Spurs 15th Dec 2013 (away)
Sorry this took so long, had a shedload of work to clear up when I got home.
Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on here, though I have on occasion snooped around and read some posts. It’s great to see some of the old regulars still on, and lots of new names that are unfamiliar. To be honest, I’m not on here all that much as a lot has happened over the past couple of years and being on here triggers a lot of memories, many great, some not all that pleasant. The good memories I do take though are meeting so many brilliant lads on here and turning a nameless forum into a real-life set of mates, even though years have passed since my time in England.
I remember meeting Spion and Andy virtually one month into my short stint in England, and my first game, and the first time I saw the green pitch at Anfield. I remember meeting on many occasions Sean, the acest of the ace, and Vladders and Portly, and Jon the FFF and MarkMC and Jacqui and Martine and Stu and Aidan and Ross and Krump and the Windevers (Pete, Mike and Fabio), Del, , Ijtaba and so many more…really great times…The list of people who helped me with tickets for me, given up their tickets for me, and even put me up at their homes..it still feels unreal when I think of about it, which I have to confess I don’t do very often.
I remember getting the photo off the King Harry wall on my very last game (Spurs in May 2011)..and a whole bunch of lads turning up for my very last time in Liverpool.
And of course Bobby and Dougie, even now a lot of memories come flooding back when I think of those days. Sad too that I never got to meet sound people like Liam and Runcorn Mark, Doc mac, local, Paul the Count, keni, singe, danny , DB, ryan, Avramand a lot of others…I’m truly sorry if I’ve forgotten some names that I shouldn’t have, as I said I don’t often think of the time I spent in England, because the circumstances surrounding my departure were very difficult and painful. Suffice it to say that there are many people in England that I am truly glad to have met, and hope to gladly do again.
Anyway, to sum things up, I returned home in July 2011 and started all over again. Being homeless (my flat belonged to the ex), divorced, and broke at 38 wasn’t much fun. Things haven’t been easy but I’ve kept on at it. Got a job and have just tried to get my head down as best I could. Not out of the woods yet, but 2011 was far darker than 2013 for me.
Last month I was told that I had to spend 6 days in London for work (not much fun as the reason I was going was to take some heat on my KL boss’ behalf, but there you go). I figured though it would be well worth it for a chance to see London again, and to maybe catch up with John and Andy and any of the other Lahndaners or maybe even some of the Scouse lads who hopefully happened to be down.
The first thing I did was to message John on FB hoping he might be in London; I thought the chances slim as many would be travelling in December on hols, and sure enough, he was. I was cheered to learn that he would however be back in London when I arrived. I hoped that some others might by chance be in London or something, so I messaged Sean as well, but no luck. It’s not a likely time of year for the Liverpool lads on the forum, or even the other Londoners, to be around.
Still, I was happy to finally fix some bevvys with John. The last time we had drinks was near Upton Park when we lost 3-2 in Feb (?) 2011, and we were shite. It was cold, and we were shite. Things were very bad then, and I can remember even now how much colder it felt then.
I cheekily put the word out for any spares at White Hart Lane, knowing that the odds of that were zero to really slim. Spurs was Category A in London. Anyway, I just asked. Truth be told, I was even toying with the idea of taking the early train to Liverpool and just sitting in the Harry to see if anyone was around hopefully
I knew tho that it wasn’t a good idea as I’d be exhausted coming back on Sunday night and had to see my big boss again on Monday. Anyway, National Rail prices were fucking stupid.
Anyway we were at the Lane that weekend so I decided the best thing for it would be to watch the game in the pub with John as he suggested. We had met for bevvys on the Saturday ending with an awesome vindaloo for me (most of the gravy ending up on my khakis for some strange reason) and John had mentioned that there was a great pub off West Kensington that would be full of Reds and that we’d meet up there. I was all for it of course.
I didn’t really get much time to sight see that weekend, and I really only had that weekend. I did manage to get a little shopping done, and I visited St Pauls and went up the Eye (which was rubbish, but I had to tick that box as I hadn’t gone up the Eye before). St Pauls was great though. I also managed to get the City Cruise to Greenwich; I loved the Painted Hall from last trip (thanks Portly) and had to see it again. Though I didn’t have time to see the Queen’s House, Museum or the Observatory. Just spent a little time in the Chapel and the Hall. It was a bit hard doing these things alone now, but I’ve always loved London and it was great to be back. So I made the best of it.
