"End of May this year I stumbled upon the 'great man's e-mail address.  Seeing this as an opportunity to possibly get a wind up going I sent him the following e-mail............On 26 May 2004",

Dear Mr Sampara,

I am writing to see if you would be interested in appearing in an upcoming feature in a new football fanzine for the fans by the fans. As your position as the highest profile LFC fan in the world is in no doubt we would like to feature a picture of you on the front cover- possibly surrounded by your waistcoats, resplendent in their badges, or lying amidst a cluster of scarves.  Failing that we know Ian Rush is interested.  We would also like to interview you alongside other great reds like Tommo, Roy Evans and Jan Molby in the magazine.

We hope to have the first issue on sale at the first home game of the season. If you would not like to be part of the q and a with the names listed above we would be interested in giving you your own column- names we have come up with include. "The Badgeman Cometh", "Badger me" (a q and
a format where fans send in questions to you- we will get them answered
though if you don't have the time), "King Kopite Knows" (KKK).  We are however open to suggestions.  I hope you don't mind me contacting you on your work mail but I've done a bit of detective work and have been lucky enough to get hold of your work e-mail; or what I believe is your work e-mail- I do hope someone isn't pulling my wire again!!

Anyway if you could let me know - we would also be interested in having your input on a consultancy level - if you could let me know your consultancy rate we DO have a backer who has a small budget.

Apologies, this is not from my work e-mail but I'd get bulleted if they new what I was up to - my boss is a bloody blue, we are doing all the artwork and stuff on his time using his equipment!!

Thanks for reading and God bless.

Gary

His response.........

Hi Gary,

Naturally I am flattered that you wish to involve me in your project
alongside such high profile legends as those stated!  And very interested in
what you have said because of the distinct mutual benefits within your
proposal.  Whilst there should be no reason for me not to believe that you're
intentions are honourable and genuine, I'm sure you can appreciate that
there are some very dodgy - ill intentioned characters out and about, and as
the saying goes once bitten twice as shy: so-to-speak.  Therefore, I would be
grateful if you could provide some form of verification evidence about what
you have stated in terms of your status and organisation etc.

Meanwhile, I look forward to becoming an integral part of what sounds like
an exciting communications opportunity.

Best wishes

Pete - Kopite - Badgeman - Twelfth Man - Liverpool F.C Fanatic etc

PS. You might well be interested in a footy documentary style programme
which I think is entitled 'Soccer Stories', highlighting different supporters living within the North West region, which is due to be screened tomorrow night by Granada at 11.05pm. I'm involved in section four after the
TV ads.

He then returned with.............

Date: Thu, 27 May 2004

Hi Gary,

Not having heard from you by return makes me wonder if I have upset you in
some way, by asking for verification of your status and organisation.  If so,
please accept my apologies, it's just that I the bad memory a former experience of being set-up whilst being filmed remains firmly with me. If
your delayed reply is simply down to other priorities, ignore my comments
and I will wait to hear from in due course.

Best wishes

Pete

I wrote back to him thus........

1 June 2004

Hi Peter,

Apologies for not responding sooner - you haven't upset me at all.  I'm still over the moon that you took the time and effort to respond to us. It was a bit of a shot in the dark and myself and the other guys involved in the project hoped you'd reply but were well aware that you in reality probably get hundreds of these requests on a daily basis.

We are looking to have the fanzine printed by a company called ####, a Liverpool printer who have a good track record of delivering these type of projects - i.e. relatively large volume, cost efficient fast turnaround print jobs. If you need verification of this I will ok it with our contact there and I'll forward on his details to you.  He is after all an unrelated 3rd party and should be able to allay any fears or trepidation you may have.  We are as you will no doubt appreciate in the midst of setting up the print run and also a possible distribution network.

We are also hoping to work with ######## in ###### Tech Park to possibly secure a sponsorship deal with them - they used to be ############# and may be up for sponsoring such a venture, which will allow us to do bigger features, better features and have better competition prizes.

Additionally as I now reside and work in London (with a blue boss eh??- they get everywhere!!) we are in preliminary discussions with Sportspages to stock the fanzine- possibly with a launch at the Sports Cafe in Haymarket. We have sounded out Jimmy Tarbuck's people to see if he will be able to compere at this function.

Additionally we are looking to get together a 'legends 11' for this event.  If you want to attend naturally we will cover any expenses incurred and obviously we'd like you on the top table as it were, a sort of spokesman for all Reds the world over.

We are also featuring a series of 20 q and a's for all the featured celebrities to answer.  I can probably put them together in a word document and send them as an attached file in the next couple of days.

