There are certain hacks who DO dislike us and consciously seek out negative angles for any stories about us. Rob Beasley is one, Paul Smith is another, as is Patrick Collins. Don't doubt for a minute that they genuinely hate us. (The two Custis brothers also dislike us but they're usually far too absorbed by Geordie woes to do much about it.) Then there's an age issue: those hacks who grew up seeing us win everything and regularly wallop their own (usually London) team - Martin Samuels, for example - had a degree of resentment of us that many failed to hide. Younger hacks, on the other hand, have never much cared either way. Matt Dickinson, for example, is just a nasty piece of work who thrives on turning any minor problem into a catastrophe, regardless of the person or club (note his ruthless stitching up of Hoddle, and he went after Dalglish after Kenny suggested he wasn't quite as clever as he thinks he is). The weirdest one is Paddy Barclay: he was one of the most positive hacks about LFC, mainly because he was good mates with Peter Robinson and Gerard Houllier (he knew Houllier was coming to LFC about a year before Roy Evans did), but when Robinson left he lost his inside stories, and when Ged left he resented Rafa, and now he's like a very peeved spurned lover. Add to that a succession of 'being let go' by the big newspapers and he's a contrary old soul these days who is pretty cynical about most things.
So it's easy to think in simplistic either/or terms, but the truth is a bit more complicated and cloudy. Most hacks are creatures with no memory of past positions, because they only concentrate on the here and now, so agendas get in the way of filling up a blank piece of paper. It's easier just to rattle something off in response to whatever has just happened, rather than spend time trying to twist something to suit a preconceived argument. So most of them really don't bother about being inconsistent and just go with the flow. If LFC being shite suits it, fine, and if LFC no longer being shite offers a new angle, then great. But there are a few, like the above, who genuinely seek to sneer and cause trouble. But let's also remember that there are a few - Dominic King, Tony Barrett, etc - who are massive fans and always look for positives.
