Z cars tonight

[Gerry]

taken from lfc.tv
The Z-Cars theme tune 'Johnny Todd' - the song which traditionally greets the arrival of the Everton team onto the Goodison Park pitch - will be played prior to 'You'll Never Walk Alone' ahead of this evening's 8.05pm kick-off.

Following a suggestion from Liverpool Echo feature writer Tony Barrett to mark the youngster's tragic death in such an unprecedented way, the newspaper was inundated with requests for the unique tribute to be staged.

Anfield chief executive Rick Parry spoke with Rhys's family who agreed they would be delighted if the Reds paid tribute to their son's memory in such a fitting way.

After the two songs there will then be a minute's applause and the Liverpool players will show their respect by wearing black armbands during the game.

Rhys's parents Stephen and Melanie will also be at Anfield for the game.

The youngster's uncle Neil Jones admits the family have been overwhelmed by such a show of support from the Blues' city rivals.

He said: "When I told them about the proposed tribute at Anfield, Melanie said playing Johnny Todd at Anfield would be a unique event, a complete one-off, just like Rhys, and a fitting tribute to him as it was his favourite tune.

"She's also pretty sure he'll have a little mischievous grin on his face at the thought of being the cause of it."

Tears in my eyes every time i think of young rhys and what happened to him !
Nice show of solidarity imho ! rip rhys i hope dixie dean and the everton stars in heaven are looking after you ! ynwa

[Gazr21]

nice touch..that was an awful tradgedy

[Alvaro]

yeah thats a amazing touch and shows there is still respect in football and its reputation of bringing communities together.

[Dub13]

I agree it is a very nice touch

[Gerry]

Yeah really good gesture and lets hope it brings a little comfort to his familly at this horrific time for them, looking at the footage from saturdays everton game brought a tear to my eye and no doubt tonight will be the same !

[paddyb]

really nice touch, shows our class too

[Gerry]

really nice touch, shows our class too

Nothing to do with class in my opinion its about standing together after a sickening tregedy and showing people we support each other no matter what !

[paddyb]

maybe i phrased it wrong, its just good to see the club and fans put aside any rivalries to come together

[Fowler's God]

paddyb has a point it does show the class of Liverpool the club and the city as a whole, respectful and dignified in such an awful time for the family.

R.I.P. Rhys
R.I.P the 96

[Gerry]

i just dont think class is a word that should be used in this situation ! thats all im not looking for an argument or looking to correct anyone but to me its basic courtesy and compassion to show the family that we are all thinking and praying for them at this time !

[Fowler's God]

Do you think the Kop will do a mosaic or anything??

Also seems like the bitters are criticising LFC for not doing before the echo mentioned it

http://www.evertonfc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36162

JC23 not arguing with ya just agreed with paddyb's point

[sean]

That's a great gesture that after such an awful sickening tragedy. His parents will never get over the loss, but at least they know they have a fantastic city behind them for support.

[gav003]

Agree with the sentiment previously expressed- It is great to see a fitting tribute to such an unlucky kid caught in this tragedy. I'm sure the thoughts and prayers of everyone in tha city and the game are with his family.

[Alex Raisbeck]

Fair play.
Such a tradgedy.

Rip little lad.

[syngerdub]

Nice touch I agree.

I think it might help too in removing a little bit of the hatred that has crept into the Liverpool - Everton matches in recent years. At least there's a bit of common ground between both sets of fans in this case.

[James]

A minutes silence/applause & black armbands is enough as I mentioned in a previous thread.

Football rivalry has nothing to do with a little boys death. In October we'll be giving them as much stick as we always do and they'll be still singing murderers at us.

A better gesture by the club would of been to get star players to appeal to children not to join street gangs before the match than to play a theme tune.

[Dub13]

Typical of RTE to miss this.

[callyno3]

A minutes silence/applause & black armbands is enough as I mentioned in a previous thread.

Football rivalry has nothing to do with a little boys death. In October we'll be giving them as much stick as we always do and they'll be still singing murderers at us.

A better gesture by the club would of been to get star players to appeal to children not to join street gangs before the match than to play a theme tune.

I think it was a nice gesture. And it seems Rhys family some of who were at the match thought so too. Everton fans were very respectful after Hillsborough and made nice gestures such as a tie of scarves running from Goodison Park to the Kop end at Anfield and the whole of wembley singing you'll never walk alone that year. While come the derby the two side will be sworn enemies again the gestures made by both sides will provide a reminder that some things in life matter more than football. Thats my opinion on the matter!!