Still hope to get back to Liverpool soon tho. That city will always feel more like home. It’s been so long since I trudged by the Mersey, passing the 3 Graces.; trying not to look at the Lego building and the Sandcastle. Too long since I’ve taken the No 17 to Anfield. Too long since I’d sat in Sean’s corner in the Harry with a Carling (or a cider these days)
Just..too long.
I did overspend more than I could afford that weekend. Probably dating back to 2010 with my then wife who was working in Norwich. I had quit my job in KL to be with her and had a bad time of it. Being financially dependent on her was very hard for me. So I have to admit overspending for no good reason other than I didn’t have to ask anyone for it. I know I must have been very difficult to live with then. But I do try not to think of those days often because I cant change what happened then.
Anyway, I was low on cash when I suddenly saw the text from John at about 12.30 pm that Sunday that there were 2 spares for the Lane and did I want to go? I decided that I had to go. I HAD to. A whole range of emotions went through my head.
This would be my first game in nearly 3 years; which was also against Spurs at Anfield and we were poor. So I scraped together some Malaysian money and got fleeced by some prick Bureau du Change (0% commission my cock) near Victoria Station..but I had just enough for a ticket and the Tube fare and back and some change. So I made my way to Finsbury Park and then Seven Sisters to meet Krump.
Krump!
I should have known; later I found out that it had been Sean who had rung John up to tell him that Krump had 2 spares. After 3 years, these lads were still looking out for the Asian from 6000 miles away.
I reached the station and texted John, who said that he was on the way with the tix but suggested I walk over to the stadium, which wasn’t hard as it was just a really looong straight ahead walk. I did see a few Reds with scarves and jerseys on and I was pretty shocked. I remember John telling me to strictly play it cool when we were at Upton three years ago and to see fans in colours was jarring. It was very different though. A less ominous sensation. At Upton it was so cold, but this time it just felt warmer and more welcoming (sorry if I’ve now jinxed the weather for you lads). It was a bit wet, but not cold so no problems…I reached the South Stand and waited in the lane below for John, reminiscing about my last Anfield trip. This wasn’t the same of course, but I’d been. And I know how lucky I’ve been to have had those chances, and to have had these lads helping so much.
It got darker and darker and John texted to say that he’d been held up by some prat deliberately giving him bad directions, finally he arrives and we make our way to our seats. I was a bit down not to have been in the stadium belting out YNWA before, but one thing I’ve learnt over the past few years is to be grateful for the things I’ve received.
Over the past 18 months I’ve also been dating a girl whos very mental and who is a mad Red. Things aren’t so bad, but obviously not the same as before. I’ve also found that its hard to think of long term commitments any more, after being with the ex-bird for nearly 8 years. This girl is also pretty big on volunteering, and I’ve gone on some of those programmes (feeding the homeless, rescuing strays).
It’s clichéd, but it’s helped me deal with some of my issues. I cant fix the things I did wrong, but I can make a difference for others just like I’ve been helped by people through my own pain. I don’t think it will ever truly go, but I can keep going. So many people go through pain they think they can’t deal with, and sadly sometimes they take it a step too far. But if they could just wait until they see how much they are needed, sometimes by people they never even realized looked up to them, something changes in the head. They think, maybe I have to keep going.
Sorry for being preachy 😀
Anyway, back to the game.
Krump, cheers mate…they were really great seats and we’d just missed a few minutes.
We started off hesitantly, and there was a lot of sluggish movement. We didn’t pass well, but we did move well. And then something clicked, everyone turned up to do a shift. Well, nearly everyone.
Johnson was really poor, but everyone else..Hendo, Lucas, Allen…and Flanno, Sakho….all great…I loved watching the movement, and we really made Spurs look poor. Suarez and Sterling really were good, this was my first time seeing Sterling and I hadn’t realized how small he was. Never gave up tho, this lad.
