It is Monday again which means it’s time for ‘Morning Mix’ – our weekly football column with a bit of music thrown in for good measure.
This week, we look at a major talking point from the past seven days and point you in the direction of some of the best football stories elsewhere on the internet.
We also offer a top tune recommendation to get you in the mood for the next week and what to watch out for over the coming days. Let’s get this show on the road.
Liverpool set a dangerous precedent
Liverpool fans demonstrated their ongoing disdain for the ‘establishment’ on Saturday by drowning out the national anthem before their game against Brentford.
Played to mark the crowning of King Charles over the weekend, the patriotic music composition could not be heard as Reds supporters chanted their defiance.
Their actions were supported by the club, who issued a statement in the run-up to the game saying the fans were free to make a ‘personal choice’ about marking the occasion.
The club are undoubtedly correct that people can choose how to behave in such situations, but they have also set an extremely dangerous precedent and one which they may live to regret.
Fans who don’t believe Liverpool fans were blameless during the Hillsborough disaster have now been handed an open invite to disrupt the occasions when this anniversary is marked.
Ultimately, anyone doing this can claim it is a ‘personal choice’ not to believe what the authorities have told them about what happened that day.
Liverpool fans are well within their rights to protest about the ‘establishment’ if that is how they feel. But protest and defiance are a two-way street.
They must now recognise they have cleared the path for people to respond in kind towards them. However you flower it up, they’ve made a rod for their own backs.
The week that was
Are you looking for the best football stories from the past week? Check these out:
- Leeds United: What happened?
- Financial fears and Dyche’s defence problem: the key questions for Everton.
- Why Napoli’s first Serie A title since 1989-90 means so much to the city and its fans.
Today’s top tune
As we’ve been focused on national anthems today, this seems like an excellent opportunity to share the pick of the bunch courtesy of Andre Rieu.
What to watch this week
There will be plenty of attention on the Champions League tie between Real Madrid and Manchester City in midweek.
However, the National League promotion play-off between Notts County and Chesterfield at Wembley Stadium on Saturday should also be a cracker.
A final Morning Mix thought
Your team is challenging for a League One play-off place and this happens…
🚨 SCENES 🚨
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 7, 2023
Curtis Davies is sent off for making slight contact with Marvin Johnson 🟥
Michael Smith rolls the penalty into the bottom corner and gives Sheffield Wednesday the lead ⚽ pic.twitter.com/WSDH5L9StS
Penalty? Never in a million years – Marvin Johnson cheated. Red card? Absolutely ridiculous.
Referee Leigh Doughty should be axed from the league list. He’s not fit for purpose.
