..... I'm behind Liverpool for Sean.
I think you'll appreciate this really good read regarding the attack on your friend:
https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2018/05/liverpool-and-as-roma-divided-by-history-united-in-supporting-sean-***/
BRILLIANT gesture and genuine, heartfelt feeling from Angelo Consoli and the people/ Council of Rome.
It's easy to forget that the Ultra's are just a small minority of Roma's following and the vast majority of Roman's are decent people just supporting their team. For all the natural apprehension prior to the game (this wasn't my first Rome rodeo and what happened to Sean the first leg just heightened what had gone before), I can't speak highly enough of the organisation from the Italian authorities this time around in ensuring our safety. They totally boxed off Rome and the main place they had us meeting for the busses up the ground. The only criticism would be the carnage getting in which took well over an hour outside down to scanners not working and the same checks and searches you'd just had 15 yards before. They still aren't set up to deal with large numbers arriving all at once.
I even think they purposefully lied about where we'd be dropped off the park after the match as a decoy to send the Ultra's one way whilst they bussed us straight back into town to the main railway station the centre. Which was perfect for us as our hotel was just around the corner and we'd organised a small bar/ pizzeria to stay open knowing e probably wouldn't be back until 1/2 AM ..... Leaving there at 7 AM when you've a train to catch a little over 2 hours later probably wasn't the best idea haha. But hey, getting to European Cup finals don't come around every year so you relish and celebrate every one like it's the last. The owner and staff were all Roma fans but they couldn't have been friendlier in the disappointment of their defeat and were sending out free pizzas to go along with the ale and vino being heartily consumed with his place full of merry Scousers. He was even begging to buy one of the boys flags to have on his wall and loved having his picture taken in front of it haha. Which was the theme of the afternoon in Rome. People couldn't have been friendlier when you went in somewhere and they found you were from L'pool.
A TOTALLY different picture from the pre-trip media sensationalist lies of 1,000 Scouse hoolies descending on Rome to rape, pillage and have it with anyone in their path. (Believe we had one arrest in Rome from someone the worse for wear through drink to go along with zero football-related arrests in Europe this year. Which surprises me on Seville, in particular, the abuse we got from their bizzies outside that ground. Way to do some investigative journalism before you put out the scaremongering sensationalism hey? Dickheads.).
You'll doubtless have seen Henderson, in what was one of the highlights of the night for me, take the Sean *** banner from the crowd in the awesomely mad celebrations after the final whistle and have the whole team honouring him with it. Classy, superb move from Jordan. But he's not a 'captain' and 'doesn't get Liverpool' as the (WHOLLY wrong) narrative goes.
A terrible shame what happened at Anfield to Sean underpinned the whole semi-final. But I can attest to there being genuine, heartfelt shame and sadness from the majority in Rome at the continued antics of the minority that shame them all.
Here's praying that Sean makes a jump the next three weeks and can at least watch the final with his family where he belongs. He's in a lot of peoples minds, not least the manager and players who'd openly like nothing better than to win this one for him.
