Honestly, this isn't so bad!

[dee]

Bit of a back story to help the 99% who don't know me on here. Make that 99.99%!

I was born to a Lincolnshire mum and scouse dad in Yorkshire in 1968 (thanks to the RAF!). I grew up in a period of growing Liverpool FC dominance; the '74 cup final, the '77 European league, the 1st Division titles of the 80's. My dad took me to Anfield regularly as I grew up and I often stayed over with my (catholic) family in Bootle (LFC fans) and visited my (CofE) cousins in Fazarkely (EFC). The friendly rivalry was great, I was probably the biggest enemy with my Yorkshire accent and being a non-catholic Red! The world was fine, we won more than them but the rivalry was top.

As a young adult I wandered around Europe. I always tried to watch as many games as possible as we slowly became a (large) shadow of our 80's machine.

I moved back to the the North-West UK in the late 90's, got a season ticket from within the family and had three torturous seasons watching Roy Evans do his best but .....

Since then I've moved to South Wales but me and my dad kept the faith, enjoying and suffering the nearly moments of joy in 2001 & 2005 and living through the nightmares of Hicks/Gillete and the appointment of Hodgson. My last game in person was in 2011 under Kenny. It was soo good to report back to my Dad that we were on an upswing. Yeah we all know the scouse optimism!

The last ten years or so have seen us slowly claw our way back to contention with first Brendan Rodgers and now with Juergen. Unfortunately my dad faded in the same period and he didn't quite make it to the finish line to see Liverpool back on our perch. He passed away sixth months too soon. Thirty years was a looooonng time and it looked like Liverpool fans would always be wanting before Juergen arrived and we regained the title my Dad always obsessed about.

So I'm sat here today and watching the Liverpool team slipping away a little, it's happened before. The thing is I don't care so much anymore. It's not a bad thing, it's the next generation's time. Me and my Dad lived and loved the team and the game for many years. We kicked a ball about in (his) yard and slandered each others inevitable mistakes. We watched the games when we were younger, swapped to the radio and then to the TV. It's not the same anymore but that's ok.

I think the whole tv with no crowd thing has brought home to me how much this is no longer the game I remember, it is becoming to resemble a combination of athletes and computer gaming. The VAR thing is a perfect example of the new reality. I'm so glad we finally won the league in my later lifetime but I'm going to cancel my Sky and BT subscriptions tomorrow, not as a protest just as the end of a road. I'm fortunate that I can afford it but I wonder it it is worth it even for this generation of fans?

Anyway, after the ramble, to the point. I have LOVED every minute of being part of this forum. It was a god send after the disintegration of Koptalk and I have tried to support it when asked as best I could. I'm not intending to "do an Oncey" and never post again but I suspect no-one would notice either way Admins let me know if you need help, to everyone else who still gets a buzz from the games, from the sport and from the forum - enjoy it !

 

[dogboy]

Great post, don't be a stranger.

 

[Mersey86]

Nice post - and good perspective. Sorry your Dad did not get to enjoy this last title. I was born same year as you (though my parents are pure Scousers!), and grew up with Liverpool dominance. I've never smoked, but always loved the smell, as it reminded me of the Kop where I spent a good portion of my youth, usually with my Dad and younger brother. My last game was the Cup Final in '92 v Sunderland. Got married that summer, had a job which kept me busy most Saturdays and moved away to USA a few years after. The passion for LFC has never dimmed, though I find it harder watching on TV. I have 4 boys who are avid Liverpool fans now and had always wanted them to see us win a league title. In 2019 they were delighted with the Champions League, but with 98 points not enough to win the league I felt we'd probably never win it again. But last year it happened. That's enough I thought. Let it go to the next generation - but then I found myself screaming at the TV again - during the Charity Shield for goodness sake!
It is a different game now - I think back to the atmosphere of my youth. It was a magical place - and the Kop had such humor and wisdom. I think it changed a little even in the eighties as people came to expect success and complain whenever things weren't so great.
I don't like the amount of money in the game, don't like VAR, and don't like the media circus. I want to take a step back - but also want the Klopp years not to fizzle out. The team, and manager, deserve something better - though they have earned their place in one of the most wonderful chapters in our incredible history.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

@Dee - lovely post. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Frogfish]

Lovely post Dee.

We traveled along the same tracks for many years it seems. Luckily my 90 year old father is still here so I'm sorry to hear yours didn't see us cross the finishing line but hopefully he saw some great football in his final couple of years and once again had the belief we were going to win it.

Good luck for the future!

 

[Squiggles]

VAR and the lack of fans has certainly caused some disinterest this season, and I think as we all get older, football certainly matters less. I didn't care about the Everton result the day after. Even on the day I just laughed, fired up Doom, and was fine within the hour.

But there's plenty of reasons to stay interested. We've got an elite tier manager, smart (if stingy owners), and the same passion still exists around Liverpool, arguably more so now than at any point since the 90s. It's a shame you see more of it at Boss Nights than at Anfield, but that's just globalisation for you. Without it, we likely wouldn't see the best players playing for us.

I'm moving back to Liverpool in 2 weeks, so I'm hopeful that will kickstart my interest. You feel like your undercover living in Manchester, and you're just generally disconnected. Naturally my return would coincide with the side committing hara-kiri, but I'm convinced Klopp will have us bouncing back next season.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Super post x

 

[binomial]

Great stuff Dee, so sorry to hear of your father's passing and hope you'll be back sooner than later to experience bigger and better things surrounding the world of Football and Liverpool and pray you can find that love again for the sport...it is very toxic at the moment with everything going on so it's all very understandable.

The SCM family always has it's arms open & stay safe!

 

[Red Astaire]

Great post @Dee. I’ve been reading your well reasoned posts since KT and you’re a poster I much respect. I’m exactly the same. This is not football as I want to experience or invest my time in particularly. I enjoy the banter here a lot though and that’s why it was sad when I read it might not be continuing.

I’m just looking forward to the day when it all gets back to normal and the crowds come back. Someone with sense ditches VAR and I can take my lad to his first game at Anfield. That will reignite the footy love fires in me I’m sure. After all isn’t sharing that stuff with your Dad/Mum/ Grandparents part of what it’s all about? Fucking fake crown noise?... Come on! Anyway don’t be a stranger dude.