THERE are few things in football more guaranteed to stir up controversy among football fans than the allocation of tickets for big games.

In 2007 the means of distributing tickets for the Champions League Final in Athens cost Rick Parry a lot of support that he may have found useful when later defending his role in the sale of the club to the Gruesome Twosome.

Fulham fans rebelled when season tickets holders found themselves able to buy four tickets for the 2010 Europa League final while no provision was made for others who had travelled to all their away games through that memorable campaign.

On each occasion the clubs faced the accusation that they were either favouring corporate sponsors or merely choosing the easiest way to get rid of the tickets with the minimum administrative inconvenience.

The trouble with deciding who gets to attend a big match of course is that everyone thinks they are entitled – from the die-hard ever-present to the guy in Plymouth who has followed the team for 10 years but has never been to a game.

Generally speaking, with demand for virtually every game high, Liverpool have tried to strike a balance between rewarding loyal supporters and allowing casual fans the opportunity to attend the odd match.

The loyalty scheme in operation for away matches is not without its critics, but at least largely ensures that those who travel to far-flung corners of the country in midweek for the least attractive games also get to see the big confrontations at say Everton or Old Trafford.

For home games, a large number of seats are set aside for casual fans through the members’ scheme or late availability. The transparency of publishing these allocations on the website is to be applauded.