In My Life

All These Places Had Their Moments.

Frankly, the iconic track by The Fab Four (that’s The Beatles to anyone who’s yet to be enlightened) sums up the greatest relationship of them all. Every football fan will tell you that part of their match day routine involves music. To me, music and footy are inseparable. All these places that Lennon speaks of in this track accompany memories of football matches; of journeys to the match.Each footballing memory can be paired with a song. Even the dullest of matches. The example I find myself recalling occurred at the beginning of the 18/19 Premier League season. My old man and I found ourselves banished to the heights of the re-developed Main Stand at Anfield. Wow, those seats were high. Half of the fairly dry match was spent with us fascinated (and slightly scared) at the fact we could nearly see Edge Lane. A fact rather unnecessary, here. The point I’m trying so desperately to make is that the match was rather drab. Just a necessary three points coming from a one-nil win. Salah getting the goal, I believe. This match was nothing to write home about, yet I remember it even now. The reason for this is the song that was submerged in my adolescent brain for the entirety of that day. Hometown one, by Courteeners. An excellent song-for anybody unfortunate enough not to have heard it-trapped with my memory of an otherwise ordinary game of footy.

Aside from my rather minor example of accompanying music with a day at the match, there are a myriad of other cases for much more extravagant days. The image that heads this very section of writing is taken from the Champions League final in Kiev, Ukraine. The 17/18 campaign saw the once-mighty champions of Europe (in Liverpool) re-kindle their fiery relationship with ‘Old Big Ears’. True underdogs of the competition found themselves slaying sides one-by-one in the competition. What a run of games that was, eh? The final would see the valiant side come unstuck when faced by the all-conquering, great Real Madrid side. Admittedly, the reds would have stood a far greater chance at winning should the opposing captain not purposely remove Mo Salah from the game. A three-one loss. Mocking coming from all directions: Manchester, London, and especially our neighbours located in Merseyside. Everyone who wasn’t at the final assumed that it was one of the worst days to be had. Of course, the match may have put a dampener on things, but it is said by so many reds that “nothing tops Kiev”. I’m not one of those lucky enough to say that I was there (though I desperately wished I was at the time) but it is said that Shevchenko Park was one of the greatest sections of Liverpool fans ever. The reason I feel this was so pertinent to the making of a great trip is simple. Music. People remember this, now, because of the live music. The sun shone. In the heading image Jamie Webster can be seen in the distance. A man so valuable to the fan-base of Liverpool Football Club. I feel this way as he is relatable to so many. An ordinary fella, coming from an ordinary job, living the dream. The one thing I hope to amount to is following the reds, in any way I can. It’s always been a hope of mine to get to the match more. Jamie Webster gets it. He’s a fan. He understands how important music is to all those faithful followers. The day at Shevchenko Park looks incredible, to me. Seeing it all over social media caused me great envy. But I could tell that the music was so important in the remembering of that day.

The 18/19 Champions League campaign saw us, again, challenging for Europe’s most prestigious trophy (much to the disappointment of the Mancs and Evertonians). I began to see banners of such great quality quoting John Lennon: “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.” how true to footy is that? What is a side if they never challenge for trophies? A pursuit of possessions, that’s what it’s about to so many. Yet again, Jamie Webster took to the stage, this time in Madrid when the reds reached the final after seeing off an impossible task in coming back from a three-nil first leg loss to Barcelona. This time was different, the fans enjoyed the songs, the atmosphere and then went on to enjoy an enthralling encounter with Tottenham- seeing us run out two-nil winners. What a night. It was immediately after the final that I began to see a song, yet again by The Beatles, attached to our win. In My Life, a classic. What a song to associate a cup win with. Music really is stuck to footy, isn’t it?

Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not.

I find that amongst some people there is a misconception that adolescents, like myself, experience few worries or challenges when talking of mental health. This, of course, couldn’t be more wrong. I’m not trying to say it’s ignored, nor am I saying that this is anything to do with myself. The Arctic Monkeys album title: “Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not” is more than applicable when speaking of this matter, certain people get great satisfaction from labelling teenagers. Whilst I admit there are many people who let us down, there are also those who struggle, who feel they are moments away from certain implosion through a lack of ventilation. There is no real aim to writing this, of course, apart from my attempt at relieving stress that I can only assume is coming from exam pressure. This unnecessary paragraph makes me feel better, somehow. There is one link I am attempting to make, though. The common factor throughout life, embedded in both footy and mental health, is music. It’s constant. A way of remembering your greatest day following your team, or relieving stress. We all need music, don’t we?