Hillsborough: Why Today Matters

'I reckon is was a 50/50 thing. Mistakes obviously happened with the Police, but fans were drunk and trying to force their way in without tickets, so it was partly their fault too.'

A former work colleague of mine once made this remark to me during a conversation about the Hillsborough disaster. Like the vast majority of the public, he had never read the findings of the Taylor report. He had never poured over the excellent book by Phil Scratton or read Anne Williams' publication about the evidence regarding her son Kevin's death that contradicts the 'official' verdict on his passing. He had never visited the eternal flame, watched documentaries on the disaster or listened to those who were there and suffered the ignominy of the ensuing, slanderous cover up. He wasn't a bad person and his comments weren't laced with venom or hatred. He was merely a supporter of another football club, young, and didn't really care enough about the disaster to have educated his obvious ignorance. Hillsborough wasn't his thing. He was just another football fan, just another person who thought he knew enough about what transpired on April 15 1989.

In reality, he knew nothing. He had formed his ideas upon the notion that 'where there is smoke there is fire'. The Sun newspaper, the lies of some Police and the government's subsequent cover up of the tragedy meant that, even after all these years, all the half-hearted retractions buried on page 7 of Murdoch's tabloid and the investigations exonerating fans of any wrong doing, my former colleague, just like a healthy portion of the public still believed that somehow, innocent people were to blame on that fateful day in 1989.

As I reeled off some facts about the disaster and tried to set him straight, I could see that my words were only partially heard and viewed with scepticism. He wasn't going to go home and research the disaster any further and even my impassioned argument and obvious disdain for his comment wasn't going to change that. I was exasperated and frustrated. I have no idea how I'd have felt if I'd been directly affected by Hillsborough. If I'd lost a loved one, knew someone that had been injured or even been present myself that day, I can't imagine the pain, disgust, anger and helplessness I'd have felt as a person I liked and worked with let out such a statement as 'it's partly their fault too'.

This is why the documents that will finally be released later today are so important and this is why it matters to me and you.

Today could be the moment that the vast majority of doubts, misinformed ignorance, prejudice and spiteful lies finally vanish into the ether. The families affected by the tragedy are hoping that the Hillsborough Independent Panel's (HIP) report today will finally shed light on the cover up regarding the disaster and that that will ultimately lead to a retraction of the 'accidental death' verdict and an official apology from the government. Some hope for prosecution for those who were responsible for the inadequate treatment that their loved ones received during their last moments. For all the good that thousands of people have done to aid the cause of the families and the survivors, those two disgusting words 'THE TRUTH' that Kelvin McKenzie allowed to be splashed across the Sun's front page and the lies that spread like wildfire from the Police all those years ago still speak loudest to the uninformed, the uninterested, the wilfully ignorant and the prejudiced people of this nation. Today represents the best chance yet to right some of these many wrongs.

The families are as close now as they have ever been to exposing the lies that have blighted their existences over the past two decades yet they are also nervous and wary that another fudge may take place and they will again be left in limbo with nowhere else to turn (23 years of fighting unsuccessfully inevitably brings with it a huge dollop of cynicism). They have been here before and been sent packing but this time it feels different. Hopefully today they will receive a huge part of the peace that they deserve. It isn't right that people have had to live with the added pain of the Hillsborough lies, cover ups and the lack of accountability for those at fault for all this time. Losing their loved ones was pain enough.

If the report from the HIP today exposes the lies and cover ups of Hillsborough to the masses, then it will be headline news and will provide vindication for the families' campaign for Justice that has lasted far too long. Only then will people like my former work colleague stop unashamedly peddling the hurtful myths created in the aftermath of the disaster.

Liverpool's 3 stars yet to shine

After his side's dismal start to the league campaign, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has a lot on his plate and numerous problems to rectify. The form of his 3 star players is perhaps the most pressing concern  (aside from the off-field problems of course). Pepe Reina, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez are fundamental players in Liverpool's squad and so far, the three leading lights at Anfield have yet to ignite. Rodgers must get them firing again, but is it possible and if so, how?

