STOKE at home. Nothing to play for. Only Stoke at home. Nothing to play for. Might as well not go.
When I was 12, I went to my first match at Anfield. It was a League Cup game on a midweek night against Portsmouth. They were then, as now, mired somewhere in football’s oblivion. We were by far the greatest team the world had ever seen. The contest was only going to be one on paper.
I was 12 and had been a Liverpool supporter for about two years. I’d gone from being a sports disinterested kid from London to someone who lived only for Liverpool FC within a matter of months. The series of chemical reactions that set this all in motion I’ll bore you with some other time. Suffice to say, whatever it is that 
gets you about the game, about our club, it had me, and it has never let me go.
I now live in Liverpool. I’m in the swing of going to about 36 out of 38 league games a season, and quite a few in the cups as well. I’m watching a lot of live football. I’m seeing the Mighty Reds in the flesh every week. I never stop counting these blessings.
I don’t stop counting and I don’t stop forgetting because of the memory. I won’t be able to do it justice descriptively but that first year or two I was beginning to visit Anfield at a rate of about three or four times a year on the train from Euston were experiences that have stayed with me into middle age.
I look back at the actual fixtures now, and there were no semi finals, title deciders, derbies, or clashes against Manchester United or Arsenal in that spell for me. No events worthy of VHS, DVD or games you’ll be able to find on YouTube today.
My first home games were against Portsmouth, Brighton, and Luton Town.
The ground wasn’t full for a single one of them. The atmosphere never reached levels that anyone got misty eyed about in subsequent years.
The games themselves were a mixed bag.
In my mind’s eye though, the sun was always shining. Anfield was a vision in red and green, and it smelt so perfect — grass, newspaper, dampness, warmth, gravy, timber and plastic. An airborne cocktail you’ll never know until you set foot in a football ground.
To watch the Reds in real life. To have the 2D barrier of the TV removed. To see all that. To smell the whole thing. This was the stuff of dreams.
Some memories, the best ones, live longest in the gut. I don’t mean that metaphorically. Those sensations that are, for biological reasons I’ve never had explained to me, experienced as literal physical sensations in the stomach. If I close my eyes I think of Anfield all those years ago. I feel it in that pit.
It’s a wonderful and simultaneously painful recall. As all nostalgia is. In Ancient Greek the word nostalgia refers to the pain of an old battle wound.
Stoke at home. Nothing to play for. Only Stoke at home. Nothing to play for. Might as well not go.
Have I made my point? Can I go now?
A football match always matters. And not just because its always someone’s first time. When you choose to love your club forever you make a pledge with your soul that when your team’s first 11 are gathered that you will be there in spirit, at the very least, every single time. Your team will never be just a foot note in your day. Never something you can just pick up and put down.
It must always matter, and if you can’t see it mattering, you just aren’t looking hard enough, or you simply aren’t really in love.
These are the reasons why Stoke at home matters:
- If we win and others don’t, then we are that bit more in unlikely contention for a Champions League place. In turn, our next match will then matter even more. In turn a dream can begin to build again
- Liverpool need to at least finish in the top seven to attain European football next season. No small thing this, as we are now finding out upon this season’s continental adventure
- Sheyi Ojo or Jordon Ibe might score a hat-trick. It might be a day from which they never look back. It might be the day that a great Liverpool career is born
- Liverpool might get a big win — 4-0 perhaps. That would be a thing to see. When is Liverpool winning big not one of the most beautiful sights on God’s green earth?
- If Liverpool play well and lots of players play well then our already whetted appetites for the Dortmund game next Thursday will be positively ravenous
- Liverpool might lose, and key players get injured, and our mood might totally blacken. This must not happen. It is important that it doesn’t.
Jürgen Klopp agrees with me. We’ve discussed this all in detail…in my head. Jürgen reminds me “a journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step”. Jürgen remembers the first time. It’s always like the first time for Jürgen. That’s how he keeps so chipper.
Jürgen’s not soft. He knows Dortmund next week is the biggest game of our season, and whatever gifts I can contrive that Stoke may bring, he’s rightly taking no chances.
Fortunately, the hand of fate has dictated that what might have been a series of selection posers are in fact a collection of neatly binary options.
No need to worry about resting Emre Can or Jordan Henderson for next week, as Emre’s suspended and Jordan’s injured. Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge, for differing reasons, couldn’t start in Germany last week, so they are ripe and ready. They play. Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana are therefore benched without too much regret.
It could be the most important game of the decade, but because of the Henderson/Can situation, the manager is forced to put out a scratch midfield whether he likes it or not.
– Listen to this week’s Friday Show looking back at Dortmund and forward at Stoke for FREE
Joe Allen only played 45 mins last week and probably needs the match time. He’s an obvious starter. Will he get just one partner in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 style set up, or two in a 4-3-3?
A lack of options may force gung ho-ness on Kloppo. Allen likely then to be assisted by just one of Kevin Stewart or Lucas Leiva — both short of game fitness following injuries, although the manager revealed both players got 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Burnley this week.
Klopp on mids: "Lucas is back and played for 45 minutes yesterday against Burnley. Kevin Stewart could play 45 minutes in this game."#LFC
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) April 9, 2016
There’s a case for partnering Divock Origi and Sturridge up front and just throwing the kitchen sink at Stoke, consequences be damned. The plan then, to pull Daniel on 60 minutes, knowing he will start versus Dortmund, and Origi will in turn replace him in the last quarter at Anfield on Thursday.
Stoke are apparently injury decimated and all sorts of lads face late fitness tests. It would be just swell if they mainly failed these tests.
We could do without Stoke’s periodic aptitude for full throttle and heavy metal football. Tame surrender please, gents. We want a home win. We want to feel like the big team European competition suggests we are becoming.