Its going to be called 'Good Kop, Bad Kop' and will feature some serious and some more light hearted questions.  Supporting Liverpool is about supporting football and as we all know NOWHERE on earth does the banter come quite as quickly as the Kop. If you could find the time to answer this it would be greatly appreciated.

Oh - I hope all is well!!

Yours in Red

Gary

The lovely man replied..............

Hi Gary,

Cheers for your reply which makes very interesting reading, and I look
forward to hearing from you on due course about the confirmation contact
details, future events and the Q/A's features.  Love the 'Good Kop' 'Bad Kop'
theme, I really think that will work and appeal to readers!

But, and there's always a BUT!  I'm not too sure that I would like to be seen
in direct association with Jimmy 'the Tory' Tarbuck.  As this would not do my
street cred around Anfield any good at all.  I remember some years ago now, when he came on the pitch at Wembley as part of the pre-match FA Cup warm up - getting absolutely slated by the Liverpool Fans - singing without pause for ages "F... O.. Tarby F... O.. Tarby" and him pleading for us to stop saying "come on lads, this is a family show", to no avail, as it only made the thousands of trave ling Kopites sing it even louder and for longer, until he gave up and Stan Boardman took over proceedings.

Best wishes, look forward to hearing from you soon.

Pete Kopite.

So I sent him the questions for the Good Kop Bad Kop column.....

OK Pete!

Hope all is well.

Please find attached below the Good Kop Bad Kop questions.  We have
decided that rather than make this available to all contributors we
would prefer if it just featured you being honest. Also is there anywhere we
can get any photographic images of you to feature?

Many thanks for your time

Gary

Taken As Red- Issue 1

Questionnaire for Mr P Sampara

Good Kop/Bad Kop feature.

Section 1- General

Q1- What is your fondest memory of life on the Kop?

Q2- What is your worst memory on the Kop?

Q3- Who do you believe are the best away fans you have ever seen at
Anfield?

Q4- And the worst?

Q5- What is you favourite song sang on the Kop and why?

Q6- And your least favourite?

Q7- If you could change anything about the Kop what would it be and
why?

Section 2- Football

Q1- Name your Liverpool best 11?

Q2- And the worst players to have ever disgraced the Red jersey?

Q3- Your favourite Liverpool manager?

Q4- Your least favourite Liverpool manager?

Q5- Best ground you've been to?

Q6- Worst ground you've been to?

Q7- Your fantasy football match and result would be??..?

Section 3- Up close and personal

Q1- You are known for blazing the trail for terrace fashion with your
fantastic waistcoats and badges. What do you feel will be the next big
fashion to hit the terraces?

Q2- A wealthy businessman offers you £1million for your entire badge and
waistcoat collection. Do you accept the bid?

Q3- When you walk through a storm hold your head up eye and don't be
afraid of the dark. In this context how has following Liverpool help you
overcome a difficult situation away from football?

Q4- How do you cope with the pressures of fame and being in the media
spotlight? Has it changed you at all?

Q5- Where, when and why did your love affair with LFC begin?

Q6- You are faced with a dilemma. Either you agree to support Everton on
the understanding that Liverpool will win everything or stay on the Kop
and Liverpool are guaranteed to get relegated what would you do?

Q7- How often do you get asked for an autograph?

He wrote back...............

Hi Gary,

Sorry about the delay, just been so busy at work and home.  But will respond
by the end of the week. You have raised some really interesting questions by
the way, and I'm sure that you and hopefully your readers, will find my
responses to them equally fascinating.

YNWA

Pete.

His answers section by section

Section 1 - General ‘off the pitch’ questions and responses:

Q1. What is your fondest memory of life on the Kop?
A1. Auxerre in the 80’s when Liverpool lost 0-2 away from home, but in the return leg won 3-0. There were only about 37,000 in the ground on the night, with 18,000 on the Kop.  I have never felt or heard an atmosphere like it anywhere, either before or since that game, it was phenomenal.  Even before kick off I just knew it was going to be a special night, there was a real buzz about the ground, once inside I couldn’t hear my own voice - even during half time.  Especially with big Jan scoring from the spot within four minutes of the start, to be followed by a rare Mike Marsh special and with fifteen minutes to go, Wally Walters slotting in making sure we progressed to the next round of the UEFA Cup.  I can remember managing to lift my arms above my head during the second half and there they remained until the final whistle, so tight was the squeeze on the Kop.  The one thing that sticks in my mind more than most though was the genuine look of fear on the faces of the Auxerre players whilst defending a corner kick at the Kop end.  The decibel level on the Kop was so vociferous and incessant that night - without doubt - this helped us to win the game, perhaps going down in Auxerreian folk law even to this day, helping to attract the likes of Cisse to our beloved club.

