The Long And Winding Road

Thirty Years of Domestic Disappointment

Since I can remember, my mind has solely focused on just one thing. That one thing that is head and shoulders above the rest. I found that in Liverpool Football Club. Thanks to my father, a lifelong red (and scouser through and through), the tribal nature of supporting the reds has not only been with me, but has seemingly been encoded into my very DNA; each day is filled with news and rumours surrounding my team. I’ve heard the stories of Rush, Dalglish, Fowler and the myriad other greats in the rich tapestry that is the back catalogue of Liverpool players. Being just sixteen years of age myself, the greatest players have seemed to evade me, with few exceptions; Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, and of course, Lucas Leiva propelled themselves to stardom during my earliest years.

Having missed the reds’ ‘glory days’ if you will, nothing seemed abnormal to me when, come May, I saw Liverpool below the top four of the English Premier League. No feeling of disorder or panic when Fergie well and truly ‘knocked us off our perch’. My outlook, my very attitude towards footie changed under Liverpool’s infamous manager, Mr Roy Hodgson. Up until the year 2010, when I was just 7 years of age (still fairly oblivious, of course) Liverpool’s performances passed me by, all I cared about was if Fernando Torres were to grace the pitch and, as usual, send shivers down my spine. However, standing on The Kop with my old man in October of 2010, I saw my team-essentially- surrender to Ian Holloway’s mediocre Blackpool side. A 2-1 loss. At home. As it stood, on October 3 2010, Liverpool were to be relegated, 18th position in the table, unacceptable for the once all-conquering, kings of England (and the rest!) Well and truly into the thirty years of despair-in the league-for Liverpool.

The role of music in my life, along with my family members’ is substantial: in the car, at meal-times, when doing household chores, music is the constant that I, for one, believe is so important. Having the best day ever? Music. Having the day from Hell? Music. Following this rather aimless comment on my long-term relationship with music, I have formed a plethora of similes between songs and real-life events. The one which has remained with me is simple, yet holds an abundance of truth and meaning. Plain and simply, Liverpool’s relentless quest of hunting down, grasping and (finally) parading the illustrious Premier League trophy can be likened to an often-forgotten gem of a song by The Fab Four, The Beatles: The Long And Winding Road: Liverpool’s attempted conquest for domestic glory.

The past year saw Liverpool narrowly miss out on what looked to be a certain league title, falling short to a truly remarkable, relentless machine, in Manchester City. Ninety-seven points. Losing just once all season in the league. The feeling of heartbreak, the panic and worry of if we’d be up there next year, in hindsight I really should’ve trusted our lads more. At present moment-in February- the reds sit in first place, 19 points clear of the next best thing to us, ahead of what is now a tough fixture against a valiant, never say die Southampton side. Just eight games. Eight wins from here sees the reds undoubtedly crowned, once more, Kings of England. Eight games that could end thirty years of domestic disappointment.

The Ballad Of Me And My Brain

Whilst completely and utterly sport-obsessed, like so many my age, life for me at school-unfortunately- cannot totally revolve around sport and my heroes. Real life exams, lessons, revision, pressures of being a teenager mount up and affect so many young people today. Following Liverpool, relentlessly watching my favourite mixed-martial-artists, provide the ultimate escape from school life. The perfect escapes from the pressures of becoming a young man. The beauty of sport is that it provides a multitude of platforms to express ones’ self. For example, playing sports, watching sports and talking/writing about them are three small examples of my main hobbies. Each provide a way to evade everyday life and appearance-based pressures. Being a teenager, acne is one of the challenges to my self esteem that seemingly plagues me. Although so common amongst “yoofs” like myself, it is still far too stigmatised, causing insecurities amongst many. This is something I have not suffered with for years, but feeling it now is simply unpleasant. That truly is the beauty of the sporting world, it is-amongst the external realities- a world of immense possibilities, somewhere to roam free and enjoy the culture.

Just a few of my current thoughts. Whilst almost sounding cliche, both Liverpool’s title charge as well as life, are true examples of The Long And Winding Road.