Well, I'm back.
It was a great trip up this time for lots of reasons; most importantly the football of course..but I digress.
Caught a morning train and reached Lime Street at about 2.30pm; I was just checking my phone outside the station when I noticed that Sunny had called..so I called back and we settled where to meet and everything..though he probably called to make sure I was OK 8) I wanted to see the river again, so I set off for the docks..unfortunately I carelessly took the route that took me past the bus station near the Hilton...MISTAKE.
I just caught a glimpse of the dock when I realised that the Anfield bus had just pulled up at the stand...walk to the river or be at Anfield in 15 mins...YOU...MUST...RESIST....dont..get...on...the...bus...The game is in 5 hours; you're meeting the lads at the pub at 6...go to the river...its 2.45...there's plenty of time to get the next bus....BE SMART!..So obviously I got on the bus and set out to Anfield.
It can't be helped though...once you've seen the stadium, you can never see it enough times..especially now, but more on that later. So I arrive at the stadium and just walk around a little; I always forget a camera, which is just as well...otherwise I'd probably be one of the hordes taking photos with Shankly's bronze statue...there's a big gap in the glass hoarding where they've taken down Torres likeness; but there'll always be new heroes on the glass...its the club which doesnt change, even if the team does..anyway,I touch his feet and say thanks…no piccy tho.
I check in at the hostel, which was pretty decent...and FAR better than the one I stayed at in December…there’s nothing left to do but go back to Anfield of course, stopping by the King Harry to see if I knew anyone there..considering it was about 4pm that may have been silly, but you never know.
Get back to the official store and watch the loads of tourists pawing the items..needless to say Torres items were sold at large discounts, but there didn’t seem to be many takers..shocka…it felt a bit upsetting, but fuck it..life moves on, the club survives..
I walk around just looking at the stands,eventually I get my chips and gravy and just gaze..after a bit I decide I want a drink and head off to the Harry..i like the Harry, and I always associate it with good people and good times…
Initially I’m a bit tired so I get a seat, but then I see 2 really tall guys hovering close to Sean’s Corner and I decide I’d better protect the turf..so I get another drink and move over to the fruit machine.
You’d think people would know not to drink in Sean’s Corner; he has his picture there after all.
Sean comes along shortly, after texting me… I know I’ve mentioned it before but it’s always so surprising to me that he goes so far out of his way to help people coming for games..there’s no obligation on him to do so, and I’m sure it must seem thankless sometimes (like his party, soz mate) and to be honest I don’t know why he puts up with it.
That also goes for so many on here who go out of their way to help others; often times people they’ve never met.. Ive mentioned them lots of times and I’m not embarrassing them again..my wife’s really unpleasant experience with the Arsenal tickets have really shown how fortunate I am to get this help, and it’s sad that sometimes some of you get hurt trying to help others.
And if he’s reading this, it’s never too late to do the right thing.
I’m not sure if it’s the same for other clubs, but I’d like to think that this was something unique for fans of this club, and Liverpudlians in particular..they stick up for the club, and the city by extension..and in a way the city sticks up for them, if that makes sense.
So anyway, Sean’s there…and he introduces me to this Norwegian guy who looks like Jan Molby (I shit you not; truth really is stranger than fiction)..and tells me that it’s Insignificance….who’s ace and good craic.
One major thrill for me is putting faces to the usernames we see on the forum, and Insig turns out to be a really ace guy…then I remember that Insig was supposed to be coming over with Skullflower and I ask ‘Where’s Skully, isn’t he coming?’
Sean’s reply is ‘He’s here; that’s him behind you’
And I go ‘THAT’S Skully?’…who turns out to be this really interesting and personable guy who’s more likely to chat with you about football and food and Immanuel Kant than break your jaw….sorry to break your mojo,Skully…pleasedontbreakmyjaw.
While I’m at it, I want to thank Insig for helping Skully get to the game..it’s a top thing to do,mate..More was to come though..I finally met the Lord Of Geek himself; the ubiquitous FoxForceFive..who was perhaps the funniest of the lot..it was a bonus to meet all these guys, and yes, I really really hope to meet as many people on here as I can before I’m packed off...
So we’re drinking and chatting..and I don’t really remember much because I kept buying people drinks and people kept buying me drinks and it all got a bit foggy after that..
There’s really a buzz in the pub, and I think it was all over the stadium as well…my guess is it’s all over the city…there’s such a change in people now after Kenny’s appointment, there’s a belief…and it’s everywhere…in the stands, on the pitch, in the pubs…and it was phenomenal to be a part of it…I got to chant for DALGLISH..
I never thought I’d ever be able to do that, whodathunk?
Anyway I digress again..
Eventually we make our way to the stadium; me taking a last minute slash because if I don’t I’m liable to get in trouble at the stadium..we make our way to our separate seats…and it was just so great.
It’s really impossible to put into words what it was like; but my last game was Utrecht,and it felt like death..no one wanted the ball, no one wanted to do anything,and the stands felt like death..so much frustration and numbness, and I cannot begin to describe what Kenny has done for this club..
There’s a long-standing joke about Aldridge; someone asked a commentator what he thought Aldridge’s best ever performance was for the club...the expected reply would be some great goal, or maybe his fury in USA ’94…..but the reply was ‘Istanbul 2005’.