Q2. What was your worst memory on the Kop?
A2. Without question - the last day on the old Kop!  The fans did their part for weeks leading up to this historical milestone, only to be badly let down by the players on the park.  Surprisingly/shockingly there seemed to be a laise fair attitude on the pitch, no guts - no fight - no pride - no sense of responsibility to themselves and/or in repaying the loyalty of existing fans or the memory of those who had gone before us - no sense of meaning or occasion.  To this day I remain gutted at the memory of the players inept so-called performance!

Q3. Who do you believe are the best away fans you have ever seen at Anfield?
A3. This is a difficult question to answer because a great deal is dependent on the occasion, if for example we were talking about Premier league games it might possibly be Newcastle, UEFA Cup - probably Celta Vigo, Champions League - Roma, FA & Carling Cup - name any team from the 1st division down. I genuinely don’t believe that there is no one set of outstanding away supporters that have out-performed, sung or even come close to the same standards and repertoire as the Kop, which is the criterion of measurement I judge them upon.

Q5. And the worst?
A4. Wimbledon and Crystal Palace!

Q5. What is your favourite song sang on the Kop and why?
There are so many songs for many different reasons that I could choose from, some happy, funny, sad, profound and others that I’d prefer to forget.  But above all else, find it hard to decide between our (not Celtic's) YNWA anthem, which encapsulates the unique identity of our fans and great club the world over, and because it generates such passion on and off the pitch. Alternatively, the more recently adopted ‘All Round Fields of Anfield Road’ that’s sung with ever greater regularity on the Kop and often with a higher level of fervour than YNWA.  The words of which say so much about our historical glory years, the players and managers who made them so and punctuates our period of domestic and European domination.  A position that most Kopite’s including me, feel we can regain….sooner rather than later?!

Q6. And you’re least favourite?
A6. It’s not a song, it’s the: Da da da-da-da da-da-da-da da-da handclap.  I hate this with real venom.  It’s so 1st division and synonymous with those blue noses across Stanley Park.

Q7. If you could change anything about the Kop what would it be and why?
A7. My response may prove controversial and perhaps be seen as contradictory by some, mainly because of all I have personally had to come to terms with and areas involvement I’ve maintained in the aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy.  But; at the end of the day this is my opinion for which I make no apology.  And in my opinion there is still a place for segregated standing sections within the heart of the Kop.

Section 2 – Football ‘on the pitch’ questions and responses:

Q1. Name your best 11?
A 1. R Clements, P Neal, A Hansen, R Yeats, A Kennedy, T McDermott, S Gerrard, S McMahan, S Heighway, I Rush, K Dalglish.

That said, I would like to be able to find places for B Liddell & R Hunt and would most definitely have B Paisley as manager.

Q2. And the worst players to have ever disgraced the famous Red jersey?
A2. Well…where to begin and end.  Even in our glory years this type of player existed. But here goes: G Ablett, G Hussain, S.I Bjorneby, S Dundee, B.T Kavarme, O Leonhardsen, J Neilson, I Biscan, D Traore top of the hit list has to be: P Stuart, P Babb, J Carter, J Dicks, V Smicer and E H Diouf et al.

Q3. Your favourite Liverpool manager?
A3. Bob Paisley.

Q4. Your least favourite Liverpool manager?
A4. G Souness

Q5. Best ground you’ve been to?
A5. Outside of Anfiled! It has to be O’Marseille for atmosphere and the N’Camp - Barcelona for its awesome construction and size.

Q6. Worst ground you’ve ever been to?
A6. Most definitely Swindon prior to its recent seating redevelopment; as it used to look like a scene from Tenko, with its trumpet like speakers aimed directly at opposing supporters, with their volume set to subdue, suppress and drown out any attempt at singing and chanting.  With one side of the ground literally falling apart, and surrounding walls covered in barb or razor wire.  Not quite sure if this was a vain attempt to keep people in the ground once they had paid to enter or what!

Q7. Your fantasy football match and result would be??..?
A7. It’s the last game of the season and Liverpool are playing away at Highbury, Liverpool score with only seconds remaining to win the game 0-1 making the red men Premiership Champions.  Thus banishing my worst nightmare forever and repaying the Gunners for what they did to us in 1988/89

And finally.............