There were some hairy moments tho, aside form the constant lazy back-passes; Sakho and Skrtel were both guilty of some what the fuck were you doing passes. Skrtel also showed a tendency to play the man if he couldnt get the ball, this is something mentioned on here as well, and he'd best cut that out.
But Sakho was awesome overall, he’s really impressed as a CB, far more than I expected.
Coutinho was also really good, though he’s definitely not looked as good as last year. I think it’s more a case of not knowing how good he is until he’s not there, and then you really notice his absence. Some Xabi comparisons might not be too far off, though definitely not now.
Eventually the goals came and Spurs were broken. We were a young team, and hungry. It was such a change, I’ve seen quality Liverpool teams of course. But I’d never seen this kind of speed. So much hunger. There was some luck involved, bBut the point is because we kept pushing and pushing, you always felt we’d score.
It was a perfect catharsis for me; the last time I saw Spurs, they werent good, but we were shite and got nothing that day. And I thought my life was over that weekend on the domestic front. But it wasn’t, and 3 years later I was back. And it was Spurs. Again. And this time we thumped them good and proper.
And us travelling Reds (with me there 😀 ) were awesome. We outsung and outshouted the Spurs fans right from the get-go. Even at the end when John sang in whisper that chant which shall not be repeated, it was hard not to feel heady.
I had hoped to get a final bevvy with John after the match, but he had to leave for home after a long trudge to where he parked his car. Which was just as well, since it was going to be another rough final day of work for me before I sped home. I was buzzing, my shoes were soaked from the rain, and I was starved. But so what?
It was a thumping, 3 points and had banished my last Spurs memory to the wayside.
I had exactly enough for some chicken and chips (which wasn’t great) but who cares? I was going to munch on greasy fast food whilst rehashing the thumping on MOTD. It was a long walk back to the Tube, and there was one Red who was sticking it in to the Spurs fans all the way. I actually felt a bit sorry for them for all of 1 minute, but then I remember how cocky they got when they started doing better than us, so fuck them.
The next day at work was rough, but fuck it, I’d take that day after that weekend. Turns out my big boss in London was a Spurs fan who knew I was a Red and we spent much of the meeting talking about AVB getting sacked. So that wasn’t so bad.
Anyway, before I knew it I was packing my bags for home.
This trip was something I really needed. When I first got the news that I was going, I was both happy and sad. I was happy to return to London and see some old mates, but I knew it would being back memories. Many great ones of course, of the things I’d seen, of the matches, touching the sign and imagining some of Kenny’s oil had seeped on my fingers, the pitch, the cheers, the songs, the Harry, the pints, the wonderful top lads…but all my memories of England were tied to my ex, a bird whom I’ll always probably love deep down even though we’ve both moved on; me to KL and she to greener pastures in Dussindale. Go figure.
Now I had a few memories of England, that were my own. ALL MY OWN. ALL OF IT.
Thanks, lads. Esp John and Sean and Krump for helping me deal with Spurs.
The next time I visit, it will be Liverpool. And I will be coming down the road. I’ll be coming.
PS : when I do come I expect youse Scousers to make a fucking appearance, yes, that means you Sheiky. And Sean, you bloody tall un from Lydiate. And Jon. And Bobby and Dougie and everybody.
And Andy, I will hopefuly spend a bit of time in London and I will get Johno to hunt you down in whatever sports car he has then and we are GOING. TO. HAVE. BEVVYS. It still bugs me that we only shared one bevys and a meal the night before Rabotniki throughout the time I was in England.
AND CURRIES.
PPS : Bobby; you were right. You told me that no matter how bad things looked, that I would look back after one year and be glad that I kept going. It took me much longer than a year, but I am glad I kept going.
Maybe I’ll be a little more in circulation and even meet up the local reds around here…is that SCM Expert 11 still going on or the cheating mods still rigging everything 😀
I jest.
Finally, I’d just like to thank all of youse for making this forum a great place, even though I often stay away. The fact that it’s a place where my friends hang out and that I can always visit when I’m up to it means a lot.
15th December 2013 was a good day. We thumped Spurs. I remembered why Liverpool is such a great club and why our supporters are the best in the world. Just as important, I was reminded that although one part of my life was over (ironically 15th December would have been our anniversary), there was still a lot to do.
