THIS one’s for you, Davy K. And thousands like you.
Davy’s an old school pal who solemnly, publicly told me in the Nineties that ‘Liverpool will never win the league again.’
Like a few others of my acquaintance, he has that bitterness of a convert directed at the former faith. It’s never enough to support their new/ current team, they must denigrate the one they once claimed to support.
Unfortunately for him he switched from the Mighty Reds to Spurs.
Liverpool fans have had to take the abuse from their Manchester United counterparts, and from Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City. Even Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City earned their right to mock.
But to be slagged by supporters of a club which will soon clock up six decades without winning the title? Or one which has now gone a quarter of a century without even an FA Cup? And almost as long without even winning at Anfield?
No, to look down on anyone you surely must display at least some evidence of superiority.
Liverpool supporters haven’t actually been starved of success, of course. Indeed, even during the 30-year domestic title drought they were still crowned Champions of Europe twice – as often as Manchester United in that period, and more times than Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur combined. Among many others.
Yet when you’re accustomed to success failure is harder to take.
From 1973 onwards Liverpool won 11 titles in 18 seasons; between 1976 and 1990 that ratio was an astonishing 10 out of 15, two out of every three.
By winning in 1990 they’d even bounced back from the devastation of the 1988-89 season finale, losing 2-0 at home to rivals Arsenal at the very last – although the events of Hillsborough put even that setback into perspective.
However, as the years without winning wore on – the pain compounded by astonishing domestic domination from arch-rivals Manchester United – I began to feel that Davy might just have been right, that he was actually able to see well into the future.
Finishing fourth in a ‘two-horse race’ in 1997 was fairly galling. Worse was to come, runners-up four times in this century.
2009 was pretty bad – there were only two league defeats, and a 4-1 romp to victory at Old Trafford, but still the Red Devils ground out 1-0 win after 1-0 win to complete another title treble. Federico Macheda appeared, won them the title, and then disappeared.
Nor were Manchester United, or Arsenal, the only real rivals. First Chelsea, then Manchester City, benefitted from huge investment to force their way to the top of the table again and again.
Good God, even Leicester won the league.
When the Reds regularly began to finish behind even Spurs, the fear really took hold. Tottenham, lads…
Last year was the toughest of all to take, having lost just once and recorded the third highest points total ever, but still pipped by an amazing Manchester City side.
It got to the stage where one believed it would never happen.
Even after the unprecedented start to this season I was a nervous wreck after the loss to Watford. Honestly.
The day Liverpool stuttered to a 2-1 home win over Bournemouth I met some other old friends for drinks in Belfast.
As I made my way home, the Manchester United fan in the group turned round and said ‘Congratulations on the title.’
I worried about his powers of jinx.
And then the dreadful coronavirus hit hard.
Set to be the earliest ever winners of the League, it appeared that Liverpool might not win it at all, with talk of the season being declared ‘null and void’.
So for the Reds to be going to Manchester City tomorrow night to receive a guard of honour, with the trophy to follow soon, is truly wonderful.
Never mind the supposed dream of winning the title at Goodison, or at the Etihad – just winning it is what counts. Forget the claims from other fans that it must be disappointing not to win it in front of fans.
Bring on all the pathetic jibes about the legitimacy of this title; all they show is just how much this triumph pains other fans after 30 years of hurt around Anfield.
The bitter whines taste better than Champagne.
Liverpool supporters would have taken a league title won on goal difference, count-back, corners, whatever, so to win so comprehensively is beyond the wildest dreams.
Ignore those who bizarrely attempt to silence celebrating Reds; as if fans of any club which had gone 30 years without winning would simply clap their hands politely then head off to bed without a word to anyone.
After the years of ‘bantz’ about ‘Slippy G’, about all that’s happened since 1990, about the mediocre players who have a League medal, about being knocked off the perch, Liverpool supporters will be crowing for a long time.
If you give it out you have to take it.
How long is it since Liverpool won the League? Less than a week, Davy lad.
//////////////////////////////////////////////
First things first: I have no problems with Linfield being named as Irish League champions. I have no dog in this fight as the mighty Swifts somehow didn’t challenge for the title this season.
My problem – shared by many – is at the other end of the table. The worst effect is at the bottom with Institute sent down despite only trailing by three points with seven matches left to play.
The claim that final standings in the Danske Bank Premiership were decided by ‘a mathematical formula’ is utterly laughable and ludicrous.
When that phrase was mentioned I had visions of calculations involving each team’s remaining two opponents before reaching the 33-game mark, followed by an assessment and prognosis of how the top six and the bottom six would then perform against each other, based on the season so far.
There might be weighted points-per-game factoring in home or away and other elements. Results between the top six and the bottom six. Perhaps a look back at how, if at all, placings had altered in previous seasons.
Instead, what did they do? None of this. Basically, they just looked at the table.
Looked at the table and said ‘That’s all, folks.’
Why even talk about PPG when everyone has played the same number of games?
If it wasn’t so unfair it would be hilarious.
