - this season, the fear is that long-serving Liverpudlians are being driven away from the club by the rises. Anecdotal evidence suggests this is a bigger problem than ever before.

It is not a problem limited to Liverpool, of course. Every club faces similar issues, and it is a delicate balancing act between being “fair” to supporters and looking after the club’s interests. And at least Liverpool have shown a willingness to engage with supporters on the issue.

Fenway Sports Group, the club’s owners, have been eager to open dialogue with core fan groups, particularly over the past 12 months. It was one of the key objectives identified during their early months in charge at Anfield, when fan disenchantment was at an all-time high.

Progress has been made since. The club’s monthly ‘fans forums’ have been well received by fansites, bloggers and prominent club-specific writers and commentators. Brendan Rodgers, Lucas Leiva and Rodolfo Borrell have all taken part.

But this issue is different. This is no tactical discussion, no post-mortem into a disappointing transfer window, no celebration of a resounding home victory. This is about the lifeblood of the club, a lifeblood that is in danger of being seriously diluted by the ever-growing need of football clubs to drive revenues and maximise profits.

Of course there is another side to the whole debate. It is far from black and white.

Liverpool fans, like any other, want to see their team be as successful as possible. They want the best players, the most entertaining football, the most memorable occasions to savour.

Unfortunately, in the modern era, to have that means to spend, and to spend big. Budgets, in terms of both transfers and wages, dictate performance, now more than ever.

Liverpool would, with some justification, argue that their match-day revenue deficit, compared to domestic and European rivals, is one of the biggest obstacles the club faces.

Anfield simply does not generate the revenue Old Trafford, The Emirates, or Stamford Bridge does. It is why the club’s inability to rectify its stadium issue has been its big failure of the last 20 years, and why FSG face more questions on the subject than any other.

Ayre’s defence of the price rises is simple. There is, he says, a need to create the tiered structure in place at many other clubs. It has to be done, and should have been done a long time ago.

Liverpool anticipate the price increases will boost annual revenues by around £1.5m. With recent accounts showing sizeable losses at Anfield, it is perhaps no surprise to see such an approach taken.

And yet still something still sticks in the craw.

Football without fans truly is nothing. Liverpool know that better than anyone. The club has always been quick to market their supporters as “unique” - remember their recent “12th man” marketing campaign? Why, then, are they now so keen to treat them the same as every other club’s?

It may seem unlikely to some, given football’s seemingly all-encompassing power, but there will come a point when supporters will walk away. And they will be hard to lure back.

Fans’ pockets are not bottomless. It is something all clubs, not just Liverpool, could do with recognising. Because football without fans is just a game.

Liverpool FC fans are understandably sceptical over club’s summer transfer targets

IF ever Liverpool needed an insight into just how suspicious supporters are of the club’s transfer policy, then they need look no further than the reaction of some fans to the news that Ashley Williams could be a target for the club this summer.

Responses have ranged from the surprised “not sure he’s good enough” to the amazed “another Swansea player?” to the downright disgusted “this shows just how far this club has fallen”.

What happened to giving players a chance to perform, eh?

Liverpool fans’ scepticism is understandable however, considering the club’s recent track record when it comes to transfer dealings.

Fans may be guilty of jumping the gun in certain cases - see the reaction, in some quarters, to Joe Allen’s season-ending injury for proof - but having been burnt regularly in the past 20 years, they can be forgiven for getting their retaliation in first.

Make no mistake, Liverpool need a good summer. And Williams, though 28 and with little pedigree at elite level, could well make a useful signing for Rodgers’ Liverpool. But he’s by no means a certainty.

The trouble is; who is, these days?

Two games in a day? You’re having a laugh!

IT stands to reason that the lower down the football pyramid you go, the more odd things can seem.

Which perhaps explains this comment from the North West Counties league’s official website.

"All fixtures MUST be completed by no later than Monday 6th May.

"Clubs are required to play their part in finishing the season on that date, by whatever means necessary, including hiring another ground, or playing two fixtures on the same day."

Two fixtures on the same day?! Try getting away with that in the Premier League! Good luck AFC Liverpool, who have 14 league games and a cup semi final to squeeze in in the next five weeks!

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