Rush in Dubai: LFC still the best

Speaking in Dubai - in the part of the world which is funding City's charge to the top of the Barclays Premier League - at the beginning of the latest LFC - Standard Chartered soccer clinic, Rush admits the landscape of modern football has been changed by City's wealth, but he insists Liverpool will always be fiercely proud of their own identity.

"Manchester City's millions have changed our league," said Rush, speaking at the Al Rashid football stadium, home of Al Ahli and just a short drive away from Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Mansour led team which has ploughed hundreds of millions into the club since taking over a couple of years ago.

"The more money you have and the higher wages you pay then the better players you'll be able to sign and we've seen that with the likes of Aguero and Silva in particular.

"But no matter how much money clubs spend they don't have our history or the special relationship which exists between our club and its supporters. You can't buy that. Money helps in lots of ways but it's not everything. Chelsea had the same thing when Abramovic went in, he spent a fortune but they still haven't won the Champions League.

"I think what City have done is given themselves a great chance of winning the league because they've had a great start and they have top players. But there's more to football than that. We haven't won the league since 1990 but I travel all over the world and am still taken aback by the scale of the support Liverpool enjoys.

"I think that's because we're a family club. Our anthem is 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and that means something. It's not just empty words. Of course we all want to see success on the pitch, that goes without saying, but there's far more to being a Liverpool supporter than results.

"We're in Dubai at the moment and I've watched lots of games in the bars out here, and it's brilliant how the people over here - and all over the world - look to try and recreate the Anfield atmosphere whenever they get together to watch the matches. This club means so much to so many people and that's why it will always be so special."

Rush's thoughts are echoed by Neil Briody from the Dubai Reds, the official supporters club for LFC in this part of the world which boasts hundreds of members.

"It's fair to say we have our own 'noisy neighbours' to contend with in this part of the world," says Neil.

"Here in Dubai we have the mega millions of Abu Dhabi just 45 minutes up the road to contend with, but for all the millions they are ploughing into Man City there is no way they can match the support and passion of the Liverpool fans.

"Confidence amongst the Dubai Reds faithful is high heading into this weekend's clash. The Chelsea result was massive for Liverpool, in the past we would have just settled for the draw but we kept going, pressing them and pushing for a winner. The Goodfella's bar in Dubai erupted when Glen Johnson slotted in the winner and our thoughts then turned to the City game. We all absolutely believe we can compete and better City, to us all the money in the world cannot buy you the team spirit, tradition, passion and history of a club like Liverpool.  The old saying has never been more true - 'Form is temporary - class is permanent' 

"We have consistently shown over the past few seasons that on the day we can compete with and beat any of the big teams. The problem we have at the moment is breaking down the so called lesser premiership teams and more notably newly promoted teams at Anfield. We expect Sunday's game to be open with attacking formations from both teams which should suit us. Our defence has been pretty impressive recently with Skrtel and Agger quickly forming a formidable partnership complemented by arguably the buy of the summer Enrique and the attacking flair of Glen Johnson. We will be tough to break down and despite the value of City's midfield and forward line we possess an equally if not better line up - how much would City pay for Suarez? So we can go into the game supremely confident of securing all three points and getting one over our very own 'Noisy Neighbours'"

With victories already under their belts against both Arsenal and Chelsea this season, Rush is confident the Reds can begin to improve their Anfield form and make a real statement of intent by becoming the first team to beat City in the league this season.

"They are coming on the back of a Champions League defeat and you never know how they are going to respond to that," he said. "What is without question is we are going to have to play well to beat them because they are a good side with attacking threats all over the pitch.

"We have come unstuck against a few teams this season who have come to Liverpool to be defensive and look to frustrate us. We have found that a bit difficult, but City will be coming to take us on and I think that will suit us.

"We've got a much changed squad and yet we're only a few points off third place. There is so much still to play for this season. City haven't lost yet, but we can beat them. There's no doubt in my mind about that. We are playing well at the moment and the big thing for us is to make sure we are still there or thereabouts come the start of the new year and then we can really focus on the job of trying to secure a Champions League place.

"Beating City would give everyone the confidence and the belief that we could definitely go on to achieve that."

Before attention turns towards Sunday's Anfield showdown, Rush will spend the next two days leading a team of Liverpool community coaches in the latest LFC - Standard Chartered soccer clinic.

Four groups of youngsters will receive expert coaching from the Reds' coaches over the next 48 hours as the club once again demonstrates its commitment to engaging with supporters all over the world.

This is the fifth such clinic since Standard Chartered signed up to become our main club sponsors, and Rush admits it's another opportunity to spread the gospel of the Liverpool way.

"As I said earlier, we are a family club and these soccer clinics are great examples of that," he said. "We go around the world working with youngsters and encouraging them to have fun and enjoy themselves. We're all really looking forward to the next couple of days."

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