The arrival of the New York Red Sox owner at the helm of Liverpool is a welcome relief for fans fed up with the tyrannical reign of Hicks and Gillette. The club though is not the only one to benefit, as the tabloids have also been given a lifeline in the form of new headline material and their away defeat against city rivals Everton, was the perfect opportunity for The Sun to test out their new material.

The Daily Star though took a more critical appraisal of Liverpool’s performance, as they preferred to utilise their new owners affiliation with the New York baseball team in a negative context. The headline writers were clearly in an indecisive mood, as they couldn’t decide upon which Red Sox based pun was the best. Ultimately they decided on ‘Flops’ for the front page and the more offensive ‘Sucks’ in the shade of the back page.

Derby clashes between local rivals are always tense and nervous affairs, as there is more than just the obligatory three points at stake. These passionate games will dictate which team has the bragging rights to the city until the two sides next meet. Acutely aware of the passion and also division football can generate The Sun decided to make their feelings plain regarding Everton’s eventual victory. The paper certainly cannot be accused of fence-sitting, but can certainly be blamed for creating nonsensical headlines.

In the aftermath of the Merseyside derby there was time to reflect on the situation that Liverpool have found themselves in. Their poor start has dragged them into the relegation zone and star players Steven Gerrad and Fernando Torres have failed to find the form of old, leaving The Sun to contemplate the qualities of what John Henry has bought and how despite Hicks’ and Gillette’s indignant acceptance of what they thought was below the market value for the club, they might well have been paid over the odds.

Since his arrival on Merseyside, Henry has made all the right noises, although any sound that doesn’t emanate from the bumbling duo is surely a welcome change. One of his first ports of call was Liverpool’s supporters club, who sought assurances about the club’s future and according to the Irish Independent the meeting went well, but he couldn’t seal the deal. Unfortunately for writer Rory Smith the headline wasn’t befitting of an excellently written insight into Henry’s work at the club. Next time Henry’s hoping to go all the way though.

Even before Wayne Rooney announced via an emotionally whiplashed Alex Ferguson that he wanted out of Old Trafford, Manchester United had endured a difficult weekend. Home games against newly promoted teams should result in a routine victory for teams of United’s calibre, however nothing has been straight forward at Old Trafford this season and an uncharacteristic mistake by their veteran keeper allowed the visitors to pinch a point and The Sun to make an amusing pun.

The tabloids eagerly gobbled up news of Rooney’s departure and they appeared to collectively agree that all headlines concerned with the story should substitute the ‘You’ for an abbreviation of his surname, ‘Roo’ with no thought for the clarity of the sentence. However the Daily Mirror displayed an uncharacteristic intelligence on their front page when they utilised the prefix ‘Roo’ to show the stars sorrow of leaving the club, whilst also condemning his decision. Greedy was seemingly a populist afterthought.

The possible destinations for Rooney appear limited thanks to his desire and ambition and the transfer fee involved, so Chelsea or Real Madrid seem the likeliest future havens for him. The Sun though preferred to imagine a controversial move across the city to United’s wealthy neighbours. In case you can’t imagine such a scenario the paper’s bob-a-job intern has Pritt-Sticked his head onto Pablo Zabaleta’s body.

Away from the off the field sensationalism of the Rooney saga, football was still being played. Chelsea continued their strong start to the season with a win against Spartak Moscow in the European Big Cup thanks to a sensational strike from Yuri Zhirkov and one from Nicolas Anelka. The Russian has struggled to find his feet at Stamford Bridge since his arrival last year, but his wonder goal was clear evidence of his ability. The Daily Mirror recognised this and lent him their support via a Beatles song, although political advances mean they’re a bit behind the times with their reference.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom at Old Trafford this week, as Alex Ferguson did his part for international relations, by presenting “Chile president Sebastian Pinera with a signed Manchester United shirt yesterday as a gift for the 33 rescued miners.” What 33 miners are going to do with one signed shirt seems unclear, but The Sun didn’t care as it gave them an opportunity to fuse industry and football in a pun that graced the inside cover of the paper.

Posted By Dan Mobbs - Friday October 22, 2010.
Tags: Liverpool, Manchester United