July Liverpool man Akinwale Arobieke failed in his appeal against an order banning him from squeezing young boys’ muscles and demanding they squat. Jack Straw dealt a major blow to Michael Shields’ bid for freedom by insisting he did not have the power to release him. Everton defender Joseph Yobo’s brother was kidnapped in Nigeria. The wife of critically-ill Prescot man Geoff Byron was fighting deportation to her native Canada. In My Life was voted Liverpool’s favourite Beatles song after an ECHO poll and hundreds wore fab four wigs for the first Beatles Day. Up to 1m visitors started to descend on Liverpool on July 17 as the Royal Birkdale championship teed off and the Tall Ships Race was set to get underway. The city was gripped with GoSuperlambanana fever. Disgraced footballer Joey Barton was freed from Manchester’s Strangeways prison after serving 74 days of his sentence for beating up a teenager in Liverpool. Everton chief executive Keith Wyness walked out of his job after a day of intense speculation, refusing to reveal why. August Britain's athletes made history when they took their tally of gold medals to 16 to make the Beijing Games the country's most successful Olympics for a century. Brave Merseyside schoolgirl Faye Lafferty died, two months after undergoing a bone marrow transplant. Everton owner Bill Kenwright announced the club was for sale to the right bidder, admitting he has taken the Blues as far as he can. Furious city leaders vowed to step up their campaign to keep a sorting office in Liverpool after confirmation that Copperas Hill was to close. The Blues’ plans to move to Kirkby were thrown into confusion as it emerged the government’s decision to call-in the scheme could cost £36m. Buyers were lining up for Liverpool brewery Cains after it went into administration. It was later bought back by original owners the Dusanj brothers. Economics boffin Dr Tim Leung sparked controversy with his report branding Liverpool beyond help, its revival pointless, and encouraging residents to move to London. Liverpool boxer David Price won bronze in the Beijing Olympics. The Liverpool Unites concert for Rhys Jones was a resounding success with more than 8,000 people packed into the ECHO arena to see performances by Mel C, The Christians and Tony Christie. Tens of thousands of people enjoyed a rejuvenated Mathew Street festival over three days. A major delay was announced with Liverpool FC’s plan to build a new ground on green belt Stanley Park – blamed on “global economic conditions”. September Sixteen-year-old Luke Howard became the ninth person to die after being stabbed in Liverpool this year. The fabulous giant La Machine Spider crawled into Liverpool attracting thousands of people in the city centre. Everton finished their summer-long transfer trawl with a last minute signing of £15m Marrouane Fellaini, as chairman Bill Kenwright declared himself a “pauper” at the club’s extraordinary general meeting. Merseyside was hit by severe floods as torrential rain fell across the region. Liverpool newboy Robbie Keane’s plush city centre apartment was raided by thieves. Bidders raised £550,000 at an auction of superlambananas in St George’s Hall. Hundreds of supporters ran or walked in memory of Rhys Jones in Croxteth Park, including his father Stephen and some of the 11-year-old’s best friends. | 