Sorry this took so long, had a shedload of work to clear up when I got home.
Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on here, though I have on occasion snooped around and read some posts. It’s great to see some of the old regulars still on, and lots of new names that are unfamiliar. To be honest, I’m not on here all that much as a lot has happened over the past couple of years and being on here triggers a lot of memories, many great, some not all that pleasant. The good memories I do take though are meeting so many brilliant lads on here and turning a nameless forum into a real-life set of mates, even though years have passed since my time in England.
I remember meeting Spion and Andy virtually one month into my short stint in England, and my first game, and the first time I saw the green pitch at Anfield. I remember meeting on many occasions Sean, the acest of the ace, and Vladders and Portly, and Jon the FFF and MarkMC and Jacqui and Martine and Stu and Aidan and Ross and Krump and the Windevers (Pete, Mike and Fabio), Del, , Ijtaba and so many more…really great times…The list of people who helped me with tickets for me, given up their tickets for me, and even put me up at their homes..it still feels unreal when I think of about it, which I have to confess I don’t do very often.
I remember getting the photo off the King Harry wall on my very last game (Spurs in May 2011)..and a whole bunch of lads turning up for my very last time in Liverpool.
And of course Bobby and Dougie, even now a lot of memories come flooding back when I think of those days. Sad too that I never got to meet sound people like Liam and Runcorn Mark, Doc mac, local, Paul the Count, keni, singe, danny , DB, ryan, Avramand a lot of others…I’m truly sorry if I’ve forgotten some names that I shouldn’t have, as I said I don’t often think of the time I spent in England, because the circumstances surrounding my departure were very difficult and painful. Suffice it to say that there are many people in England that I am truly glad to have met, and hope to gladly do again.
Anyway, to sum things up, I returned home in July 2011 and started all over again. Being homeless (my flat belonged to the ex), divorced, and broke at 38 wasn’t much fun. Things haven’t been easy but I’ve kept on at it. Got a job and have just tried to get my head down as best I could. Not out of the woods yet, but 2011 was far darker than 2013 for me.
Last month I was told that I had to spend 6 days in London for work (not much fun as the reason I was going was to take some heat on my KL boss’ behalf, but there you go). I figured though it would be well worth it for a chance to see London again, and to maybe catch up with John and Andy and any of the other Lahndaners or maybe even some of the Scouse lads who hopefully happened to be down.
The first thing I did was to message John on FB hoping he might be in London; I thought the chances slim as many would be travelling in December on hols, and sure enough, he was. I was cheered to learn that he would however be back in London when I arrived. I hoped that some others might by chance be in London or something, so I messaged Sean as well, but no luck. It’s not a likely time of year for the Liverpool lads on the forum, or even the other Londoners, to be around.
Still, I was happy to finally fix some bevvys with John. The last time we had drinks was near Upton Park when we lost 3-2 in Feb (?) 2011, and we were shite. It was cold, and we were shite. Things were very bad then, and I can remember even now how much colder it felt then.
I cheekily put the word out for any spares at White Hart Lane, knowing that the odds of that were zero to really slim. Spurs was Category A in London. Anyway, I just asked. Truth be told, I was even toying with the idea of taking the early train to Liverpool and just sitting in the Harry to see if anyone was around hopefully
I knew tho that it wasn’t a good idea as I’d be exhausted coming back on Sunday night and had to see my big boss again on Monday. Anyway, National Rail prices were fucking stupid.
Anyway we were at the Lane that weekend so I decided the best thing for it would be to watch the game in the pub with John as he suggested. We had met for bevvys on the Saturday ending with an awesome vindaloo for me (most of the gravy ending up on my khakis for some strange reason) and John had mentioned that there was a great pub off West Kensington that would be full of Reds and that we’d meet up there. I was all for it of course.
I didn’t really get much time to sight see that weekend, and I really only had that weekend. I did manage to get a little shopping done, and I visited St Pauls and went up the Eye (which was rubbish, but I had to tick that box as I hadn’t gone up the Eye before). St Pauls was great though. I also managed to get the City Cruise to Greenwich; I loved the Painted Hall from last trip (thanks Portly) and had to see it again. Though I didn’t have time to see the Queen’s House, Museum or the Observatory. Just spent a little time in the Chapel and the Hall. It was a bit hard doing these things alone now, but I’ve always loved London and it was great to be back. So I made the best of it.