Liverpool need to get more out of their Captain

Steven Gerrard – Phenomenal player though he is, Steven Gerrard appears to be struggling to adapt to Rodgers' 4-3-3 system more than most. He has been positioned regularly as the most advanced player in the midfield 3 and hasn't looked at ease very often. Against Arsenal, as he did on the opening day at West Brom, Gerrard gave a slack ball away in the opposition half and within seconds Liverpool found themselves 1-0 down. When he was at his best under Benitez, Gerrard played predominantly as a second striker behind Fernando Torres where his starting position would be similar to what Rodgers is asking of him these days, but under the Spaniard he was allowed to neglect his defensive duties a lot more. At Anfield against Arsenal, he frequently left Sahin and Allen alone in midfield and noticeably took a long time to get back into position when the reds lost the ball. Perhaps it was down to fatigue after 3 games in 7 days but in general Gerrard hasn't yet hit top form for Liverpool and is not fitting into the new system very impressively. Countless times this season already we've seen Liverpool work themselves into an attacking position with patient build up play only for Gerrard (and Suarez) to play a careless, rushed pass and surrender possession in a hasty attempt to create a chance. Gerrard's game has always been about dynamism, pace and power but in Liverpool's new formation he has to start using his brain more and his ageing legs a little less. His natural instinct is to try and drag Liverpool by their bootstraps into a game and create something out of nothing but while he has been the saviour so many times in the past he now needs to adapt and use his bursts of energy less and more intelligently. He isn't the 25 year old tornado that he was in Istanbul and he needs his team mates to share the burden of winning games with him. He has all the tools to succeed in pretty much any position on the pitch but he needs to step his game up a few levels and quickly.

Reina reflects on another poorly conceded goal

Pepe Reina – The 2 poor mistakes in a week against Hearts and Arsenal were symptomatic of the last few years for Reina. While he is still regarded as one of the finest goal keepers in Europe, this is a reputation based on his performances from a long while ago as, since Rafa Benitez exited Anfield, the keeper's form has generally fluctuated from the poor to the mediocre with some horrendous aberrations thrown into the mix. Reina is doing well with his distribution, as expected, but in terms of shot stopping, concentration and positioning, the Spaniard is a long way short of his best. Reina has several times publicly yearned for the return of his former goal keeping coach Xavi Valero and maybe that would help him to regain his former glories, but the problem for Rodgers is that while his number 1 is out of form, there is no viable replacement. Brad Jones simply isn't up to it and Doni seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. All this leaves Rodgers with a goalkeeper who has been sleepwalking his way through the past few season and who looks low on confidence and, at this moment, an accident waiting to happen. The manager has little choice but to persist with the Spaniard and hope he can shake off his current malaise and recapture his form. It is risk, but Rodgers has no other choice but to trust in Reina.

Frustration has been etched on Suarez' face for most of the season 

Luis Suarez – Suarez is not a number 9. Suarez doesn't hold play up and Suarez is not a clinical finisher. Unfortunately for both player an manager, Suarez is being positioned as Liverpool's most forward central attacker and, unless Fabio Borini can fill the void with Suarez moving out to the right hand side, nothing can really change. The Uruguayan has started the season as most would have expected. Beguiling one moment, astonishingly wasteful and frustrating the next. Suarez is Liverpool biggest threat and opposition teams know it. He is consistently double marked and is trying to do too much. Like Gerrard, he is guilty of playing this season in fast forward mode. Every time he receives the ball, his first instinct is to attack defenders or play a difficult first time pass regardless of his chances of success. The burden of being the only player in his squad likely to score upwards of 10 league goals is obviously weighing heavily on his shoulders and his agitation and frustration are there for all to see. Silly bookings, petulant outbursts and bad decisions have all been evident thus far. The problem is, unless someone steps up to the plate to ease the pressure on the mercurial number 7, nothing is likely to change. Suarez is Liverpool's only regular match winner and he needs help. Perhaps altering his role in the side to play from a wider position with Borini through the centre would help but Rodgers has resisted that temptation so far and will have his reasons. Either way, Liverpool need more from Suarez and Suarez needs more from Liverpool.