Stoke at home. Nothing to play for. Only Stoke at home. Nothing to play for. Might as well not go.
Stoke at home this season is an important game. I’m making it so. The Reds will too. Here is the highly relevant 11 to send the Potters potty: Mignolet; Flanagan, Toure, Skrtel, Smith; Allen, Lucas; Firmino, Ibe, Milner; Sturridge.
Great article – nails it. Especially about the bit about “making a pledge with your soul”.
That is what it means to be a supporter of Liverpool Football Club. That is why our stomach turns at the way Citeh and Chelski have sold their souls to corrupt Oil money – did they even have a soul comparable to the soul of Liverpool Football Club in the first place?
If it wasn’t for the Sky / Premier League / FA conspiracy – assisted by Whiskey Nose and his minions (Pulis, Big Sam, Bruce, Hughes etc) Liverpool Football Club would be recognised as the true English football pre-eminent Club rightfully sitting atop their perch
The corrupt Oil merchants of Citeh and the corrupt criminals down in SW6 are not a patch on us. As for the Mancs – their dominance and silverware has been simply the result of the most cynical commercial juggernaut of Thatcherite capitalism and Sky / PL / FA bribery and corruption.
UEFA, FIFA, IAAF – these sporting organisations are coming under scrutiny now and people are seeing through the lies of the last twenty years. Scudamore’s PL and the ‘unholy alliance’ between Sky and the FA should be very wary of what’s coming their way —- the People, the Truth, the bright shining light of footballing Justice is coming to unmask their bribery and corruption
YNWA
I like this from Rob. It’s got me thinking. I like the bit about the enjoyment as a kid from non-hyped up games, with a non-packed out Anfield.
It begs the question – if so much is gained as a kid or a newcomer to Anfield, even in non-big games does familiarity breed contempt?
Are our senses dulled by too much of a good thing?
Is it ‘boring’ to watch a football match when you’ve seen it all before, and there’s nothing to play for?
Is what happened at Istanbul so magical – the fact that it took place unexpectedly – 3 down at half time — because of the WAY it happened.
It was so magical and so perfect and so impossible – in a word, it was so Liverpool – Less is sometimes more
Having said all of that. I wish Liverpool Football Club would steamroll every team, every week.
No more football romance – no more heroic and beautiful failure – no more bitten fingernails
I want nothing more than for Liverpool Football Club to be the next (and longest lasting) financial and footballing behemoth the bestrouds the land. Devouring all in our path
When the Golden Sky does prevail – and EVERY game wil seem to the neutral like “nothing to write home about” because of the footballing domination of Liverpool Football Club means that every game is a foregone conclusion — then I won’t find it boring or uneventful
Believe!! – the Golden Sky WILL once again shine on us – The Liver Bird will sing again
YNWA
Every game at Anfield is important, an occasion. Being one of 12,021 against Dundalk in ’82, or one of 9,902 against Brentford in ’83 were games I still remember – being there is everything; well at least to me and the brave souls who stood with me.
Taking my boy for his first game tomorrow, special day indeed!
I’m loving the vibes coming out of the writing on this site the last couple of months or so.
Enjoyed reading this article.
Good read, that. Hard not to look at the game like an early round of the Europa League, ironically. Every match is a cup final, but Thursday is a quarter-final.
That said, we can learn a great deal about next season from this match.
My eyes are going to be on Joe Allen, who has been handed an unbelievable chance to put himself into contention for another go at the club. TAW mentioned how he faded at Southampton because of his lack of game time, so hopefully this helps a clearly talented little fellow.
Ibe and Ojo could make a case to avoid another loan spell, something Klopp said he wanted nothing to do with, but finds himself perhaps seeing the value of now. Be nice to see a bit of pace for a change that doesn’t involve our LB desperately trying to catch the person he should have been accounting for.
Wish we could get a glimpse of Danny Ward, who surely is thinking about the value of loan spells these days.
And, of course, I’d love to see Sturridge have a blinder. I could do with more of that Joe Allen pass that found him against Southampton back in December (candidate for pass of the year, IMB).
Ahh those lovely chipper scouse media darlings
all hot and bothered prepared to rub out little old stoke city
well let me tell you – we’ve come for the points and we mean business !
Get prepared for a tough afternoon fellas – Eurpean games either side of us means we offer you no pity at all – we still owe you big-time after that semi fellas , I’m only sad Super Jonny Walters isnt available to knock your lads about-LIKE HE USUALLY DOES.
Instead ,our skill merchants will have to put up with the clumsy thuggery and, dirty, sly efforts of the Likes of Flanagan ( just how did he stay on in the semi final second leg anyway ?) Lucas and Milner – All dirty little sods in their own special ways – (and neatly ignored by those media luvvies who prefer to look the other way when it comes to Liverpool).
And so, If Bojan Arnie , Shakiri and Afellay all turn up together – it’ll be 0-2 to Stoke — bet you didnt see that coming eh ?
Yeah mate, just like you said.
I usually enjoy some irreverence or humor in my fun. I suggest you read the above part where people are openly applauding the positive fun tone taken in the article fire up that ‘ol imagination of yours and extrapolate from that the fact you’ve bloody well completely missed the point.
Stoke’s ” skill merchants” lumping it up to Crouch- didn’t see that one coming. Liverpool scored 4 and that dreadful keeper didn’t see any of them coming.
Saw the final in 1965 against Leeds (yeah, that one) and left for Canada two weeks later where I had a job waiting. Haven’t seen any live games since then but still get up at 4:30 am when necessary. Still got Liverpool in my soul. Always will I guess. Excellent piece, Rob.
Great piece Rob, really enjoyed that. And the game!