Whether in Anfield, Shanghai or Sydney, Liverpool are always front and centre of my mind. Always have been, always will be…
I KNOW WHAT you want here.
You want burning insight about the West Ham game. An argument you hadn’t considered before. An ‘actually, this idiot’s making a good point,’ and about 500 words give or take about the Reds getting back in the game.
Tough.
I didn’t see the game. I still haven’t seen it. Thanks to China Eastern airline it’s been impossible to do either as their in-plane WiFi facility is more of an idea than a recognisable product.
The Reds kicked off just as I boarded a plane from Shanghai to Sydney. I write these words somewhere over Indonesia and Papúa New Guinea. Not sure which.
And this is going to be a theme over the next six weeks. I’ll see all the games while I’m in Sydney but the rainforests of Queensland might require a bit of imagination.
That said, you can’t escape the Reds, or at least the city, anywhere. Even in Shanghai (hard recommend) the Customs House building is built in the style of the Liver building. A nod to our own waterfront thanks to the cities being mates when working ports were a thing.
I’ve known about that building since the age of 11 but never thought I’d see it. I did so today. Actually, that might be yesterday now. Again, not sure.
Missing games is a killer. I missed Stan Collymore’s 1995 debut goal against Sheffield Wednesday because the people of Crete didn’t share my enthusiasm to witness it. The 1996 semi-final against Villa was lost between Barcelona and Gatwick. Ben Woodburn’s goal against Leeds? The Pixies at Brixton Academy.
I nearly missed the Luton game a couple of years ago as I had to attend a work screening of Mamma Mia but I was cunning on this occasion. While the audience winced at Pierce Brosnan’s fearful caterwauling, I had earphones and Radio 5 on the go. I think I celebrated our equaliser just as the main woman got her man which made for a nice synchronicity.
Good job I didn’t go into a full blown knee slide into the corner though.
I know we won 2-0 yesterday/whenever. I know Isak scored and Gomez played. Both huge positives for me.
I hope it puts paid to all this nonsense about binning a league championship winning manager. I can’t stand all that stuff.
I don’t like missing games. There was an episode of Brookside once where a match-going Red had to be somewhere else on Saturday.
‘Who is it this week? Southampton? I can miss that.’
‘I can miss that’?!?
I booed him every time he came on the screen after that. I was made up when his wife left him.
He missed Markus Babbel’s winner, the big wool.
But I’m no different now. Not till mid January anyway.
Liverpool won and that’s the main thing.
I wonder what it was like.
