IT’S hard not to feel paternal towards ‘our Divock’. Hard not to worry about a big year ahead for a big kid in a big city. The city has consumed lesser men. Tested the best. Swallowed the rest. For starters, can he survive the local fetish for name contraction? Div? Divo? Divy, la? It’s an early hurdle in a busy schedule. He doesn’t need this. The Divmeister. Big Ock.
The boy is just out of his teens. He’ll have sorted a flat in town by now. It’ll have white walls, a patio in the sky, and come with a pre-plumbed 60-inch ultra 4 super HD behemoth of a telly. His dad is his agent and will probably be moving in with him for a bit. It’s a double-edged sword for the Divster. Good to have mister Origi there, to sort stuff out — pay the milk man, sort the lecky etc — but he’s also a bit of style cramper to a young buck out to make a name .
The Divy doesn’t need his dad making embarrassing quips when he’s got the lads round for a seven-hour FIFA sesh. He wants to look like he’s in control when his Belgian buddies — big Christian Benteke and Simon Mignolet — knock round. He’s played FIFA against Benteke on international trips and he’s no slouch. All you need is daddy putting you off by whacking on his Plastic Bertrand vinyl.
Still, dad says he’s just staying for the first six months. Girls and mates can wait. Get settled. Get some starts. Show what he’s got.
The last 12 months have been a roller coaster. World Cup star, £10m move to Liverpool, a bit of shit year back on loan at Lille, and now finally here — in Scouse land — in the pool of life; ready to roll.
Brendan Rodgers has been good. From day one really. He came round just after Divo got the keys to the new gaff. Gave him a nice big picture for his wall. Calls him ‘son’ a lot, which confuses and slightly annoys mister Origi the elder.
The lads in training have been amazing. So warm and welcoming. Having the Belgian lads there is great. He’s played alongside Benteke on Belgium international trips and he can’t help but look up to him. He likes Simon, although he finds him a touch gauche, what with the incessant high-fiving and fist bumping and calling everyone ‘man’. His heart’s in the right place though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWulM-_zPwI
The lads here are good players. Even the rubbish ones can play a bit. Mario is a character and a friendly guy but you never know quite where you are with him. When he thinks no one’s looking he seems very sad.
Milner seems to be the important one. Even the captain, Henderson, seems to know he’s the big man on campus (BMOC). Big Div doesn’t mind. He’s just happy to be here. It’s the start of an adventure.
Job one will be to get on to a pitch in a first-team shirt. Any minutes will do. Christian gets an automatic place, and probably the new Brazilian as well. So it’s not going to be easy. Get into the squad for the first game of the season. Get brought on when Adam Lallana starts blowing. Stretch your legs Divo, lad. Stretch those tiring early season Stakhanovite Stoke legs at. Give ’em something to chase. Get a shot away. Get a touch on something. Score.
Then they sing your name. Somehow. DIV-OCK-OREE-GEE echoes round the Britannia. It feels good. Really good. Final whistle and your goal saves a point for Liverpool. Brendan’s not happy with the lads but he’s happy with the Divmeister. Gets him in a one-handed head lock. Fixing eyes. Well done, son. Well played. You did exactly what I needed you to do. You gave them something to think about. You worked them. You gave wee Phil some options. Well done, son.
Wish we’d won. Still, eh? Stoke 1 Liverpool 1. Origi. 68 minutes. On the television. In the headlines. Something for the folks back home. Off we go from here. This is what dad said we needed. A goal. Any goal. It’s the platform. The launch pad.
Time to relax in the city now. Going out with Jordon Ibe, Jordan Rossiter, Jordan Henderson and Christian. Dad’s coming as well. He edges himself ahead of the group as they enter the restaurant that is called ‘Nando’s’. We have a reservation, he proudly declares. He ignores the welcomer politely trying to explain that they don’t do bookings. Table for five. He sideways glances to his son, smiling proudly. In the name of ‘Origi’. DIVOCK ORIGI.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Brilliant, mr. Gutmann!
what is this stupid article
What is this stupid comment? ;-)
Personally thought it was great. Painted a really nice little introspective for Divock as he’s finding his feet at Melwood. More please Rob!