Still hope to get back to Liverpool soon tho. That city will always feel more like home. It’s been so long since I trudged by the Mersey, passing the 3 Graces.; trying not to look at the Lego building and the Sandcastle. Too long since I’ve taken the No 17 to Anfield. Too long since I’d sat in Sean’s corner in the Harry with a Carling (or a cider these days)
Just..too long.
I did overspend more than I could afford that weekend. Probably dating back to 2010 with my then wife who was working in Norwich. I had quit my job in KL to be with her and had a bad time of it. Being financially dependent on her was very hard for me. So I have to admit overspending for no good reason other than I didn’t have to ask anyone for it. I know I must have been very difficult to live with then. But I do try not to think of those days often because I cant change what happened then.
Anyway, I was low on cash when I suddenly saw the text from John at about 12.30 pm that Sunday that there were 2 spares for the Lane and did I want to go? I decided that I had to go. I HAD to. A whole range of emotions went through my head.
This would be my first game in nearly 3 years; which was also against Spurs at Anfield and we were poor. So I scraped together some Malaysian money and got fleeced by some prick Bureau du Change (0% commission my cock) near Victoria Station..but I had just enough for a ticket and the Tube fare and back and some change. So I made my way to Finsbury Park and then Seven Sisters to meet Krump.
Krump!
I should have known; later I found out that it had been Sean who had rung John up to tell him that Krump had 2 spares. After 3 years, these lads were still looking out for the Asian from 6000 miles away.
I reached the station and texted John, who said that he was on the way with the tix but suggested I walk over to the stadium, which wasn’t hard as it was just a really looong straight ahead walk. I did see a few Reds with scarves and jerseys on and I was pretty shocked. I remember John telling me to strictly play it cool when we were at Upton three years ago and to see fans in colours was jarring. It was very different though. A less ominous sensation. At Upton it was so cold, but this time it just felt warmer and more welcoming (sorry if I’ve now jinxed the weather for you lads). It was a bit wet, but not cold so no problems…I reached the South Stand and waited in the lane below for John, reminiscing about my last Anfield trip. This wasn’t the same of course, but I’d been. And I know how lucky I’ve been to have had those chances, and to have had these lads helping so much.
It got darker and darker and John texted to say that he’d been held up by some prat deliberately giving him bad directions, finally he arrives and we make our way to our seats. I was a bit down not to have been in the stadium belting out YNWA before, but one thing I’ve learnt over the past few years is to be grateful for the things I’ve received.
Over the past 18 months I’ve also been dating a girl whos very mental and who is a mad Red. Things aren’t so bad, but obviously not the same as before. I’ve also found that its hard to think of long term commitments any more, after being with the ex-bird for nearly 8 years. This girl is also pretty big on volunteering, and I’ve gone on some of those programmes (feeding the homeless, rescuing strays).
It’s clichéd, but it’s helped me deal with some of my issues. I cant fix the things I did wrong, but I can make a difference for others just like I’ve been helped by people through my own pain. I don’t think it will ever truly go, but I can keep going. So many people go through pain they think they can’t deal with, and sadly sometimes they take it a step too far. But if they could just wait until they see how much they are needed, sometimes by people they never even realized looked up to them, something changes in the head. They think, maybe I have to keep going.
Sorry for being preachy 😀
Anyway, back to the game.
Krump, cheers mate…they were really great seats and we’d just missed a few minutes.
We started off hesitantly, and there was a lot of sluggish movement. We didn’t pass well, but we did move well. And then something clicked, everyone turned up to do a shift. Well, nearly everyone.
Johnson was really poor, but everyone else..Hendo, Lucas, Allen…and Flanno, Sakho….all great…I loved watching the movement, and we really made Spurs look poor. Suarez and Sterling really were good, this was my first time seeing Sterling and I hadn’t realized how small he was. Never gave up tho, this lad.
