I’VE been writing a regular Thursday column for TAW for a few months now. Because Robbo needs the piece early enough to give it the once over and I like to give myself enough time to re-write bits if need be, I tend to write it on a Wednesday.
This week that means that I’m sat in front of my computer just a couple of hours after Donald Trump was declared to be the President Elect. I’ve only had about two hours sleep and even that was fitful. Perhaps now isn’t the best time to sit down and try to write something coherent about Liverpool.
At a time when America has voted to turn its back on hope and togetherness in favour of lies, racism, sexism and darkness – just months after the UK decided to do something along similar lines – I don’t know how to think about anything but the future; something that looks pretty bleak just at this moment.
But then the phrase ‘Football is the most important of the least important things in life’ keeps popping into my head. Most commonly attributed to Carlo Ancelotti, it’s a saying that has real resonance for me. At times I marvel at the absolute ridiculousness of football. It’s 22 men kicking a ball around on some grass, how does it have the emotional pull over us that it does?
Yet most of the time I completely agree with the sentiment. Football isn’t as important as death or love or family, yet it matters so very much to so many people. It makes me angry, sad, relieved, hopeful, stressed, ecstatic and so many things between. I’m quite sure it does the same for you.
At times like this I think we need football more than ever. That Liverpool are the best team in the country right now certainly helps with that.
We’re in the middle of an international break right now – in more ways than one – yet I am counting down the hours until I get to see the Reds play again. It’s the main thing that’s giving me hope just at the minute. Sadio Mané, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge. These names are my salvation.
Watching Liverpool play football won’t stop a misogynistic, racist demagogue from being posed to take control of the White House. It won’t prevent likely aggression from Russia and China in the coming months. It won’t suddenly mean that the UK will reverse its position on leaving the European Union at a time when presenting a united front to the world is more important than ever.
Yet for 90 minutes it allows you to forget about all of that. The only thing that matters is the three points. Our three points that the other team has got and we need to take back. The only aggression I want to see isn’t political, it’s from the lads in Red swarming around the opposition before pummelling them into submission.
When Liverpool play I can forget about my fears of the real world and laugh at the outrageousness of Firmino and Coutinho. I can watch Jürgen Klopp intently and marvel at his never-ending desire to succeed, hoping that he breaks another pair of glasses because that means the Reds are rampant.
It’s why I can’t be bothered with being cautious about embracing Liverpool’s on-field success. The line that ‘you don’t win anything in November’ is as boring as it is factually incorrect – you win football matches. ‘Manchester City have a stronger team’. So what? Donald Trump has literally no qualifications to be President, yet here we are. What’s your point?
I’m determined to soak every bit of joy I can from Liverpool matches at the moment because that’s what life should be about. There’s seriousness all over the place if you want it. You can hand-wring and moralise until the cows come home about all sorts of things in life right now.
I don’t want my football to become boring. I don’t want to obsess over a single goal conceded when we’ve scored six. What’s the point? Where’s the fun in that?
Football is the most important of the least important things in life, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a laugh. Liverpool are poetry in motion; the best team in the land. Wherever we end up this season let’s all start enjoying the journey as much as possible. At some point we’ll have no more tomorrows so we need to live today to the full.
With hope in your heart.
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Adam, what a wonderful piece of writing… Encapsulating so much of how I feel currently…!!It is a blessing and a delicious diversion to watch the rampant, mighty reds smash all in front of them at the moment. I lived in the USA for three years and their crazy decision surprises me about as much as our similarly crazy one in June…not a jot!!
But it will soon be next weekend, it will soon be the quarter final and we have so much to immerse ourselves in by following Jurgens Marvels!!…
I had terrible issue with Rodgers as I believed he failed as a leader on too many fronts… Now we have a wonderfully engaging manager,leader and all round top geyser!!
Let’s enjoy every millisecond and bollocks to what is going on elsewhere…..
we already know you are more ‘right on’ than Rick from The Young Ones. You either support a democracy or you dont. Give the cod politics a week off
Apologies that my opinion piece doesn’t match your political position. Do let me know what topics are open for discussion in your democracy. You might not be bothered by the rise of the far right but I am, as are many others. I thought that as Trump has abused black people, disabled people, minorities & more I might be ok to write in objection to it so I’m disappointed to learn that I shouldn’t have. If you could get back to me with your list of approved topics before next week that would be great.
Brilliant!!!
Don’t be a silly-sausage Dagon!
Thanks Adam for this. I really needed that.
As a Latino in the States with an immigrant wife, we’ve been filled with shock and anxiety since Tuesday night. At least now, I’ll be able to not feel so terrible to escape for 90 mins here and there and enjoy the mighty Reds step ever closer to winning the league.
No Alex, thank you. I can’t even begin to imagine how scary & frightening things must be for you & your wife at the moment. I can’t say how much it means that you’d take the time to read my piece and offer your appreciation. I’d love it if we could change the result but instead we’ll just have to hope that the reality turns out to be better than we all fear.