[Aido82]

great gesture and fair play to our fans

[yodabenitez]

I agreed with james on the other thread and I agree with him here also.

Children die at the hands of the viscious every day all over the world and football clubs and their supporters remain silent, they are not alone.

It would be far better for those clubs who hold the imagination of children to make consistent and persistent effort to change things rather than to be as clashing symbols making noise for for those who wish to be part of the din.

Dixie Dean does not smile in heaven, smiling people live and walk and talk and breathe every day...and walk past children who suffer and ignore them and let them hurt and die at the hands of society.

YNWA does not echo for Jamie Bulger, nor Z cars, no song does, he lies forgotten like countless others, adults attending football matches would do better to hang their heads in shame and strive to show better example to children.

I'm sorry if this post is hurtful or seems callous. I don't like symbolism for it's own sake or to salve the conscience of the living.

Those that have seen my posts before know I'm a betting man, I'll stake any bet that before the year is out someone will ask you the name of the little kid from Liverpool who was shot.

Best of luck Rhys, I hope the next world offers you more than this.

[James]

I agreed with james on the other thread and I agree with him here also.

Children die at the hands of the viscious every day all over the world and football clubs and their supporters remain silent, they are not alone.

It would be far better for those clubs who hold the imagination of children to make consistent and persistent effort to change things rather than to be as clashing symbols making noise for for those who wish to be part of the din.

Dixie Dean does not smile in heaven, smiling people live and walk and talk and breathe every day...and walk past children who suffer and ignore them and let them hurt and die at the hands of society.

YNWA does not echo for Jamie Bulger, nor Z cars, no song does, he lies forgotten like countless others, adults attending football matches would do better to hang their heads in shame and strive to show better example to children.

I'm sorry if this post is hurtful or seems callous. I don't like symbolism for it's own sake or to salve the conscience of the living.

Those that have seen my posts before know I'm a betting man, I'll stake any bet that before the year is out someone will ask you the name of the little kid from Liverpool who was shot.

Best of luck Rhys, I hope the next world offers you more than this.

Spot on.

[KOPITE55]

a touch heartless all the same.Its not a meaningless gesture, it is a message of support to a tragically bereaved family that their whole community is there for them, and if highlighting this tragedy in such a way causes a way of disgust among would be perpetrators of such acts then all the better.

If you fail to understand that, you fail to grasp some of the root principals at the heart of Liverpool FC, this is not a Plc , this is essentially a community football club, and last night , it was reaching out as such

[callyno3]

If the playing of Zcars helped the family one tiny bit with their grief it was worth it. Use link to watch a clip of it.
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N156827070829-1346.htm

[James]

a touch heartless all the same.Its not a meaningless gesture, it is a message of support to a tragically bereaved family that their whole community is there for them, and if highlighting this tragedy in such a way causes a way of disgust among would be perpetrators of such acts then all the better.

If you fail to understand that, you fail to grasp some of the root principals at the heart of Liverpool FC, this is not a Plc , this is essentially a community football club, and last night , it was reaching out as such

I think your missing the point of what yoda and I have been saying. Nobody is disgusted about the theme being played. If a gesture was going to be made beyond the black armbands/minutes silence they could of done something that would of benefited the city of Liverpool (an appeal to children by star players is just one thing suggested).
By simply playing the theme tune we have set a precedent and if God forbid another young person dies soon there will be calls for us or Everton to do it again. Just look at the amount of minutes silence that take place inside football stadia these days. They happen so often that when a local tragedy occurs we need knew ideas to make the mark of respect more unique (like last night).

As for failing to grasp the root principles of Liverpool FC - dont go there.

[KOPITE55]

If a gesture was going to be made beyond the black armbands/minutes silence they could of done something that would of benefited the city of Liverpool (an appeal to children by star players is just one thing suggested).


And you'd be the very one on here saying "this is setting a precedent.......now they'll have to do this every time a kid bla bla bla"

Look.The club made a vocal gesture of support/solidarity call it what you like.Again, its a bit calous to be suggesting they're gonna have to make a habit of it cos people are going to be calling for this to be done every time something bad happens.

It was a completely unique tribute.If you can't understand why community matters to the club, then you are supporting the wrong team

[James]

And you'd be the very one on here saying "this is setting a precedent.......now they'll have to do this every time a kid bla bla bla"

Look.The club made a vocal gesture of support/solidarity call it what you like.Again, its a bit calous to be suggesting they're gonna have to make a habit of it cos people are going to be calling for this to be done every time something bad happens.

