Readers' letters - March 30

I see that Liverpool supporters were demonstrating about season tickets being increased by £77 – I don’t blame them. For any supporter on the minimum wage, of approximately £7 an hour, they would have to work nearly a day and a half just to cover the increase!

But, who do you blame for this scandalous state of affairs?

I, for one, blame Sky TV, followed by the money-­grabbing foreign owners of top clubs.

A classic example of the state of what used to be the ‘working man’s’ game is the comment made last week by the Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, who stated that the new extra millions the Premier League will receive from Sky/ BT will not be used to reduce ticket prices for the fans. It will be used to buy players and pay agents!

There was a report on TV last week that Man City are reputedly going to offer £145m to buy Neymar from Barcelona! That’s not counting his wages, and his agent’s – and he’s only one player in the Man City set-up!

So basically the winners are the players and their agents – not the fans. I certainly don’t blame the players for taking the money if it’s offered to them – I certainly would – but the game I used to love is now too expensive for me to go and watch.

I used to have a PNE season ticket but can’t afford one now, so how anyone who supports the top Premier League clubs can afford one I don’t know.

I most certainly won’t pay the exorbitant money Sky want for me to have Sky Sports. ­

A friend of mine, who pays Sky nearly £100 a month, says he has it just to watch football and cricket, but that £100 will certainly rise, won’t it?

Soon, Sky and BT will control and own every sport going, making it nearly impossible for the average fan to go and see a live match.

On the subject of owners – particularly foreign owners – they buy football clubs for one reason only: Profit. They, like the Glazers who own Man Utd, have no real interest or passion for the game. The same thing goes for the Liverpool owners.

Trevor Hemmings at PNE, who owns the club, would want most of his £39m back that he so generously wiped off for PNE – and I can’t blame him for that – should North End ever get to the Premier League.

To me, the Government and the monopolies commission should step in and introduce a law making it compulsory for football and cricket – our two main national sports – to be equally shared out between all four terrestrial TV channels, as well as Sky and BT. Perhaps then we wouldn’t have over-paid, 20-year-old prima donna average players becoming millionaires overnight, and the sports I grew up with to play and love can become affordable to the working man once more...but I doubt it.

The Ghost of Sir Tom, Farringdon Park, Preston

I remain simply confused on EU

I understand the desire for Scottish independence is at a 15- year high. Is this then the time for a new start for us ? Should we bite the bullet, vote to leave the EU, stick a few more bricks on Hadrian’s Wall and see how the world looks?

I have listened to the arguments on both stay and leave camps, and am no wiser.

On the other hand, I doubt if Mrs Sturgeon will ever be satisfied outside of independence.

As I say, I know little of politics, but if we don’t have to pay the huge levy to Europe, and the Scots start to pay the prescription charges, university fees, et cetera, that at the moment I believe we subsidise, will we be worse off?

No doubt some Smart Alec will soon show me the error of my ways. I wish they would, but after chatting to local people, listening to “informed” people, I reckon none of us really know.

I remain, confused!

Allan Fazackerley via email

Date set for

Cyprus rock

I sent a letter explaining that the 371 British servicemen who died during the Cyprus small war had no memorial in the UK (LEP March 3). Since then the Cyprus rock has landed in England and is being dedicated to them on August 21. It has also been decided to include the 21 names of the British policemen who died. All the details can be found on Google through Cyprus Scene.

Thank you all for your comments and thanks to the Lancashire Evening Post for printing my previous letter.

Peter Eckersley via email