IT'S ONLY A GAME....ISN'T IT?
THE postscript to The Friendly Derby continues apace today.
In the aftermath of the game, Benitez chastised Everton fans for their chants towards Steven Gerrard.
It was swiftly followed today by Everton urging police to identify the Kemlyn Road fan who allegedly 'punched' and 'spat at' Phil Neville.
Sadly, it seems that year on year, any lingering hope that Reds and Blues could once again act cordially towards each other is disappearing fast.
After 90 minutes of another poisonous Derby atmosphere, both clubs have done their best to keep the bad blood bubbling away long after the final whistle.
Given the tit-for-tat behaviour of both sets of fans, Rafa's comments in interview about chants towards Gerrard were ill-advised.
He said: "I am sure some of the {Liverpool} players will be very pleased {with the result} because I do not like to hear some of the things I heard.
"It shows a lack of respect for some players. So I am really pleased, especially for some players."
First things first, these type of chants are pathetic, offensive, hurtful, unfounded, defamatory and any other adjective you care to choose.
Where Rafa perhaps erred is that he blatantly set himself up for accusations of double-standards after Sunday's mud-slinging fest.
For the predictable Gerrard chant, we have the Reds fans' equally sick, unsavoury, and Neanderthal chants about Joleon Lescott.
Little surprise, therefore, that after Rafa's comments, Everton responded like this: "Whilst we would never condone the singling out of individual players for vitriolic insults, it is shame that Mr Benitez chose to ignore the actions of his own supporters.
"Not only was Joleon Lescott subjected to an afternoon long barrage of quite disgusting and quite audible abuse, Phil Neville was seemingly spat at several times and was also punched in the back by a supporter as he took a throw in."
It's great The Friendly Derby isn't it?
A fair response from Goodison I reckon.
Liverpool fans hit the roof in the same manner when Carragher was spat at, covered with beer and verbally abused by Luton fans this season.
Equally though, Benitez could make a counter comment and make mention of the mocking of Michael Shields.
Moyes could then turn to the racist overtones in some of the Yakubu barracking.
Lastly, there were reports of a small minority of Blues on Sunday performing Heysel wall pushing motions, and reports from previous derbies of mocking 'hand over the face' Hillsborough gestures.
The list is probably endless. And I'm sure Blues will flag up other black marks against Reds fans which I haven't mentioned.
Benitez's 'small club' comments last year still massively rankle at Goodison (it was mentioned yet again in the Everton club statement today) and it was a major faux par on his behalf.
I genuinely think that was a relatively new foreign manager failing to grasp the historical import of the Derby and the city's two teams, while consumed by some heat-of-the-moment post game anger, and he now wishes he never said it.
I see little point entering a long and protracted debate as to the reasons why relations have turned so sour (Heysel depriving an all-conquering Everton side performing on Europe's biggest stage/Blues growing steadily more bitter as they hit relegation waters while Liverpool started to enter the trophy winning business again - I've tried to be balanced there!)
No matter how much you hate the Blues, how much you despise the Reds, how much you want Everton to go to Kirkby, how much you think Liverpool fans get the rub of the green when it comes to the authorities (UEFA's Champions League admission turnaround), it's infantile behaviour that wouldn't be out of place in a school playground.
How about we actually start singing songs about our own teams for a change? Those lads spend hours ruminating over the tunes and lyrics so it seems a shame to resort to non-football barracking instead.
Every time the Merseyside Derby rears into view, the likes of Football Focus trot out the stereotypical pictures of Liverpool and Everton fans sitting next to each other.
Let's not kid ourselves lads, it doesn't happen anymore.
All that stuff we were secretly quite proud of in the past, it's been washed away by nearly two decades of bad feeling.
It seems ironic that when we were bidding for Capital of Culture, one of the biggest tools in our armoury was 'the famous Scouse sense of humour'
There isn't much evidence of it in this furious football squabble.
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I can't say I'm really surprised. Lets not forget though that it is a minority of fans who indulge in this kind of behaviour.
I was in a pub in Guildford for the match, which was fairly quiet, but there was one corner with two guys, one wearing an Everton top, the other proudly bedecked in the Red's football strip. Both were laughing and joking with each other - a bit of banter of course, but nothing vicious.
Why aren't all English football fans like this? Nasty chanting is certainly not unique to Merseyside.
Heavily Edited
You could tell the chants where getting to him on the field, to his credit he responded in a positive way and put in some cracking tackles.
Sorry, but it's not such a small minority - though, of course, it's not just Merseyside fans who are guilty.
Something happens to people when they're in a crowd. Thgus get more thuggish, cowards get braver, and everyone surrenders some self-control.
It has to stop, and the clubs have to take the lead. Football is really not that important. And if you think it is, get a life.
(I know, I know...but Shankly was joking. He had more sense than that.)
Final point on Everton's gripe about being called a "small club": all Benitez was doing was agreeing with Moyes - who is forever pointing out how under-resourced his club is, and how small a squad he has.
Bernie said: 'Something happens to people when they're in a crowd. Thugs get more thuggish, cowards get braver, and everyone surrenders some self-control.'
That's a very good point mate. As a side point, me and a mate went to watch Chester v Stockport at The Deva on Saturday. By chance we chose a pub to drink in pre match that was populated with most of the hardcore Stockport fans.
I sat and watched as a group of County fans grew more aggressive by the minute, hammering down on the table as they sang, drinks flying everywhere, one lad in particular had a fork in his hand and kept stabbing it repeatedly into the table as he grew redder and redder.
All this as they sang the pathetic 'Munich runway' tune.
Stockport, I ask you.
Like you say, they think they're on a stage and try to compete to be the most shocking out of all their mates.
I still think it's a minority, though a very loud minority so you notice them more.
I sat and watched a brawl kick off once on a Manchester derby day when I used to live in Stockport. Glasses broken, along with several chairs, a window and a table. The police came in and hauled away the thugs, but it was only a few people who kicked off - the vast majority of fans were not involved at all (though perhaps the singing a lot of them were doing had helped cause it to escalate).
Most of the people in the pub either made a sharp exit, or (like us) just sat there stunned watching from the other side of the pub. I tell you, watching a real fight is nothing like a pub brawl on telly - it's a lot more scary and shocking.
I think Benitez was ill advised to bring this issue up following the game, his small club comment last year was similar, he is a clever man and sometimes usues the " lost in translation" to have a little pop, all he has succeeded in doing is to bring the jibes more into the public eye and invite a reaction from EFC. We had a good result say nothing and move on like men, that should be the right way the LFC way.
Both sets of Fans should be ashamed of themselves for the chanting that took place during the Merseyside Derby. Rafa was stupid to single out Everton Fans as showing disrespect when all you could hear from the KOP WAS THE SAME DISRESPECT only louder.
We are both big enough not to stoop to this level, keep the humour ditch the abuse, you are either a football fan or a lunatic fanatic, it does not take brains to determine which is the best.
I agree with Ken and the sentiment of Luke's main piece. Let's all grow up.