IT'S TIME TO FOCUS ON FOOTBALL
Rick Parry 06 February 2008
Headlines over the past two months have been as much about what has been going on off the pitch as on it.

This is not the Liverpool we all know and love. It has never been our style to wash our dirty linen in public and it is never pleasant for anyone when it happens.
The sooner we can put all of this behind us and get back to the Liverpool Way the better. That's certainly not pointing the finger at anyone. It's a hard fact of life in football that any negative publicity quickly leads to further headlines and debate.
You learn to live with it. What really frustrates me is when outsiders start having a go. When this happens you know instinctively it's time to unite, draw some strength from our togetherness and get back on the rails.
We can argue amongst ourselves, but we can't change the club in the process.
I'm a fan like you. Always have been and always will be. I know how much our history and tradition means to you. We all want to be focusing on winning things. Instead, we have been embroiled in rows about other things.
Yet everyone has the same basic aim which is to make our club the best in the world. To that end, I'm pleased that we have taken an important step along the new stadium path.
Clearly, the revised design is very similar to the one unveiled in the summer, plans that excited every one of us. They are almost identical to the naked eye.
When we said we were revising things, perhaps there was a bit of consternation that we were somehow going back to the drawing board to make dramatic alterations. In fact, it was a case of looking at some costs to see if we could make them more efficient.
Could we look at some aspects of the build to make it work better without losing the impact of the design that had made it so special? That is exactly what has happened and our plans remain on course.
We plan to be ready for the summer of 2011. Work will commence this year. Obviously that will be an extremely positive and welcome step for everybody.
The review clearly created a bit of uncertainty as to whether it was going to happen. The answer is: "Yes it will." We all know how crucial the new build is to the ongoing progress of the club.
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I would like to wish Momo Sissoko all the best following his move to Juventus. Rafael Benitez has good cover in midfield and we made a decent profit on the transfer. Lee Peltier has also departed, moving to Yeovil.
Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel has come in to provide options in central defence and it was interesting to see Sami Hyypia tipping him to shine after he has settled in at Anfield.
We want to be concentrating on the football again and there is a real determination to get back on track.