Boo boys are letting down Liverpool's reputation

It may only have been a smattering of boos from the overwhelming minority but it was loud enough to be heard at pitch side and to be picked up on by those on Liverpool's bench and perhaps even on the pitch.

Whether Lucas heard it is not known but for a Liverpool player to be treated so badly by those who claim to "support" them is something which shames all involved.

The Brazilian may not have set the world alight since moving to Anfield and he may even have been partly responsible for the loss of a couple of vital points at Wigan and for Liverpool playing with only ten men in latter stages of their FA Cup defeat to Everton.

But he is a Liverpool player who is trying to make his way in a style of football which is still comparatively new to him and at just 22 years of age the very least he deserves is to be provided with the kind of environment in which he can progress - and against Sunderland he certainly didn't get that.

If Rafa Benitez picks him that is because he thinks he is good enough and when it comes to team selection the buck has to stop with the manager, not the player.

Lucas is a popular figure at Melwood because he puts a shift in at every single training session and mixes well with all his team mates.

He is hard working, polite, totally inoffensive and always approachable for autograph hunters and fans. In short, he is a good professional who deserves to be treated as such.

In the last couple of decades Liverpool have had more than a handful of players who have let themselves and their club down because of their attitude, but it is hard to recall anyone else in a red shirt being booed by their own fans.

Not El Hadji Diouf, not Neil "win or lose, it's on the booze" Ruddock, not even Sean Dundee.

Of course, anyone who pays good money to set foot inside Anfield has the right to support the team in whichever way they choose - or not - and players are rewarded handsomely enough to be able to cope with not being given unconditional backing.

But when so much success has been built on the union between supporters and team it is surely ridiculous for such unity to be placed in jeopardy by the unhelpful targeting of a single player.

In the warm afterglow of Istanbul, Johan Cruyff no less underlined the synergy between the supporters and their team by arguing that "there's not one club in the world so united with the fans."

The Dutch legend's words were backed up by Diego Maradona who believed that Liverpool's miraculous fifth European Cup win was partly due to the supporters who "showed their unconditional support at half-time when they were losing 3-0 and still didn't stop singing."

It is on the back of such stories and tributes that the reputation of Liverpool's fans as the 12th man has been built.

On Tuesday night that image was dented. Lucas was in need of support but did not get it.

Those who booed him may think they were doing their bit for the club.

In actual fact those people were just persecuting a young player and dragging the reputation of some of Liverpool's fans down to the level of those England followers so many of them claim to be so different to.

Coaching role would prove ideal for Hyypia

SAMI HYYPIA'S gesture to donate £23,000 to rescue a Merseyside hospital charity appeal quite rightly won the veteran defender plenty of plaudits.

It came as no surprise to those who know him best that he dug deep into his own pockets to help fund the planned building of a seven room Ronald McDonald House at Arrowe Park.

The big Finn has been a model professional from the moment he first set foot in Anfield and his status as one of Liverpool's greatest servants has long since been established.

The 35-year-old Hyypia's playing days may now be coming to an end but his commitment to the club he has served for almost a decade and the Merseyside area in which he has lived during that time remains as strong as ever.

Should a position come up on Liverpool's coaching staff in the near future could anyone think of a more deserving candidate than a genuine Reds legend whose character is so widely admired?

Welcome for Nova bosses

PHIL CARRAGHER, dad of Reds star Jamie, and Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram welcomed a delegation from the Bulgaria town of Nova Zagora to Liverpool this week.

Five town hall officials were shown the sights of Liverpool on a four-day trip which included watching Tuesday night's 2-0 win over Sunderland.

Last year Liverpool FC Community coaches went to Bulgaria to deliver a week of training sessions and tips, and are to make a second trip at the end of May after Carragher initially suggested the idea to the Reds after holidaying in the town.