Topic: I came for the football...

[redgriffin73]

Great piece of writing, thanks for posting.

[Garcepticon]

Belief is a fragile and valuable thing, but somehow, after all these years, I’ve still got it. I believe in Brendan Rodgers and I believe in his team. I believe in hard work, respect, honesty, courage and, most of all, community. Some question whether we're getting any of that from the boardroom; I don't know, but I believe we'll get it from this manager and this team, regardless of trophies. And I believe in us. That’s why I’m still here; I came for the football, but I stayed for Liverpool F.C.

Agreed, brilliant piece of writing.

[EstonianRed]

Brilliant piece

[Prof]

That is top quality mate.  Spot on in every aspect.

Can you teach me to write half as well as you please?

[edge]

Brilliant piece, even for an "outsider" like me. Thank you for that!

[somersetred]

Great read, thanks for that E2K

[Caligula_10]

Great read! Thanks

[John C]

That is top quality mate.  Spot on in every aspect.

Can you teach me to write half as well as you please?

You're a cracking writer yourself mate, you make an insightful contribution to rawk, You should do more.

[thew]

What a great read E2K. Thanks

[conman]

Superbly written e2k. Someday in that little 3 bed apartment of yours, you need to sit down and write a book. You can tell a story and convey your thoughts so eloquently.

I'd love to see the goals of the season vid, never knew they were all ours thst season! Funny enough, my story similarily mirrors yours, began supporting the club at the same time.

As an ooto supporter, i must give credit to rawk for broadening the boundaries of the community. if it wasn't for this site, our reliance would be on tv and papers and we all know what they are like.

[God's Left Peg]

Brilliant piece. Your story is like mine but told in a way I would never be able to find the words for. Cheers.

[redintweed]

Great piece that. Really makes you think.

I'll just say that I've had the privilege of going to Anfield a few times and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up from the time I walked through the turnstiles on the way in, to walking back through them on the way out.  Just breathtaking.

I took a Manc supporting friend (I know - a stretch) to the Liverpool game at the MCG in Melbourne during the pre season. He had been to the Manc game in Sydney a few nights before and he couldn't shut up about it. But after the rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone he just said "we don't have anything like that" and never said another word. And that is what it comes down to for me. Liverpool Football Club just has "something".

I never had a choice as a kid who I supported as a lot of my family still live in Liverpool and my Father used to stand on the Kop with his Father. But I'm proud to say I'm a red and nights like Istanbul wouldn't or couldn't, have happened to any other club.

We are definitely unique and the OP sums it up in a great way. With the money in modern game, foreign owners and clubs with sugar daddy owners, we still have a club that even though it is owned by foreigners, just demands loyalty and delivers a feeling that supporting no other club possibly could.

[exiledinyorkshire]

Tremendous writing that son.

I think a lot of us oots will really agree with that. I too came for the football and stayed for the club. Nice to think that there may be some football on its way again soon too.

Really nice piece, well done.

[exiledinyorkshire]

People who are members on here spend a lot of their time on other media slagging this site off.

They should be made to read everything you write, and then they should grow up.

Brilliant.

Seconded.

And you should be getting your writing boots on in here a bit more often and all.

[Gifted Right Foot]

What a brilliant read!  Thanks for posting.

[Vulmea]

33? I've got false teeth older than that......... I thought you were older than that

the idea of questioning whats going on seems real to me - football, modern football, celebrity, plutocracy, the way its more about the board room than the pitch - how fans are treated - the gloss, hype, razzamataz - the middle class morality and hypocrisy  - I've thought of walking away more than once - nowt to do with success or lack of it - but its not the club that keeps me or the principle - its the people - too many shared memories - too much emotion invested - I'm going the game Tuesday - Notts county not exactly the greatest watch imaginable - but I'm going so I can spend time with my boy, time with my dad, - we can share that intangible sense of belonging, common purpose whatever it is that bonds people together and made the game the thing big business decided to exploit, I'm going so I can watch and talk footie with people I love and who's opinions I care about, so I can sing me lungs out and feel the power of people who together could move mountains, so I can live through those lucky buggers on the pitch and share the joy and despair of thousands

or maybe  I'm just a contrary bastard who wont let the money greedy bastards have it all their own way

 a superb bit or writing - thoughtful, evocative, well structured , the lad could write about paint drying and make it intersting

[Yorkykopite]

Lovely piece of writing again E2K. Rawk at its best.

I've never been close to walking away from footy, much as I abhor certain developments to do with the hyper-commercialisation of the game and its constant flirtation with celebrity. The game is too exciting to walk away from. It's great to play and it's great to watch. And most people who play and watch it do so for the sheer love of the sport, so I feel a strong community of interest with those people.

I'd say this too. Almost all of the football clubs that existed when I first became interested in football still exist. Some clubs that I thought were ancient myths - Accrington Stanley FC - have even been restored to competitive life. Capitalism hasn't managed to kill them which it ought to have done by now. The rules of the game are also broadly what they were back in the late 1960s (indeed what rule changes there have been have much improved the sport). Again, commercial interests, if they were able, would have loved to have widened the goals, reduced the number of players on the pitch, eliminated the draw, and turned the halves into quarters or even eighths. It seems a miracle to me that none of this has happened - and a sign that football still possesses a core integrity.

[Harinder]

Amazing stuff. E2K here, Degs in the round table














The Jizz in STFU 

[Bobinhood]

Well in. Post of the Year award being dusted off as we speak. 

[CHOPPER]

We come not to play


*this post was brought to you by a right fuckin c*nt and by the number 5 and 18*

[Jezzman]

Brilliant read. Wish there was just one or two journalists out there who could put pen to paper like that. Perhaps then I would start buying a newspaper once in a while again. Should be a full page article in The Times that.