IAN AYRE has thanked Manchester United for the part they played at Anfield in helping Liverpool honour the 96 fans who died at Hillsborough.
Both teams walked out wearing jackets with 96 on the back and United club ambassador Bobby Charlton presented flowers to Kop legend Ian Rush.
Captains Steven Gerrard and Ryan Giggs released 96 red balloons into the sky prior to kick off and fans created three mosaics stating ‘The Truth’, ‘Justice’ and ‘96’ during a poignant rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone. Managing director Ayre said: “It was a very emotional day for everyone inside Anfield and I’d like to thank Manchester United Football Club for their gestures of support.
“A lot is written about the fierce rivalry between the two clubs – and it is a great rivalry – but people forget to mention that in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Alex Ferguson was one of the first to phone Kenny (Dalglish).
“He asked if there was anything Manchester United could do to help and even arranged for a group of their fans to come and lay scarves and flowers at Anfield as a mark of respect. It’s something that Kenny has never forgotten.
“Manchester United are not alone, though. Ever since the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report was released, the reaction from the entire football community has been magnificent.
“We all saw what Everton and their supporters did on Monday night and while they’re obviously a lot closer to the tragedy than many clubs, I’ve found the response from all over the UK and even abroad very touching and I’m sure the families and our wider fan base would agree with that. Last Saturday, Sunderland were brilliant and then to hear about fans from clubs like Arsenal, Carlisle, Stoke, Manchester City, Rangers, Celtic and many more all paying their respects is very touching.
“This sport can get a lot of bad press at times, but when it matters, the football community pulls together and over the last 10 days we’ve seen that. On behalf of everyone at Liverpool, I just want to say thank-you.”