Leave the politics at the door please. It’s tedious and whiney and not for a football site. Plenty of politics sites out there for you to use as an echo chamber if you wish, chicken licken.
I wrote about football. I also wrote about politics. It’s my column so I’m fairly certain I can write whatever I like and the fact that you think it’s “not for a football site” is an opinion, not a fact. Shankly founded the club on a socialist ideal. To suggest that politics has no place in football, particularly when it comes to Liverpool, is an argument I find flawed. The only think “tedious and whiny” is your comment, which is in no way constructive or helpful. As for “chicken licken” that’s just a bit patronising.
Point of note: Near as I can tell, Shankly didn’t “found” the club. Obviously, its relevance became much more impactful because of him. While the spirit of a socialism may be applicable, and even successful, within the closed environment that is football, it’s history within the much more complex open environment that is the real world is not quite so convincing. While, as an American, I respect your right to an opinion on our country’s politics, I believe you have an overly simplified view of Trump’s victory over here. It was much more complicated than the canned racism/misogynist v. right you’ve canned it to be. Perhaps if you’ve lived here for the last several years, you’d understand. Love your football opinions and insight regarding the team I live for, though. Happy to pay for that content! Maybe you should just focus on that kind of thing. It seems more what you’re more cut out for. It’s hard to be an expert on Liverpool FC and the intricacies of American politics all at once, especially when you don’t live here.
Hiya mate. Would you be willing to elaborate on why you think Trump won? My view is this is just people contributing to a forum whatever the subject. I’m not comfortable with the idea we have an agenda of what we can and can’t mention particularly as there are no written rules. If you prefer not to mention anything further on this subject then I respect that too.
I ask because, I also think it’s a bit simplistic to say it’s a racist and misogynistic vote. Our LFC forum of supposed mates has gone mental today to the point of receiving texts off a friend threatening me because I disagreed with him. This wasn’t the main reason for him being offended – it went back to the start of the Iraq war but much as I like Obama as a man I replied to his praise of him with this –
“personally, i don’t think obama would have got in if he were allowed to run. we keep hearing that it was a racist vote, that it was a misogynistic vote, that it was a vote against the clintons, that it was a backlash by the working class, that it was a backlash by rural americans and that it was a vote against the establishment etc. i think it was a bit of all those but a lot of commentators are saying it was a vote against obama and his weak leadership”.
This didn’t help either, I got more abuse “For the record I certainly don’t support trump. I think he’s a joke. But, I think it’s refreshing to have a politician who speaks his mind even if I find what he speaks vile. Like Corbyn except Corbyn talks sense.
As I don’t know the truth, I’d be interested in your view but at the same time if you can’t be arsed I don’t blame you. Considered deleting this reply myself but at the end of the day I would like enlightenment over the idea of not being able to ask if you’re willing to discuss for fear of other people being annoyed because they want to dictate what I can or can’t write.
For many of us, it was as simple as this: Our country moved further left in the eight years that Obama was in charge than it had in the previous 75 years. We wanted the pendulum to swing a bit back the other way. Trump, ironically, became the candidate of the Republican party partly because many normally center-left voters, especially from the labor movement, voted for Trump in the primary election. Simply put, if we wanted the election to swing the pendulum back a little, Trump was our only choice. Period.
That, and many Americans have recently learned that the cost of our health care insurance is going to rise by 25% or more in 2017, while the quality of the health care we’re receiving for that money is deteriorating rapidly. Our government subsidized the insurance companies through 2016 (what a coincidence!) so that insurance costs wouldn’t rise so fast. Those subsidies are done now. Clinton supported Obamacare, Trump has always favored dismantling it.
Furthermore, we have a general feeling of malaise over here after eight years of Obama. A recovery from the Great Recession never really came to fruition. The world is a more dangerous place. Race relations have been at there worst in decades. Inner city poverty is as high as it’s ever been. Young black males are in as worse a position for gaining a better life than they’ve been in since before the 60’s. And, except for the very rich, America has become a more depressing place to live. Disillusionment with Obama had as much to do with Trump’s victory as anything. Many people saw Clinton
There, that’s my dime store psychoanalysis of what happened here. At the very least, you have to admit it’s more complicated than we’re all just a bunch of uneducated racists and misogynists.
Hi Seth, appreciate you taking the time to reply. I think the point of my comment was that much as I feel other factors contributed I’d also sensed that a lot of it was down to Obama. I feel more informed from reading your view on it. Thanks.