There were some hairy moments tho, aside form the constant lazy back-passes; Sakho and Skrtel were both guilty of some what the fuck were you doing passes. Skrtel also showed a tendency to play the man if he couldnt get the ball, this is something mentioned on here as well, and he'd best cut that out.
But Sakho was awesome overall, he’s really impressed as a CB, far more than I expected.
Coutinho was also really good, though he’s definitely not looked as good as last year. I think it’s more a case of not knowing how good he is until he’s not there, and then you really notice his absence. Some Xabi comparisons might not be too far off, though definitely not now.
Eventually the goals came and Spurs were broken. We were a young team, and hungry. It was such a change, I’ve seen quality Liverpool teams of course. But I’d never seen this kind of speed. So much hunger. There was some luck involved, bBut the point is because we kept pushing and pushing, you always felt we’d score.
It was a perfect catharsis for me; the last time I saw Spurs, they werent good, but we were shite and got nothing that day. And I thought my life was over that weekend on the domestic front. But it wasn’t, and 3 years later I was back. And it was Spurs. Again. And this time we thumped them good and proper.
And us travelling Reds (with me there 😀 ) were awesome. We outsung and outshouted the Spurs fans right from the get-go. Even at the end when John sang in whisper that chant which shall not be repeated, it was hard not to feel heady.
I had hoped to get a final bevvy with John after the match, but he had to leave for home after a long trudge to where he parked his car. Which was just as well, since it was going to be another rough final day of work for me before I sped home. I was buzzing, my shoes were soaked from the rain, and I was starved. But so what?
It was a thumping, 3 points and had banished my last Spurs memory to the wayside.
I had exactly enough for some chicken and chips (which wasn’t great) but who cares? I was going to munch on greasy fast food whilst rehashing the thumping on MOTD. It was a long walk back to the Tube, and there was one Red who was sticking it in to the Spurs fans all the way. I actually felt a bit sorry for them for all of 1 minute, but then I remember how cocky they got when they started doing better than us, so fuck them.
The next day at work was rough, but fuck it, I’d take that day after that weekend. Turns out my big boss in London was a Spurs fan who knew I was a Red and we spent much of the meeting talking about AVB getting sacked. So that wasn’t so bad.
Anyway, before I knew it I was packing my bags for home.
This trip was something I really needed. When I first got the news that I was going, I was both happy and sad. I was happy to return to London and see some old mates, but I knew it would being back memories. Many great ones of course, of the things I’d seen, of the matches, touching the sign and imagining some of Kenny’s oil had seeped on my fingers, the pitch, the cheers, the songs, the Harry, the pints, the wonderful top lads…but all my memories of England were tied to my ex, a bird whom I’ll always probably love deep down even though we’ve both moved on; me to KL and she to greener pastures in Dussindale. Go figure.
Now I had a few memories of England, that were my own. ALL MY OWN. ALL OF IT.
Thanks, lads. Esp John and Sean and Krump for helping me deal with Spurs.
The next time I visit, it will be Liverpool. And I will be coming down the road. I’ll be coming.
PS : when I do come I expect youse Scousers to make a fucking appearance, yes, that means you Sheiky. And Sean, you bloody tall un from Lydiate. And Jon. And Bobby and Dougie and everybody.
And Andy, I will hopefuly spend a bit of time in London and I will get Johno to hunt you down in whatever sports car he has then and we are GOING. TO. HAVE. BEVVYS. It still bugs me that we only shared one bevys and a meal the night before Rabotniki throughout the time I was in England.
AND CURRIES.
PPS : Bobby; you were right. You told me that no matter how bad things looked, that I would look back after one year and be glad that I kept going. It took me much longer than a year, but I am glad I kept going.
Maybe I’ll be a little more in circulation and even meet up the local reds around here…is that SCM Expert 11 still going on or the cheating mods still rigging everything 😀
I jest.
Finally, I’d just like to thank all of youse for making this forum a great place, even though I often stay away. The fact that it’s a place where my friends hang out and that I can always visit when I’m up to it means a lot.
15th December 2013 was a good day. We thumped Spurs. I remembered why Liverpool is such a great club and why our supporters are the best in the world. Just as important, I was reminded that although one part of my life was over (ironically 15th December would have been our anniversary), there was still a lot to do.