Section 3 – ‘Up close and personal’ questions and responses:

Q1. You are known for blazing the trail for terrace fashion with your fantastic waistcoat and badges. What do you feel will be the next big fashion to hit the terraces?

A1. Now come, you don’t honestly expect me to divulge this now, which might prevent me from leading the way - do you?  You’ll just have to watch this space!

Q2. A wealthy businessman offers you £1 million for your entire badge and waistcoat collection. Do you accept the bid?

A2. This is without doubt the toughest question of the lot.  In an ideal world I would like think that I would not be tempted by such an offer.  If I were single and had no dependents, then I would most definitely not sell at any price.  But as I am married with a daughter, makes me have to consider their quality of life and future opportunities.  I have in fact been offered several thousand pounds cash but declined in an instant and wasn’t even tempted. I distinctly remember thinking that I would rather donate my collection to the Liverpool FC Museum for the masses to enjoy.

Q3. When you walk through a storm hold your head up high and don’t be afraid of the dark.  In this context, how has following Liverpool helped you overcome a difficult situation away from football?

A3. According to the author Alexander Dumas, ‘all of human wisdom is contained in the two words wait and hope’.  A philosophy that I wholeheartedly agree with and try to live by at all times, not only during periods of personal distress or difficulty, but in every day life too, which itself has a habit of pushing everyone to the limit of their own physical and mental endurance.  In applying this philosophy, I never really feel alone and somehow eventually manage to retain a sense of self-belief and worth. Knowing that whatever the circumstance might be, I will eventually come through testing times, gives me the will to continue looking forward and carry on with all that I believe in.

Q4. How do you cope with the pressure of fame and being in the media spotlight? Has it changed you at all?

A4. Personally, I think that I manage the situation very well.  I never view it as pressure, rather, an enormous responsibility for me as a person and honour as a self-styled ambassador acting on behalf of the Hillsborough ‘96’ their families, all Liverpool fans, people in general who live in and associate themselves with this fantastic City and of course the club itself.

I’m not aware of any wholesale changes to my personality that may have come about as a consequence of my Badge-man, Match Banner image and/or media profile, probably because its been such a gradual process, developed over many years.  But in reflecting upon this question, I would say that it has perhaps made me somewhat cautious at times, knowing how easily situations can be adversely manipulated and misconstrued by some in media acting without scruples or consideration for the permanent damage they can do, causing harm to so many.  An extreme example of this is of course what the Scum newspaper did back in ’89 in telling all those infamous lies about the conduct of Liverpool fans as the Hillsborough tragedy unfolded.

My sole aim is to make a positive difference, whilst hopefully bringing a bit of fun, colour and spectacle to the game and club I love so much.

Q5. When and where did your love affair with LFC begin?
A5. From over the border in Scotland, and once my all time hero King Kenny donned the famous red jersey signing for Liverpool FC that was it for me, I became hooked for life.  And by sheer coincidence, shortly after his signing I moved to Liverpool for family reasons.  A dream, come true!

Q6. You are faced with a dilemma. Either you agree to support the Blue Shite on the understanding that the mighty Liverpool win everything. Or stay on the Kop and Liverpool is guaranteed to get relegated, what would you do?

A6. Now that I’ve managed to stop laughing at this ludicrous question, I have only got two things to say: 1, As if! And 2, if you insist on me speculating in such ridiculous fashion, then my reply is straight forward and simple…DOH - get real will yah la, as if anyone who truly calls themselves a red could or would ever consider switching allegiance regardless of team performance, league status and/or any other reason you might conjure up for that matter.

Q7. How often do you get asked for your autograph?
A7. Not that often really.  But photographs, now that’s a different question altogether.  I can hardly walk a few yards around the ground before being stopped and in the pub during my pre-match nerve quencher its virtually non-stop requests for photo’s.  I’ve never once refused anyone, and usually encourage my mates to take the photo’s so that the people wanting them get in too.  I tend to use this opportunity to ask footy fans to contribute to the Hillsborough Family Support Group by buying one of the two badges I have had specially made in order to help raise funds for this and other worthy charitable causes. Such as: Liverpool Broad-green cardio thoracic unit that saved G Houlliers life and McMillan Cancer research etc. I should add that most footy fans - home and away - offer to purchase these items willingly and regardless of having a photo taken with me.

Top bombing Sir Garence - you played a stormer there!  In fairness to our badge loving Kopite friend it's worth noting that he makes an issue of some worthy charitable causes.  Click the link to those charities below -

Broadgreen 

Hillsborough Justice Campaign