I’m not gonna appease you and say I wasn’t disappointed by Trump getting elected but I have wondered whether it will be the doom and gloom everyone is predicting. I don’t think it will be. I thought his speech after the election was interesting in that he mentioned ending the divisive nature of America. Interesting considering his comments pre election. I also noticed he removed some inflammatory material from his website. Sometimes being a demagogue is just a tactic. Don’t forget Trump used to be a Democrat so he’s not just right wing per se. I think he changes to suit what he feels is right for the climate and at the minute he’s more right wing. Don’t get me wrong, some of the things he’s come out with have been embarrassing and abhorrent in my opinion.
Also, I don’t expect America to go to war for regime change under Trump. Maybe ISIS should be worried but much as I’m anti-war I agree with that. I can’t believe the world has turned a blind eye to them. Like Kosovo and the WWII I think there’s some justification.
Just finally, one can’t deny there’s a growing nationalism across the world. As I prefer multi-culturalism I’m not a supporter of it and never have been but I can see how some of his policies would appeal with the making America great stuff. I like Michael Moore and I’ve seen the what the streets of Flint, Michigan are like. I just don’t see where he’ll get the money to pay for all his ideas. I see it as a bit of a catch 22. Pissing China off with tariffs will lead to untold problems for America and probably deny him the backing he’d need to carry out his proposals.
So, in a nutshell. I don’t like Trump but I’m not naive enough to see where some have found his appeal. I don’t think being in office he’ll be half as vile as he was in the campaign. I think politics needed a radical shake up both in Britain and in America. It’s not the path I’d have chosen but then neither was Hillary. I’m really interested to see how the future pans out. Cheers Seth, thanks again and good luck, haha.
Hi Seth. Thanks for your comment. I perhaps should have said “Shankly founded modern day Liverpool on a socialist ideal”, which he definitely did.
I’m more than aware of the complications regarding the election of Trump. I follow American politics very closely and always have. I know it wasn’t a simple one issue election. However, when you run on the most divisive, race-baiting, misogynistic ticket in living memory then you forgo the ability to claim the moral high-ground.
I would also like to make clear that my references to racism and sexism in the piece are about Trump himself, not the people who voted for him. What he’s said during the campaign has been abhorrent and there is no defence of the man himself. Much like those who voted for Brexit, the people who voted for Trump may not be racist but they’ve aligned themselves with someone who has shared opinions that are completely unforgivable and unfortunately they’re the things that stand out. A “protest vote” it may be, but it’s a poor protest considering what happens next for most minorities in the country.
I am just fortunate that I’m a white male, else I’d feel very uncomfortable indeed visiting America over the next few years. I feel uncomfortable enough as it is.
Agree with Dagon. This is a football site, keep your crass ill informed “political” opinions to yourself. I’m sure you go down like a house on fire with the rest of the TV luvvies, but the rest of us are sick to the back teeth of it.
Hi Alan. Interested to know which part of my piece is ill-informed? Also not sure I wrote anything particularly crass. It is also an opinion column so I must say I find fault with the suggestion that I shouldn’t share my opinion. I’ve had messages from people thanking me for writing this piece, including the one from Alex above who, as a Latino with an immigrant wife must be feeling incredibly scared right now. That my piece has upset a couple of people whose opinion I couldn’t care less about but has helped someone who needs to not feel quite so alone right now is something I take a lot of pride in. That some people aren’t bothered about the rise of the far right is odd but ok. Plenty of people are bothered, however, so I’ve attempted to articulate some thoughts for them.
This column is getting kinds heavy. Let’s lighten the mood.
There’s a saying; Opinions are like arse-holes. Everyone has one.
Wow! I was just thinking I really enjoyed this article as it offers some hope in what’s been a strange week where I’ve had a lot of dark thoughts. Then I read the comments and was left feeling disillusioned again.
Everywhere I turn I seem to see bitterness, divisiveness and anger. Why can’t people be more like Jurgen Klopp? What gives people the right the right to think they can dictate how we think or act?
I wanted to comment on some of the things you wrote but I’ve lost the appetite now except to say, good stuff mate and I completely get where you’re coming from. This international break seems more torturous than it’s ever been before.
Another “vote” of confidence here, Adam. Thank you for your insight and comments about this tragic error (again) in American history. I’m a Californian, and although as a state we did our part to prevent a Trump presidency, I’m embarrassed to be American. Being a huge Liverpool fan, I feel the same as you do; can’t wait to see the boys in Red come back to doing their thing. They have been a great source of joy at my house and I’m hoping the next game can help rekindle that. Thank you, again. Forget the dissenters. This has helped some of us, when little else has.
Thanks Joni. Very much appreciate your kind words. I completely understand that such a topic will provoke emotive reactions and have no problem with reasoned debate. It’s the “this is boring”, “don’t talk politics” and “you’re wrong” replies that I find a bit tedious.
Again, really appreciate your reply and I hope that the future is much brighter than it feels in this very dark hour.
The result from Brexit and US election just goes to show how disillusioned many people are feeling at this moment in time. The unity shown in the team and club as a whole right now should be something we can all take inspiration from.