The piece is rather stupid, it’s like a a 14 year old’s English homework on empathetic writing.
So when you gonna learn that it takes all sorts? Don’t you think life would be a little drab if we had the same thoughts?
It was a good read. Different and enjoyed it.
“Mario is a character and a friendly guy but you never know quite where you are with him. When he thinks no one’s looking he seems very sad.”
Broke my heart that, Rob. First Cecil the lion and now this. In bits here.
Jesus lads, its 800 words on a new player. You lot expecting Joyce?
People want to be kind to Origi. They want to give him a chance. They know he hasn’t kicked a competitive ball for us yet. They hope he’ll develop and be an asset. So they call him things like “raw” and “not the finished article.” They describe him as “pacey.”
Because they don’t want to tell the truth.
Whats next? Two years of underwhelming, mostly substitute Djibril Cisse like performances, then sold.
hahahaha quality artice! +1s lad
That was quality. Really enjoyed that. The bit about Simon was especially funny because I could imagine that! ‘DIV-OCK OREE GEE’, I hope we hear that sung loads whatever it sounds like!
Oh to be a dreamer, and have our lads making it a reality.
Quality again from..Handsome Bob? I’ll work on that one
Our very own Danny Welbeck
My projected progression for Origi, would ideally be along the lines of;
2014/15 – 10-15 starts in all competitions
2015/16 – PL loan and 30+ starts in all competitions
2016/17 – compete for a starting berth at LFC
What year is it?
Am not sure what’s just happend but I don’t like it.
What’s the point of this article?
What is it trying to show, say, do?
Rob, you need to put this article in the bin, “la”
Enjoyed that. Funny and relatable.
Been drinking, but love this…
Great summer. Full of expectation and hope. Like many summers in the past TBH, but this feels different for some reason, but then they all did.
Nope, this is different. Gunna be a good year.
#WTRWWAW
Had to read it twice to get into the rhythm of it, but having done that it strikes me as a perfect reflection of DO.
(I sincerely hope he’s picked up the nickname ‘Nike’ by now.)
He’s new, he’s different and doesn’t quite fit it what anybody was expecting. Looks hopeless, but then produces a nice bit of close control; looks out of sorts, but then produces a little burst of power; looks like a baby giraffe on ice, but then suddenly puts on a burst of pace.
I can already feel a pseudo-paternal worry and hope for him, simply because he ‘looks’ like a big kid – a little like the mascot – playing with the men.
I get the impression that whatever his failings may prove to be, even the most hard hearted will find themselves saying ‘yeah, but he’s trying his best’.
Oh, for the record: I think he’ll come good given a season to bed in – well, a lot better than, say, Ngog.
Funny article. Nice that they’re all being approached in different ways.
If you’re getting angry at this lads you need to find a new site – god help you when you have to read Neil Atkinson’s season preview on dejan lovren
Reading the comments on TAW recently absolutely infuriates me The thing to realise though is, it’s not a true reflection of anything. Normal people don’t contribute. It’s left to the incurable wasters, ahem. For me personally, I find I can’t watch tv any more. I’ve only ever watched documentaries /news as I can’t watch films, soaps, anything made by HBO or anything that’s fantasy. I don’t have the patience. I’m getting to the stage where I’ve had enough of beheadings, paedo rings, programs about people on benefits, corrupt police, politicians and bankers and god knows what else. I just wanna retreat to TAW and talk about Liverpool. I find it a real shame though that doing so lowers my self esteem. I feel like I’m part of a community of freaks. So, being one of the aforementioned (a waster / freak rather than a corrupt paedo) I’m happy to admit that I’m worried about Origi even though I can honestly say I’ve never seen him kick a ball. I’ve based my views on hearing snippets that he was poor for Lille last season and a paragraph in the Echo which said he looked lethargic in one of the pre season friendlies. Hardly the basis for informed opinions but amongst the other comments is that really so bad? I believe he has some good movement so hopefully he’ll prove me wrong. Maybe when i see him play I’ll think differently. My gut feeling is one of concern over him. Anyway, Liverpool fans are dickheads as I started to believe. People who comment on internet articles are.
