FINALLY! ’
Proper’ Liverpool football is back with the curtain raiser to the 2022/23 season.
(Now for the heavy part if you’ll indulge me as I sleepily type in bed) …..
There was more than a few occasions after the trauma of Paris I didn’t honestly think I’d be at this point today. Waking up preparing to go the match. After the horrific events of May 28, I was seriously wanting absolutely nothing to do with football to the point I was honestly throwing around being done with the game. I can’t begin to tell you the psychological flashbacks from 3 decades earlier, that you learn to live with and never truly leave you and come crashing back at mad times in your life, often set off by the most innocuous of things, that were relived in glorious technicolour 2 short months back that sent myself and many fellow survivors into a very dark place. But talking really is the best medicine. And I’m exceptionally fortunate to have a great network of fellow survivors, who also happen to be some of the best friends you could ever wish to have, who have all been superb in helping each other over the horrific experience of the 2022 CL final that is, and always will be, a complete non-event never to be revisited for many of us in attendance.
But that was last season. And here we are again. My 42nd year following the Reds all over. Pretty much consistently since I broke out on my own in 1987. One day I shall grow up and join the ‘adult’ World of responsibility and ‘normalness’, and stop living on the edge financially and personally following this shared passion of ours home and abroad ….. One day.
Today isn’t that day.
So here we are again, Leicester bound, to hopefully see the mighty Reds claim the first silverware of the season. The first leg of the quintuple.
And in so doing, laying down a PROPER marker to the ONLY team remotely on our level again who we have to concern ourselves with over the next 9 months.
I’ve always loved the Charity Shield personally. It always used to be the clubs aim at the start of every season to be opening the following season in the CS curtain raiser. Because to do that, you would invariably have had a superbly successful season by winning one of the domestic big two. If that’s your season aim, you will never go far wrong.
A day out at Wembley (or ridiculously this year the King Power in F Leicester!
), in the late summer sun, with a trophy at stake, to welcome in the return of the football season ….. Who
wouldn’t want that?
I won’t lie. I want this one
BAD! Many won’t understandably share these sentiments, and I don’t see any way we don’t take 3 points from Fulham this time next week, but if you offered me a victory today or one next week, I’d take today hands down! I have 37 chances to rectify Fulham. I have only ONE chance today to not only win something that hasn’t been in our possession since 2006. But royally P City off into the bargain. Because, make NO mistake, this ____ is SERIOUS between our two clubs and both will be going all out to get one over the other today before our personal, two-way fight for the league resumes next weekend. Regardless of the public PR face, there’s absolutely NO way either manager doesn’t desperately want to win this one. Really intrigued to see what state City are in given they’ve only had 2 friendlies. Interesting approach.
Let’s hope that’s us as you just can’t beat the memories of the Reds picking up silverware. Whatever that silverware may be.
Buckle up tight folks for the next enthralling ride with Jürgen’s army.
From the King Power to the Ataturk, here we go again …..
Up the quintuple chasing Reds!
FTT!!!!!