AROUND 1,000 Liverpool supporters staged a protest march against the club’s owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

They marched from Liverpool Supporters Club in Breck Road to the Anfield ground ahead of the game against Manchester United yesterday.

Paul Rice, the chairman of Spirit of Shankly, which organised the march, said: “It’s simply an opportunity for us to make clear how strongly we feel about the club at this time.

“It’s not an opportunity we get very often but we know how loyal they are when it comes to Liverpool versus Manchester Utd games and we know they’ll be there.”

“It’s an indictment of the situation that on a day when we should be thinking about the match, about who’s fit to play, we’re thinking of those two instead.”

He acknowledged the march was not likely to change anyone’s minds but said the fans’ group would continue their campaign.

He rejected suggestions from other fans that his group was just making trouble.

He said: “I think they need to wake up and smell the coffee.

“There were Liverpool fans still waiting on the last day of the transfer window for players to arrive paid for by non-existent money.