**Liverpool fans are NOT dickheads
Not really sure what you’re basing this on. In my experience there are just as many dickheads down the pub or at the match as there are under internet articles. And just as many knowledgeable and articulate posters under internet articles as there is down the pub or at the match.
Don’t get me wrong – there are dickheads on all sites who see disaster at every turn and don’t even keep their comments relevant to the article. But they are few and far between.
Is your above comment because you want to discuss Liverpool, but only if people aren’t negative or pessimistic on anything to do with us? Is it that you only want to read things that will make you think we will be successful, thus putting you in a better mood so you can forget about war, famine, corruption and paedos?
No, not really mate. I suppose what I’m looking for is like minded people to discuss Liverpool with.
I’ve found I have a need to express myself but I also have beliefs that one shouldn’t verbally discuss anything in any detail with people outside your circle of close mates. I find people are quite simple and believe they don’t appreciate it unless they’re equally fanatical about a given subject. So, I find writing is a better form of communication because people can take it or leave it which isn’t the case if one goes into too much detail in a face to face meeting.
I’ve always enjoyed the discussions on here but recently I find it irritating. It doesn’t matter what the subject the debate is always hijacked by ‘Rodgers is clueless’ or he’s shit, we’re shit, that’s wank etc. For example, let me ask you, is there any aspect of LFC that excites you? Is there anything that gives you hope because it doesn’t appear that way. Look at all the ‘what Next’ articles on here. Look at the comments. I’m serious mate, it makes me feel like a weirdo because I’m part of this community. I wonder what’s wrong with me that my chosen form of relaxation is commenting on here when the majority of comments are clearly from negative dickheads.
It’s not that I want reassurance that Liverpool are successful. I don’t do that. If anything I lean more towards we’re not what a lot of fans think we are. I wasn’t surprised we didn’t get Sanchez. I wasn’t surprised Sterling wanted to leave. It worries me what the future holds for Liverpool but that said, I don’t hate everything about the club. I see no merit in your philosophy of ‘forget it, it’s gonna be shite’. Like your Rossiter comments. He may not make it. I agree with that but then he might. We simply don’t know. Therefore, as Liverpool’s fortunes effect my life / mood more than it should I try and have balanced views rather than short sighted ones, and prefer to communicate with others who have balanced views even if I don’t like what they say. What I despise is people who bombard these threads with negativity regardless of the subject. I can learn from someone who has views that are based on an evaluated opinion. If someone only has negative views because it’s in their nature to be negative then I simply dismiss them. There’s a huge difference.
On one hand you say you want to discuss LFC with “like minded” people but on the other you say you’d rather talk to people with balanced views even when they say things you don’t like. This is a contradiction unless you are admitting that you are a blind optimist who doesn’t base his opinions on reality.
I believe Im balanced. You mention comments under the “whats next?” articles. That’s about what we think will happen, not what we hope will happen. I hope Jordan Rossiter will become better than Steven Gerrard. Will that happen? By your logic, “we don’t know.” But we don’t know if Benteke will become as good as Torres, do we? But we do know both are extremely unlikely.
I like Jordan Henderson the same as most. I like Joe Allen more than most. I like Martin Skrtel less than most. Ask me what excites me about LFC today (you did) and I’ll tell you (see below), but if you asked me in 2008 I’d have said to you there is a chance we could win the league and champions league double. Balance does not mean being 50/50 regardless of how LFC are doing – its saying we’re good and likely to be a success when we are, and saying we’re not that good and likely to fail when we are. Well, we were likely to be a success in 2008/09 and we are likely to fail in 2015/16.
