nov 26 2007 O'Hare Hopper

nov 26 2007 O'Hare Hopper at the Turner Prize

Great post from Al O'Hare. He attended a dinner at the Adelphi (don't get me started) at which Blues legend Howard Kendall told fans a harsh truth - in future they won't interact with today's legends in the way that they interact with yesteryear's.

Tough but probably true.

The Echo enjoys a great relationship with Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. They turn up for our events, they give us interviews, they know and respect their roots.

Look at poor Dave Hickson. Heart attack at the weekend while acting as an ambassador for the Everton he loves. Still in the fold. Still one of the team.

The foreign players dance to a different rhythm. I can't blame them for it. It's just a harsh fact of football life.

Long term, what will be their input? What will be their legacy? For every Jan Molby (more a scouser than most scousers) there are 25 just paasing through.

What do the real fans want? A fantastic and cosmopolitan Premiership drawn from a myriad of nations and offering the world's best and most competetive league? Or predominantly local players representing Blues and Reds - taking on predominantly local teams from Newcastle, London, Leeds, Birmingham?

Question: Where, per head of population, do the greatest percentage of professional footballers in the UK come from? Answer told to me by Howard Wilkinson when he was head of FA coaching.

Answers please...

Dennis Hopper in town next week to present Turner Prize. How cool is that? Pure cult icon (sorry, I know you hate those words).

Another feather in the Liverpool cap. Roll on 08.