Supporting Liverpool and suffering defeat can be emotionally charged, but you can’t learn anything without losing …
Damian Kavanagh is the most patient and optimistic man I know.
I did the Post Match show with Kav, Ben Johnno and Gibbo on Saturday. If you’re new to the show it’s recorded in The Glenbuck pub near the ground once all parties have arrived after the final whistle. If I’m on the back row of the Main Stand, as I was for much of last season, well, people just have to wait.
This was a raw, emotional show. Understandably as I’d last clapped eyes on Michael Oliver just 10 minutes earlier. Kostas Tsimikas’s push in the back which was exactly what we bloody needed right then was still fresh in the memory, I could only say the word ‘Gakpo’ while spitting and don’t get me started on the noble country of Hungary. Not the best of moods.
I had a rant planned, spleen to vent. I just waited for Gibbo to light the blue touchpaper. All I needed was ‘So, Karl …’
Then Kav got involved.
You know the scene in Star Wars where Luke comes back home to find his Aunt and Uncle slaughtered by Imperial Stormtroopers? Luke wants to batter everything in sight but doesn’t because Ben Kenobi calms him down and gets him to channel his aggression into more progressive ways. That was this podcast. Reasoned and calm advice to a man who wanted to let down the tyres on the team coach. He was Obi-Wan in quality casualwear.
He’s got form here too. That home defeat to Leeds a couple of years ago which, for me at least, marked the end of the classic Klopp team? I was in the same pub afterwards and, again, wanted to shout at the world but Kav turned to me with his customary grin and said ‘Isn’t it great that you can be around your mates when Liverpool are playing? Isn’t this brilliant?’
I mean, of course he was right. Covid taught me that. I didn’t just miss going to the match, I missed everything around it. The pubs, the poor food choices, shouting, singing, celebrating and then reliving it with your mates afterwards. Jesus, the hours spent just wishing I could sit around a table with likeminded people and talk over things that ultimately didn’t matter.
Kav answered the first question on Saturday and then Johnno. His response was reasoned and simple. You get days like this. It’s a new manager, people have off days, and this was just one where so many did. Forest came with a plan and played it perfectly. Their goal was brilliant. Get over it and move on. These things happen. We’re Liverpool and we’re in the pubs with our mates. No one can touch us.
Talk about taking the wind out of your sails.
He’s absolutely right, damn him. You can’t learn anything without losing. You can’t answer questions if you’ve never considered them before. For example, what do you do if you go a goal behind? Go for broke or keep it tight? You can’t plan for that. There’s no training ground scenario. ‘Let’s pretend we’re losing for a minute’ never works because you can’t replicate the emotion of frustration and fury needed. Well, they know now.
Arne Slot’s notebook will be fuller after Saturday. He’ll have his own questions. How can we play so many people in midfield and still have no one show for the ball. What was the shape in the second half? Why did Mo shoot so often when he couldn’t possibly trouble the keeper? Where was the patience? The guile? The creativity? What were the subs supposed to do? Trent in midfield? Really? Saturday was a wakeup call for everyone and one that brought up some issues for me, personally. Ones I’ve avoided while the start was perfect.
There may be players out there who may not be good enough for the club.
I hate thinking that as they’re players who wear our shirt and have just hammered United on their own ground. I know that’s knee jerk, but I’ve had doubts for a while. This morning I’m wondering who their next club is.
Kav’s right. You have to take the result and learn from it – but I’m still furious with Szoboszlai, with Gakpo (just take the card!), Nunez and Mo. Bradley and Konate weren’t great for the goal either. I’m still baffled by Michael Oliver’s reputation. I’m still not sure what good the yellow for their keeper did. He ended up taking even longer after he was booked in some sort of ‘Send me off then,’ standoff.
I suppose we take it out on Milan and accept that Kav’s world of zen will be beneficial to our collective mental health.
I just hate it when Liverpool lose. I hate it more when we lose unnecessarily. I think I just need to shout at clouds for a few more days and then I’ll be alright. I suppose.
I can’t stand losing.
Sake, Liverpool.
Me too Karl and it was clear early on exactly what would happen- we’ve seen ‘that’ game play out too many times before as fans. I feel the team doesn’t have enough spite in it as a whole& lacks a real leader since Hendo& Millie left. There’s a certain gullibility& lack of nous that probably left with them &that will take a couple of years to get back. . Hopefully Slot can improve the in game intelligence he needs from the team, but like you, I’m beginning to believe it won’t be with all of these players.
We have form for losing directly after battering Manchester United.
Didn’t we lose one nil to Bournemouth after the 7 nil against United?
Also I might be wrong but we probably lost or drew the game after the 5 nil.