You say you can learn from someone who has an evaluated opinion, but dismiss the opinion of those who are negative by nature. But what if someone who is negative by nature comes up with a boatload of evidence for his negative opinion. You can’t dismiss that or you aren’t being honest about the facts.
Personally, on every topic from LFC to politics, I seek out those I disagree with to see what the counter arguments are to my own, and if I feel the they are better/have more evidence behind them, then I change my mind. I think its better when people disagree, put forth reasons why, have a debate and weigh up the facts without abuse or ad hominem attacks. If everyone agreed on everything, not only would life would be incredibly boring but there would be no advancement in anything. But each their own.
“is there any aspect of LFC that excites you?”
I love Liverpool. The city and the club. I am only interested in us winning games and being competitive. Im not demanding the impossible. I want to see us finish top 4 and go close to the league the odd year. I want to see us in champions league quarter finals again. I want it to be regularly. We need a stadium which holds 80k to give us the best chance to do that, or a world class manager. What Arsenal have done over the past 10 years would be brilliant – they’ve had the odd title tilt and done ok in Europe while paying off their stadium. They are in for years at the top of English football now.
I am happy with the progress made by FSG. They have a clear plan, which I believe makes total sense given the financials in football. Some fans want them to be reckless and spend like City. No thanks, we could end up like Leeds. Some want them to care about the football. I say they care about being a success, which means top 4, and thats good enough for me.
They have a responsible plan and it is going well, though not perfect – for that we need to be in the UCL. They have their faults. I don’t like the PR nonsense and I think they should have sacked Rodgers and hired Klopp, who more or less said “come and get me,” but since they decided to stick with their man they have done the right thing and backed him to the hilt in the market. Now he has no excuses. If he fails its solely down to him. It was the only way for FSG to go once keeping him.
FSG are moving us into a position where they can sell us to a billionaire in 2 or 3 years. And in the absence of a top manager, I think thats the only way in the modern game we can finish top 4 and get back to the top table in Europe. But imagine we had both…..
I can’t be excited about our prospects of success on the field in this coming season. Ive lost all faith in the manager when initially I was hopeful.
We know he’s awful in Europe. We know results at home suffer when he’s juggling that with European competition. He can’t coach a defence, we have more than enough evidence to know that at this stage. We also know you don’t win the league or champions league without a good defence and going to difficult destinations and grinding out 0-0’s. He also can’t rotate. Under him our players will never be physically up to it in May, especially if we have a European campaign.
And he lost the dressing room at the back end of last season. This isn’t a fact like the previous four convictions above, but I think it likely given the efforts after the defeat to United. If he turns that around he will be accomplishing something many better managers before him have failed to accomplish.
If you had to have your house on the likeliest outcome, regardless of what you hope will happen, I think you, like me, would bet that in 2015/16 we won’t win anything, won’t come top 4 and Brendan will be sacked. And if you know in your head and in your heart of hearts thats the likeliest outcome, how can you be excited?
I am excited to see who will replace Brendan when he is sacked. That to me is something to look forward to. Not Rodgers failing, because if Im wrong and he doesn’t need replacing, then we’ll have had a successful season and I’ll be happier with that than being right on the internet in front of people who don’t know me. But if we get rid and go after a proven winner, that will excite and unite every fan and every player. Then success is very possible. And I don’t think its that long from happening. Could be November/December. Then I’ll be excited.
It is not unreasonable to think in two and a half years we could have Jurgen Klopp in charge, owners worth the GDP of a major country, work on a new stadium, two world class players, a 7 point lead in the league and a favourable draw for the 2nd round of the champions league. Then I might die from excitement.
