Bodyguards hired to protect Jordan Pickford after death threats

Merseyside police are investigating multiple death threats to Jordan Pickford. He has hired a security firm to watch his Cheshire house to keep his family safe. He has been advised to tell his family to stay off social media through fear of anyone finding his location.

I hope all those involved in last week’s dangerous witch hunt are now satisfied. Their actions have been nothing short of an incitement of violence which has put Pickford and his young family at risk.

Shame on them, there needs to be an official Premier League investigation and lessons have to be learned here.

It would be interesting to compile a list of pundits with their observations of the incident. I know we all have our own "take" on events but some of the vitriol (not even from those of a Red persuation) has been ridiculous.

So many idiots like Parlour and White on Talkshite along with other pompous tits trying to take the moral high ground... top of the list: Mr Souness, one of the most odious footballers ever to play the game.

It's a fucking game at the end of the day, okay a highly paid one, for the participants, but getting life threats for an incident/accidental during the game is almost beyond belief.

It's verging on being tantamount to the 1994 World Cup fiasco where Andres Escobar, a Columbian defender, who accidentally scored an own goal which resulted in their exit from the Competition.

He was shot and killed, when he landed back in the Country, by so called supporters. I don't think for one minute any footballer across any standard of play and across the World for that matter would intentionally score an own goal.

Last week at Carlo's presser ahead of the Southampton game, Paul Joyce of The Times rather hissingly challenged the Italian on a perceived deception on announcing James unavailable v The Saints one day due to a challenge from VVD to saying he could play the next.

Joyce Challenges Carlo

Carlo easily and suavely twatted away the charge, but Joyce was clearly trying to perpetuate the narrative of the great injustices the Reds endured against us.

Now Joyce is listed in his profile as covering Merseyside football, so I presume he also participated in Klopp's presser ahead of their game v Ajax last week.

In that presser - days after the Derby - the German continued his bleating and condemnation of Jordan. Wijnaldum also featured describing our keeper's challenge as 'stupid'. Then Adrian their keeper a full week later also condemned Jordan.

I don't recall Joyce, or any other journalist for that matter, challenging anyone at Liverpool FC at any time and asking pointed questions (as Joyce attempted with Carlo), such as:

'Jordan Pickford and Richarlison have received thousands of abusive messages on social media from Liverpool fans, including death threats which are being investigated by the police.

'Do you condone that behaviour, or would you like to take the opportunity to condemn it?

'If you consider such behaviour is wrong, why does Liverpool FC, its manager and players, continue to incite its supporters and pour oil on the flames rather than douse the firestorm?'

The howling hoardes that have driven Jordan to take these security measures to protect his wife and not-yet 2-year-old son will see this as 'a result'.

They, the moronic media and puerile pundits, have absolutely zero comprehension or sense of shame for the consequences of their acts and utterances.

Keep safe, Jordan.

I was watching the One Show last Wednesday, and there was an item regarding the pay per view for football games. Basically there was a table of Premier League teams and how much it would cost their fans if they paid to watch them. Everton and Man City were at the bottom with no cost. I'm assuming their matches were not played in that particular period.

Matt Allwright but not very bright said to Gethin Jones, it's great to see Everton bottom of the table isn't it?

Even Gethin look embarrassed. 😕

We'll await their apology.

The bastards have got the brass neck to call us Bitter, I'm not bitter towards the RS it is more than that it is pure unadulterated hatred. To think I used to stand next to the pox riddled vermin at Derby Matches. Any Evertonian who has a redneck in their immediate family I feel extremely sorry for you.

Of course, not every member of society is of this ilk, and the majority are still courteous and thankful for the services that others provide, but there are enough and far too many of them to just put it down to a few idiots who don't conform, every group of people whether that be the football supporters or any other has one too many of these type of people.

Putting it all down to a few freaks on the internet isn't properly admitting that there is a big problem and it's getting worse, how do we tackle it? I don't have a clue, but we can regulate ourselves as individuals and treat others with due respect and dignity in every situation.

As for the media, they are probably the worst for stirring things up, and then they are able to seamlessly flip-flop from one position to the other without turning a hair. Sky have just started a campaign to prevent abuse, perhaps they could begin by using the truth and objectivity when analysing situations and not revert to click-baiting hot-heads pouring out emotional bile on their platforms.

