Football bosses appeal for calm after riots

© Trinity Mirror

© Trinity Mirror

© Pete Carr

Kenny Dalglish and David Moyes want the violence to stop; clean-up operation after second night of riots

Liverpool FC boss Kenny Dalglish and Everton FC manager David Moyes have appealed to rioters to stop the violence which has hit Merseyside this week

Wednesday proved to be a calm night, though Liverpool witnessed rioting for the previous two evenings, with the most serious incidents on Monday. As the city wonders when the trouble will stop for good and Everton see this weekend's opening Premier League match at Tottenham postponed because of the riots, the two managers have joined forces to demand an end to the civil disturbances in Merseyside.

Dalglish, along with players from both clubs, urged the people of Liverpool to unite, saying: "The city has made incredible progress over the past few years and no-one wants to see our restored reputation damaged by what we have witnessed over the last couple of days. For everyone's sake let's stop this now and pull together for the benefit of the whole community."

Moyes expressed similar sentiments when he said:
"There can be no justification for the shocking display
of behaviour that has been witnessed throughout the
city of Liverpool and the rest of the country over the
past few days. The mindless actions by small groups
of individuals cannot be condoned and along with the
rest of the Merseyside community, everyone at Everton
Football Club gives its full support to the police and
local authorities in bringing an end to the troubles."

The riots, which started in London on Saturday and
have since occurred in other major cities around the
country, first spread to Liverpool on Monday night.

Tuesday saw another night of disturbances in Liverpool
but this time the trouble also affected other Merseyside
districts, such as Birkenhead on the Wirral.
 
The Smithdown Road, Lodge Lane, and Princes Avenue
areas of South Liverpool were the main trouble-spots,
while in Birkenhead the windows of a McDonald's in the
Charing Cross part of the town were smashed by
bricks and the windows of two nearby bookies were
also damaged.

Police were out in force again on Wednesday, and it
seems that their increased presence, combined with
poor weather, had an impact on the situation as a
peaceful night ensued, although 24 arrests were made.

Merseyside Police's Assistant Chief Constable, Andy Ward, said: "We had a significant policing operation out on the streets and I am pleased to say it was highly successful. There were no incidents of mass disorder or criminal damage and the arrests we made were the result of excellent proactive police work."

© @thomisom

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