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 !
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 !