Stuff of legends

JOE ROYLE: “wouldn’t be the biggest shock if Latics beat Liverpool.”

Royle: Chance for a Latics player to go down in club folklore
JOE ROYLE has challenged Athletic’s players to attain legendary status tomorrow night.
The majority crammed inside Anfield will expect nothing less than a straightforward progression to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the Premier League giants.

With more than 6,000 travelling fans cheering on Paul Dickov’s 20-1 outsiders, though, Royle hopes the special nature of the competition can help Athletic’s players.

“This is the FA Cup and whatever stage you are at in it, it still has a magic,” said Liverpool-born Royle, who recalled his own Athletic team’s 3-2 home win over Liverpool which formed the centrepiece of 1993’s ‘great escape’ from relegation from the Premier League.

“You just never, never know. It is not realistic to expect Latics to win at Anfield. But then, the FA Cup is not realistic. You have to take all logic out of it.

“What almost always happens with the FA Cup is that a Premier League side wins it. But within the rounds, every year there are shocks and top-flight sides do lose games. If Athletic win at Liverpool, it wouldn’t be the biggest upset of all time. There is a big incentive there for a Latics player to score the goal that could make him a legend at the club.”

Royle expects Athletic will have to find a way to somehow combat the roving talent of Steven Gerrard, with Liverpool’s talisman expected to play a full game as he builds his match fitness following an ankle injury.

Overall, though, he also believes that Anfield generally is not as oppressive an atmosphere as it once was for visiting clubs.

“Making the stadium all-seated has had an impact and, as you can see from this season, teams go to Anfield now and come back with points,” added the former Everton striker and manager, now based on Merseyside.

“But I still think Liverpool are a team that is on the up. There has been a change since Kenny has come in and even the other night, the 3-0 scoreline at Manchester City was harsh on them.

“As for Latics, I have seen them a few times this season and to the team’s credit, they try to play football the right way.

“Partnerships can change teams and from what I have seen, Robbie Simpson and Shefki Kuqi work well together.

“Arguably, when Frank Bunn and Andy Ritchie came together as a pairing that was the catalyst for our success.”

Ticket sales have gone well for tomorrow’s game, which is approaching a sell-out.



ATHLETIC were still aiming to tie up new loan deals for Nathan Clarke, Tom Adeyemi, Luca Scapuzzi and Andrea Mancini today.

Talks have been held with the players' parent clubs and the hope was the arrangements would be tied up by noon, making all available for the Liverpool game.



LIVERPOOL midfielder Jay Spearing is urging his team-mates to concentrate fully on their game against Athletic.

The Reds have a Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City on the horizon, starting with the first leg on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.

“We have Steven Gerrard back now and he is a massive influence on the team and we will go into the two games with confidence,” Spearing told Liverpool’s official website.

“Before we can think about that though we have to get ready for our next game which is the FA Cup against Oldham.

“It’s another important game for us and we want to get back to winning ways in front of our own fans.”



ATHLETIC fans are aiming to ‘Light up Liverpool’ before kick-off tomorrow.

A plea has been issued through social media for fans to start a countdown from 20, three minutes before the scheduled 8pm kick-off.

And once the count is over, supporters with mobile phones and flash cameras will flash them on to create a sea of bright lights among the 6,136 fans making the journey to Anfield for the third-round tie.

Fans are asked to spread the word about the plan, help shout out the countdown and then switch on and hold their devices high above their heads for maximum impact.