I understand what you're saying. It must be shite. I'm not taking the piss. I was lucky enough to have been born a 5 minute walk from Anfield. In Shankly's barren years, what a lot of aul arses use to preach patience, going the match was fucking great, probably some of the happiest times of me life. We didn't have all the distractions either. Leisure time... we pretty much played football in the street and went to watch it when we weren't playing. And, believe it or not, it might sound like sentimental twaddle, but, despite the fights we had amongst ourselves, standing on the kop did feel like being a member of a big society.
I have lived outside of Liverpool and been surrounded by Mancs and Man U supporters at times. I know how shite it feels to be at the end of all the piss taking. I also know what John means when he says you're spoilt rotten. I often say it meself to young fellas when they start moaning. It's true. For all our failings in the league, we still have a record most clubs fans will never see in ten life times. But me point is....
We probably won't win a title again until we all stop moaning and get behind the team. Dalglish is facing fearsome odds. The Mancs are entrenched. The mega bucks of City and Chelsea haven't knocked them off the perch just yet. If it wasn't for Arsenal, they'd be titles ahead of us by now. For us to start catching them up, with our resources, we will need every one of us pulling in the same direction, all doing our job. Our's is suporting, not putting pressure on the team. It's been there to see for years now... the team start like a train. If we can't break teams down, the rumblings start in the stands the nerves start to fray on the pitch.
We need to get that old swagger, confidence and self belief back. The teams not that far behind the rest. The mentality needs to change. But if we expect the players to get their heads down, work hard and put it right, well, shouldn't we expect the same of ourselves?
Just a thought like, as I know getting on their backs hasn't worked.
I think you are right FS.
A lot of people hav been battered from all the past events. Getting rid of Rafa, H&G, Internet terrorism, Court cases..........whatever it was, for some there was a tipping point that made some lose heart.
We had Rafa who took us to CL glory days and 2nd in the Prem. We expected that to continue and improve and it didn't.
We got sold by Moores and hoped that would bring investment and improvement and it didn't.
We got taken to the cleaners and saw the club dragged through the courts and the invention of internet terrorism while all the time seeing in the press and from the likes of 'Arry how we were wrong to criticise the owners.
We saw the inception of SOS and fans marching on the streets to save the club.
We got new owners and Hodgson, and fought and called for Kenny - and got him and thought everything was fixed.
When Kenny he immediately gave everyone a huge lift, we started to climb up the table, 'could he get us into the top 4 again?' - well not quite but we started this season with more hope than the last one and many feel that they have been disappointed yet again, and I wonder if a lot of the bitching and moaning is not so much due to impatience (although that is part of it) but fear.
Fear that we will never get the glory days back, fears that Kenny isn't up to the job, that Comolli has too much say, that FSG wont invest heavily enough and that we are becoming a mid table team. Fear that after all the years of fighting and disappointments of the past years any improvement will be minimal and that the win of the odd cup now and again is the best we can do because winning games in the League is too hard for us.
It is hard to get that old swagger back that you mention FS, when many approach upcoming games with trepidation, but that is exactly what we have to do. It's not a question of young or auld arses, OOT or local it's a question of supporting each other (as fans I mean) through the bad times, picking each other up not rubbishing each others ideas, or saying they can't be arsed.
That us why it is good to see efforts being made by that new group that has been set up (can't remember what they have decided to call themselves now!) to try and get a better atmosphere going at Anfield.
I know there were some comments made on that thread, as there have been on this one, saying it's a waste of time, won't happen etc with just a few being willing to make the effort and get involved, but more need to be making the effort.
It may be just a small thing but it is a start, a sign that there are some still willing to do something, work to get the support vocal and doing what they should be doing. It takes people to make the effort though, young or auld arses, OOT or local it doesn't matter.
