PAUL COPE said to me: “Listened to your Melbourne podcast. And I just thought, yeah. We should enjoy it. It should be great. It used to be. We get to go and do this and all we do is act like it ruins our day whereas people’d kill to do this every week. Well let’s start fucking enjoying it. I’m going to have a great season.”
I’m still buzzing off Saturday.
Rob Gutmann said to me: “I’ll take the scrappiest 1-0 from Stoke. The scrappiest.” I said to him: “I think we need a statement of intent display. A performance. Houllier or Benitez seasons can start scrappy but this Liverpool side did its best stuff in style last season.”
We got scrappy. We got a statement of intent. We got both.
Liverpool were terrific at times. Fluid and intelligent. Lucas and Gerrard held court in centre mid. Coutinho shining like a national guitar. Aspas lithe. Sturridge splendid then brave. Kolo Toure became a man we’d follow to the very jaws of hell. Then they tired without the second they deserved. They had to fight. The side was painfully let down by the vice captain before Mignolet got us all out of jail.
John Cross channelling Emmylou Harris on Twitter described the collective as “The city of forgiveness where everyone bar the unfaithful lover is to blame.” John, you need to get up here. We aren’t anywhere near as romantic as that these days. We spend our time fighting the darkness that hacks at our heels every year and being tainted by that fight. But at our best these days there’s a noisy, gnarled defiance that I love. Nothing says Liverpool like a communal “fuck off you.” Loud while through gritted teeth. Watch the last twenty minutes of Chelsea at home in 2005 again. Spurs home 2010. City in the league cup semi. Just fuck off you.
The sheer fuckoffedness in the aftermath of Mignolet’s penalty save was glorious. Liverpool’s day was saved. Our day was saved. It was the sound of forty thousand days saved. The sound of forty thousand days saved times nineteen. Times thirty eight. The darkness that Martin Skrtel against City, combined with the Dempsey cock up and the Arsenal debacle, let in last season wasn’t being let through the door on Saturday. The darkness that was Hodgson Hodgson endless Hodgson, that was Skrtel and Carragher breaking each other’s face, that was Charlie Adam running round in centre mid shattered and apologetic after sixty wasn’t darkening these parts. Just fuck off. Fuck off with that. We don’t want that taint. We were roaring because it was kept at bay and because we need to keep it at bay. Liv-er-pool belted out by all quarters because that is who we are for better or worse. Liv-er-pool fuck-off-you.
And so we were all out. We all had a great day. A great Saturday with laughs and shrugs and drinks and jokes. We were buzzing. So let’s keep buzzing. Let’s see the club do the business in the dying days of the market and let’s all come together to build some massive defences against the darkness that dogs us. We aren’t good enough to assume it won’t grab at us and I include next Saturday in that. But we all have to work at it. We are good enough to keep shaking it off. We owe it to each other around the world not to acquiesce to it.
Saw Cope. He said someone started moaning near him after three minutes. He felt a bit sorry for him. That bloke needs to get with it. Look at them. They suddenly could be a red gang again. Not yet a squad but a gang. I want to be one of Kolo’s Heroes. I want Steven’s lime green boots. I want Lucas to stick up for me against a million grocks.
Saturday sits on my shoulder. I want it today and tomorrow and Wednesday. I want it thirty seven more times. People’d kill to do this every week.
Boss, is the rallying cry we need, everyone needs to get behind the team, be united and loyal and believe and enjoy it
This is a great article Neil people just need to lighten up and start enjoying the game, the occasion, the laughs and the over all thrill of watching Footie, watching LFC! Yes it’s not like it used to be but then times change we need to change stop moaning and just enjoy we know you pay £50 to watch it but really just enjoy or stop going you moaners are part of the problem won’t give anyone more than one missed placed pass and that’s it their not fit to grace a Sunday league side! Tis is LFC we are LFC let’s start enjoying being LFC again and you never know what just might happen…………………….
Brilliant piece Neil. The sheet volume of the chants of Liv-er-pool after the Mignolet save and the roar as he came to the halfway line to celebrate with the crowd after the final whistle. Both moments that will stay with me for a long time – we are privileged to be at Anfield to watch our team play and should never forget it. Heres to having a great season!
Well said Neil, couldn’t agree more.
Is Liv-er-pool, fuck-off-you our new song then? I’m backing it
Where is this weeks podcast?
Coutinho shining like a national guitar… Quality!
Great note Neil. Living in the UK for over a decade, I’m shattered in one way to be relocating to Melbourne, unlikely to see much live Anfield action for a long time. Being able to soak up the Anfield atmosphere every few weeks over these last years brings a smile to my face and chill down the spine. The ability to watch the team live should be cherished, whether that’s a 2-2 to birmingham on a horrible November night, or a brilliant 1-0 to Stoke. In a lot of ways it’s been a hell of a horrible few years being at Anfield. The atmosphere on saturday was back, kop in full voice and the whole crowd involvement. Suck it up, get behind your team and let’s keep it like that; the team deserve it.
Anyone going to an upcoming home game, please please PLEASE make a banner with Kolo Toure wearing a World War 2 G.I. helmet with the caption “Kolo’s Heroes”.
Great stuff Neil, people should quit the mithering and get with the adventure!
(And I love that Paul Simon line, by the way – the Merseysippi Delta…
Cheers,
Frank
Neil, were you pished when you wrote a bit of this? :) Not complaining, really enjoyed it!
ferd
Magic.
“The sheer fuckoffedness in the aftermath of Mignolet’s penalty save was glorious.” Love it..
I felt that way all the way off here in California. I actually said to my wife when Walters stepped up to the penalty ‘Fuck off you wanker Walters, you’re not ruining my weekend’. Then Mignolet stopped the penalty and I shouted ‘Fuck off youuuuuuuuuuuuuu all you haters on Facebook, on twitter, on phone ins, on forums’. Best I’ve felt after a game since Rafa!!
It was glorious from the save onwards. The whole ground seemed to slump in their seats at the decision, then watch as Mignolet pumped the crossbar and think ‘yeah, we’re having this, this is ours’. The reaction after the save(s) was pure emotion. I don’t think I could’ve managed anything over than the Liverpool chant to be honest, it was that intense. Which is what we go to the match for, after all.
To make the feeling of ‘chests-out, we’re Liverpool’ – I just can’t stop watching Coutinho squaring up to N’Zonzi. As if he’s not awesome enough already, he goes and does what we all dream of doing on the pitch to Stoke. Fuck right off, yous!
The coutinho v n, zonzi summed it up for me. Fuck off, you shall not pass! Get behind them and lets start pushing them right the fucking table. Great article.
Fuckoffedness is my new favourite word
Yeah bookmaking this wasn’t a risky conclusion outstanding post! bbckeaecbfeadbca