Mohamed Salah and the tale of Liverpool's first Trabzon trip

According to The Guardian's Football Daily, this October will mark the 50th anniversary of the first time Liverpool and Trabzonspor were thrown together by the draw. The two clubs met in the second round of the European Cup in 1976, and it's fair to say not many associated with Liverpool were impressed with Trabzon.

Bob Paisley, the Liverpool manager, was particularly scathing. He described the team hotel as a 'doss house', the ball as 'a pig's bladder' that 'was not good enough for blow football', and added that teams in the Durham Mining League would not have played with it. As for the food, he said he had had 'better rations in my bivvy in the Western Desert' when serving in Montgomery's Eighth Army.

The newsletter, which leads on Mohamed Salah, offers a potted history of Liverpool figures visiting Trabzon over the years. Readers looking for more can find related match highlights on this site.