I think in 10 or 20 years time someone will ask that same question of Dalglish, and the answer wont be Bruges…or the double..or our last League title…or even his leadership at Hillsborough in our darkest hour, although that will be a massive second place…I think it will be returning when the club begged for help in December 2010..can you imagine it’s barely been a MONTH?
Anyway, the game..
I think there’s been a bit of hyperbole in some of the threads; funnily enough, it really was a game of two halves; decent in the first, very good in the second..
I was really worried when Jon broke the team news in the pub; I was thinking WTF..Jon was confident that they’d ‘do the job’; though I suspect the confidence was placed more in our Glaswegian than the men in Red.
But to be honest no one played badly; though we seriously lacked the cutting edge..I agree with most of the ratings, but I thought Skrtel was quite under-rated; he’d improved significantly from previous games, and I still do have some hope that he and Agger can form ‘some’ sort of partnership..Johnson was good, but slow, and his positioning was suspect, and tbh that’s not his fault.. the formation seemed a bit strange, but it worked on the night, partly because Stoke weren’t good, but mainly because there was a lot more urgency, a lot more courage and a lot more movement..
Lucas seems to have transformed under Kenny; but tbh I still thinki he’ll never be anything more than a squad player..watching his movement, the first word that came to mind was ‘dainty’..still, he played well…as did Meireles, Kuyt, Agger, Gerrard and Kyrgiakos..
It was hard to find a player who played badly; and there seemed to be some BELIEF again..that formation isn’t going to work against good teams but it’s incredible to see players who actually WANT THE RED SHIRT.
And Suarez.
Excellent player, great movement and a great eye…he’s going to be one big step in our resurgence again, we just need a little more quality and cut and we’ll be laughing..gerrard is going to love this guy, as will Carroll.
My favourite Suarez moment wasnt even the goal; it was him coming back to cut off a run through midfield and dispossess a player off the ball; I thought it was neatly done and assumed it was Meireles or another midfielder, then I saw the orange boots.
Fuck me
Bite away my child, keep biting..
The fans were in good voice, and it seemed we were all alive again after being dead for so long.
I remember thinking that the Hodgson appointment seemed ‘safe’ because a Kenny appointment whilst nostalgically brilliant, might have been imprudent. How wrong how wrong how wrong..
The tactics are better, but most importantly the belief and hunger is there.
Hodgson can lament with ‘some’ merit; that these players never fought for him; but he failed to elicit that belief, or inspire..and that was why he was useless.
The game ends; and I make my way back to the Harry..things are a bit foggy now…but someone was interviewing me and was asking questions about the transfer window and whether Carroll would be a big hit and stuff…I should have gone a little easier on the drinks..but it was heady stuff..6 weeks after Utrecht and it felt like I had gone through some time warp…same stadium, same players..but it was NOTHING like before.
So I’m back at the Harry and we keep drinking and chatting; the mood is so different now as opposed to 6 weeks ago…and its not just because we’ve won, although that is of course paramount.
It’s because we really do HAVE HOPE IN OUR HEARTS.
We sing it all the time; but I think we’ve become more accustomed to having our dreams tossed and blown as opposed to having hope in our hearts…but we do now..
A good manager; good owners (yes I know its early days but I like these fuckers; sharp tough business-people who’ve somehow learnt the art of being respectful but are still able to take no shit off from anyone)..would have been nice to have had Insig and Skully back…at least no one would have um seen anyone’s long johns.
Eventually we call it a night (that kid Jon was talking about was really cute though, in his Liverpool gear)..I remember thinking about that little boy I spoke about at the Utrecht game, and THAT shitty game was his first EVER game…how fucking traumatic was that..I hope he comes back soon, and sees what Liverpool really is.
I stagger into bed, which was my intention..and wake up the next morning to catch the bus and train..I debated walking to the river again, but I was too tired..and have an uneventful train journey back…the highlight of the morning was when I was taking a final look at the city outside Lime Street before I caught my train and I’m just looking at St George’s Hall when 2 women come up to me and ask me for directions..
YEAH…ME!
DIRECTIONS!
TO THE WALKER ART GALLERY!
So I proudly tell them how to get there and feel like a local.
I was sad to leave Liverpool but I know I’ll be back soon.
I try not to think about the time when I finally leave for good; but it will come eventually and the thought of never going to see us again, never seeing the stadium and never seeing the ace people I’ve met is really depressing.
I do have a slight confession tho..one guy got on the train at Sheffield and sat next to me and was reading THAT paper..
I noticed some comments about Suarez and the game so I took it and read it after he left it behind when he got off…apologies all…I didn’t take it with me though..discarded it after reading the Liverpool bits…and the Chelsea bits (fuck Torres…and fuck John Terry…’with Torres we have the best strikeforce in the world…)
FUCK OFF
And I did er…glance at page 3.
Not bad today.
I do my Liverpool good deed today as well; helping 2 old women with their bags at Lime Street..older people here seem to be very handy with the trains, far more than back in Malaysia.
Was a good trip…and I’m eagerly looking forward to my next one…with some shrewd buying we’re really going to go places.
PS sorry Spion; think this is even longer than my last one ;D
And check your PM mate 8)