Sorry mate but I really don’t understand your first paragraph. I think you’re completely missing the point. I want to communicate with like minded people whatever their views. By balance I’m saying people with opinions based on how they’ve interpreted it. That may seem obvious but what we see on here is x, y and z are shit because Rodgers bought them and Rodgers is clueless. That tells me nothing about x,y and z because it’s just a default template that’s pulled out whenever there’s a debate to be had and one size fits all, regardless of the question. That’s the thing I can’t tolerate. I’m not a tyrant who thinks everyone should agree with me. Far from it. I’d learn nothing like that. I just want opinions based on more than ‘Rodgers is shit’.
The other thing is, you’re not Derek Acorah. You can’t predict the future. You can form an opinion based on the evidence but you still don’t know what will happen. Look, I don’t think my daughter has done that well in her exams. I didn’t say to her though ‘I think you’ll do terrible in your exams’. Who would that help? It’s the same with trying to predict how our season will go and how are manager and players will fair individually. If I have fears that some will struggle I’ll say as much but I won’t become consumed by those views and obsessed to the point where all arguments lead me back to it. Why put so much energy and bitterness into such speculation? If someone says they think some things will work and some won’t then fair play. But if they say everything is shit, always is and will be forever then it’s not a balanced view. These people exist and most of them seem to be attracted to this site. If I had my way I’d round up all those people, put them in a sack, tie the top and dump them in the Mersey. That’s not a contradiction. It’s just a sensible reaction.
I don’t think there are many people saying every player is shit or every new player is going to be shit. I just don’t see that. There is plenty of negativity about, I agree, especially for this time of year. Fan A may think 4 players are shit, and Fan B may think a different 4 players are shit etc, but no one is saying they are all shit and we’re getting relegated etc.
There’s a perception out there, even among LFc fans, that a lot of Liverpool fans, particularly online, are miserable bastards who are never happy. I just don’t see that either. We’ve had a bad time as a club for 5 or 6 years, bar 13/14. If the online community was as developed in 2005-2008 there would be a perception we’re all doolally bastards who could see no wrong. Things only got going online when Hicks/Gillette were asset stripping and the constant media attacks on Benitez started to seep through to some of our own.
It still repulses me the criticism a proven champion in Rafa got. But it was worse at the ground than online. Anfield in the second leg of a European semi final was a cesspit, things said much worse than Brendan has received. Those clowns calling for his head that night have presumably watched whats happened since with their tail between their legs.
I do see some people obsessed with Rodgers. They haven’t been able to let go of their anger from last season and FSG’s decision to keep him. But they are not in the majority. They may be if we get off to a bad start which is something you probably know and hate that it is a distinct possibility.
And with respect, your analogy of your daughter is a poor one. You can’t compare saying something face to face in a deep personal relationship, to a bunch of fans on the internet LFC don’t know, whose opinions will most likely not and never be read by any player or manager.
I know you don’t want to read everywhere about how shit Rodgers is. Im growing tiresome of it too. But at the end of the day he’s the manager. The buck always stops with the manager. So if we’re discussing the defence, our chances in Europe, players he’s treated poorly like Markovic, how can you talk about those things without mentioning Rodgers and his failings?
Is it not normal as a fan to be worried and express that worry when you love the club and are sure we’re losing ground on our rivals instead of making ground? I’d argue it is.
Well what a pair of typing show offs, ha ha. Only joking lads, you’re both bang on in that you write constructively and with reason as to your opinions, which to me is why this site came to be and long may it continue. There’s plenty of other places for the whoppers. As for this piece on Origi, we don’t know how he’ll progress but can hope it’s for the good as he must have shown something to be signed in the first place. Personally I enjoy the variety of writing styles on here, and I’m also sure that these guys know when something is to be taken seriously then it will be treated as such. Cheers
You either love it or you hate it – a dichotomy that is never quite true.
I enjoyed it.
Any chance rob would do a weekly account of DO’s season, right up until we sell him in the summer to psg for €75mil….