Some of them are the lowest of the low so none of this death threat business surprises me. I remember one of them live on Radio Merseyside threatening to break Houllier’s legs when they were on a bad run. FFS - their own manager!

Regarding those who poured fuel on the flames, the worst I heard was Chris Sutton. He is on BBC R5L so has the biggest radio audience. (I don’t listen to Talkshite or subscribe elsewhere so can’t comment on low life like Souness et al.)

The week before the incident, Sutton stated that he had gone out to deliberately hurt opponents earlier in his career. This is not a combat sport so he admits assault, albeit with the safe distance of time elapsed like the coward he is. A week later he is calling Pickford’s foul “deliberate”.

God forbid if anything did happen to Pickford or his family. These maggots in the media should be held to account but they would squirm their way out of it.

Gobshites - sometimes it is the only word that fits.

So the interviewer starts with a condescending, withering question on the stance taken by the first interviewee. After taking the responses, and having added further questions based on feigned disbelief, the interviewer proceeds to interview the second person with exactly the same dismissive style in relation to their views.

All to create division, not to find common ground.

Bigotry, prejudice, racism, religious persecution, and all forms of rage and resentment against 'the other' has always existed in all societies across the entire globe.

It is all the more evident to all now because of technological advancement and the phenomena of social media accessible to all which gives anyone and everyone a platform to air their views no matter how extreme. They believe their views and opinions are legitimate, or more, the only possible valid opinion. But they can't abide any challenge to their musings.

You see it here on TW at times. People claiming 'there is no right or wrong opinion, that any and every opinion is valid.' No they aren't, if opinions can be demonstrably shown to be false, fabricated, unproven and many other adjectives besides.

In other news, I see the softly-softly approach of Alisher Usmanov involvement with the Blues continues afoot.

Megafon Sponsors Everton Women

Derek #4, I was at that game. USA 2, Colombia 1. Escobar, whose nickname was "The Gentleman", remains revered by Colombia fans.

Not sure if you remember, but the day after Escobar was killed, BBC's Alan Hansen was commentating the Argentina/Romania second-round game -- on the same pitch -- and actually said "the Argentine defender warrants shooting for a mistake like that".

Of course, you're correct in your assessment that it's a human condition, and doubtless, technological advances have amplified the noise that those with strong opinions make, particularly on social media.

However, the point I was making is that far more people are behaving badly unnecessarily in ordinary everyday situations because they feel that they have the right to do so, or because they believe that they are superior to other members of society.

One could argue which came first the bad behaviour shown on the internet which then emboldened some to carry out the same behaviour in real-life or was it under-reported prior to social media becoming widely available. Whichever way it happened, it doesn't excuse it and it shouldn't be accepted and tolerated as just one of those things.

If you stick your face and name on Instagram and start threatening players from this club then expect some kind of blow-back. What a tool this guy must be. The kind of venemous bile this sausage was spouting on social media actually goes both ways. You reap what you sow (I'm not condoning retaliation... I am really) but this dope is in more bother than Jordan, no doubt about that.

I won't hold my breath.

When I was a kid in the '60s we would have a fist fight and then shake hands at the end.

Now if anyone has a grievance they go sneaking around with guns and machetes usually with their gobshite mates, cowards the lot of them and the power of social media means it is easier to get in their heads a sense of injustice and encourage retribution. The likes of Van Dijk and Robertson actually encourage this outrage rather than condemn it.

Just wait for the derby return with supporters allowed in and the pitchforks will be out.

Never has life or football been so unprincipled and engendered a lust and greed so powerful that its win at any cost.

If it's not corruption, then it's just second-rate officials who are obviously not good enough for the standard they are now officiating, but they are not getting helped by all this cheating. And it will only get worse, if they are not given the powers to retrospectively punish the cheats.

I'm a Liverpool 8 boy and had several differences with the gangs in that area over the years (60's like you).

I can't recall ever being in a fight and shaking hands afterwards. Depending on the result you either ran like fuck or waited for retribution from the boys you were fighting in the following weeks. There are certainly more knives now but the somewhat 'Hugh Grantish' picture you paint did'nt exist in my world.