It was a completely unique tribute.If you can't understand why community matters to the club, then you are supporting the wrong team

Id rather hear the voices of people that children look up to talking about why its wrong to join a gang or carry a weapon than a football song. This is a social issue and not a football one and if you really want to have an effect on this great "community" that you keep referring to then this is one way of doing it.
The boy that killed Rhys is from Liverpool and the people protecting him are from Liverpool and thats a fact. They live in the community and its the same community that saw another boy aged 16 shot dead in Croxeth only a weeks ago.

In a few weeks the 1 year anniversary of Jessie James (the boy that was shot dead in Moss Side) occurs. He was a massive United fan yet them nor City had any unique event to mark the tragedy. Does this make them inferior to us?? No it doesn't.

Also the days of communities are gone so get over it. This is a bad world your living in and supporting a certain football team doesn't make things any different for you no matter what your values are. Good luck

[yodabenitez]

The purpose of the original post was not to start a slanging match about who understands the fundamental principles of LFC, it was far broader than that.

Our society is awash with cant and hyprocrisy, we have a particular talent for it here in Ireland. We spend time engaging in symbolism that gets our consciences off the hook by allowing us to feel that we're actually doing something when in fact all we do is ignore the root causes. There are so many examples, many to do with children and how they are treated, but I don't want to contaminate what is a respectful thread to Rhys and his family by launching into a socio - political argument about such contentious topics.

Suffice to say, the Z cars tribute was obviously a moving moment for all in attendance and it may have provided some small relief from anguish for the family. But, and this was the original point, it was only a moment, just a symbol, it will cause no change, children will continue to suffer and die all over the world. It is trite to say but evil does prosper when good men do nothing and symbolism is just another way of doing nothing.

[syngerdub]

Guys, just to add my tuppenceworth: there are lots of big social problems in the world, and in Liverpool, childrens gangs included. Is it the job of football clubs to solve this? I don't think so. There are police and social workers whose job it is to address these problems. If they are not addressing them properly, or if they are underfunded, then that's a political issue and it's up to the voters to take that into account at the next election.

However, sometimes an incident affects a community in a profound way, and sometimes this incident is closely related to football. In this case, the child victim and his family were big Everton fans, and we all know how such fans' lives revolve around their beloved football clubs. So I think it's entirely appropriate for clubs to make a gesture, to show that they are in tune with the community.

In this case I suspect Liverpool were also trying to show that the normal animosity between the two sets of fans can be bridged, perhaps temporarily, and if it succeeded in that the that's a good thing in my humble opinion.

[KOPITE55]

In a few weeks the 1 year anniversary of Jessie James (the boy that was shot dead in Moss Side) occurs. He was a massive United fan yet them nor City had any unique event to mark the tragedy. Does this make them inferior to us?? No it doesn't.

Also the days of communities are gone so get over it. This is a bad world your living in and supporting a certain football team doesn't make things any different for you no matter what your values are. Good luck

Who is suggesting that City & United are inferior to us because they didnt have a unique event??I'm certainly not, and as far as I'm aware no one else on here is.

Neither is anyone suggesting that there shouldn't be appeals from the players.Quite the opposite.Stevie's plea went as follows “I would appeal to anyone who has any information to contact the police and help find those who were responsible for this terrible crime.”

For some strange reason you have a problem with the club expressing a message of sympathy I don't quite know why, but you go on to say "communities are gone so get over it" - the evidence to the contrary is that the community paid tribute to this young boy, not just @ Anfield, but in many ways over the past number of days.

[KOPITE55]

Suffice to say, the Z cars tribute was obviously a moving moment for all in attendance and it may have provided some small relief from anguish for the family. But, and this was the original point, it was only a moment, just a symbol, it will cause no change, children will continue to suffer and die all over the world. It is trite to say but evil does prosper when good men do nothing and symbolism is just another way of doing nothing.

I agree with your points Yoda, but I don't believe anyone is suggesting that the tribute was a be all and end all.There have been pleas from the players, of both clubs.There are appeals from the wider community.This was no more or no less than what it appeared to be.A moving tribute.There are of course wider issues etc, but at the end of the day if someone wishes to pay tribute, or express sympathy, they should be allowed do so, and people should not presume that this is some empty effort to make people feel like they've "done their bit", and are now absolved from any responsibility to take action.

It was a touching tribute, no more no less

[paddypower111]

everything liverpool fc done 4 the family of ryse. was pure and proper well done i thought.