Liverpool FC Forum

[redbeergoggles]

Can't believe I missed this thread. It's an excellent post redbeergoggles and I know what you must be going through mate. I'm sure you'll be back at some point in the future.

I've seriously had to consider my own situation down the years but however hard I try and whatever excuses I try to come up with, I'd just never forgive myself if I decided to stop going. Even in these financial times it's like a drug to me, despite the fact that it costs me an absolute small fortune just to travel to home games these days. Away games are a treat for me over the past couple of seasons, and even two of those will be gone next season if Newcastle and Boro go down.

This season has only reinvigorated all LFC supporters win the title or not. Doubles over United and Chelsea, the 4-4 at the Bridge, the 4-4 against Arsenal, that magnificent night against Madrid, and of course the Hillsbrough anniversary.

I suppose I'm fortunate that I'm still so young and with the exception of my job, I have few responsibilities at the moment. I look forward to many more magnificent emotions and nights in the future.

YNWA

I cant explain fully Mick why ,it took the Arsenal match to prove the catalyst for my decision ,I guess it could have been any match
I can remember getting in my car and just sitting there holding the wheel and my grip was getting tighter and tighter so much anger .
Since my first game in 77 against Spurs , Liverpool this team I would quite willingly shed blood for ,had now taken all the emotions I could give ,and left me a shell .
I am still at odds with my decision ,it certainly won't be the same being an armchair, and I can not for the life of me give a valid reason why it took 32 yrs ,I think its like button that gets pushed when the time is right fella ,my time must be now ....

[stmichael]

Can't believe I missed this thread. It's an excellent post redbeergoggles and I know what you must be going through mate. I'm sure you'll be back at some point in the future.

I've seriously had to consider my own situation down the years but however hard I try and whatever excuses I try to come up with, I'd just never forgive myself if I decided to stop going. Even in these financial times it's like a drug to me, despite the fact that it costs me an absolute small fortune just to travel to home games these days. Away games are a treat for me over the past couple of seasons, and even two of those will be gone next season if Newcastle and Boro go down.

This season has only reinvigorated all LFC supporters win the title or not. Doubles over United and Chelsea, the 4-4 at the Bridge, the 4-4 against Arsenal, that magnificent night against Madrid, and of course the Hillsbrough anniversary.

I suppose I'm fortunate that I'm still so young and with the exception of my job, I have few responsibilities at the moment. I look forward to many more magnificent emotions and nights in the future.

YNWA

I cant explain fully Mick why ,it took the Arsenal match to prove the catalyst for my decision ,I guess it could have been any match
I can remember getting in my car and just sitting there holding the wheel and my grip was getting tighter and tighter so much anger .
Since my first game in 77 against Spurs , Liverpool this team I would quite willingly shed blood for ,had now taken all the emotions I could give ,and left me a shell .
I am still at odds with my decision ,it certainly won't be the same being an armchair, and I can not for the life of me give a valid reason why it took 32 yrs ,I think its like button that gets pushed when the time is right fella ,my time must be now ....

We are spoilt and have been for years mate. Think of the clubs who have fans who go week in week and the desire they have to get into the 3rd round of the FA Cup, and the best they can HOPE for is a lucrative tie against any Premiership club, never mind us or United.

And you can stick this 'Liverpool is all about winning trophies', every club is about winning trophies, just that we have been spoilt compared to the likes of Rochdale and Morecambe.

And if you also compare us to our local rivals we haven't done too bad in the 15 years since their last trophy have we?

People wanted a challenge, they got one, seems some want to move the goalposts again, and again, and again.

[redbeergoggles]

Them fans fella have my unreserved respect ,they are hardcore ,but lets be honest when the highlight of your week is the Local news telling you  someone kicked over a wheely bin wouldnt you support Morcambe ,

[NANNY RED]

Can't believe I missed this thread. It's an excellent post redbeergoggles and I know what you must be going through mate. I'm sure you'll be back at some point in the future.

I've seriously had to consider my own situation down the years but however hard I try and whatever excuses I try to come up with, I'd just never forgive myself if I decided to stop going. Even in these financial times it's like a drug to me, despite the fact that it costs me an absolute small fortune just to travel to home games these days. Away games are a treat for me over the past couple of seasons, and even two of those will be gone next season if Newcastle and Boro go down.

This season has only reinvigorated all LFC supporters win the title or not. Doubles over United and Chelsea, the 4-4 at the Bridge, the 4-4 against Arsenal, that magnificent night against Madrid, and of course the Hillsbrough anniversary.

I suppose I'm fortunate that I'm still so young and with the exception of my job, I have few responsibilities at the moment. I look forward to many more magnificent emotions and nights in the future.

YNWA

I cant explain fully Mick why ,it took the Arsenal match to prove the catalyst for my decision ,I guess it could have been any match
I can remember getting in my car and just sitting there holding the wheel and my grip was getting tighter and tighter so much anger .
Since my first game in 77 against Spurs , Liverpool this team I would quite willingly shed blood for ,had now taken all the emotions I could give ,and left me a shell .
I am still at odds with my decision ,it certainly won't be the same being an armchair, and I can not for the life of me give a valid reason why it took 32 yrs ,I think its like button that gets pushed when the time is right fella ,my time must be now ....

We are spoilt and have been for years mate. Think of the clubs who have fans who go week in week and the desire they have to get into the 3rd round of the FA Cup, and the best they can HOPE for is a lucrative tie against any Premiership club, never mind us or United.

And you can stick this 'Liverpool is all about winning trophies', every club is about winning trophies, just that we have been spoilt compared to the likes of Rochdale and Morecambe.

And if you also compare us to our local rivals we haven't done too bad in the 15 years since their last trophy have we?

People wanted a challenge, they got one, seems some want to move the goalposts again, and again, and again.

Thats a good post that is , an it makes sense though when you think about it why so many of these clubs  fans from other divisions are the fans who go an support England, When you look at the majority of The English national teams supporters its mostly from the lower divisions or the clubs who are not competing for honours year in year out.I suppose it gives them some sort of pride well not pride really ,but it gives them a chance to go an somehow support a bigger team on a bigger stange if you know what i mean.

Ive got a local team near me Welling Utd an its a lovely club but its in what you would call Millwall an Charlton territory, But i know first hand that quite a few of them go an follow England all over the place, For a  change the supporting a bigger team

[Dalglish]

I hear a lot of myself in Redbeergoggles's thread but the timeline is slightly different. I started watching the Reds in the 80's but have had 2 "breaks" but for totally different reasons.

The first was due to my experience at Hillsborough and my subsequent 6 year self imposed exile. Looking back it was a combination of fear of crowds and an indifference to football when lets be honest here..... it wasn't hard to stay away during Souness's reign !    Simply put I was terrified of being caught up in a crush again and stayed away for safety reasons. I know ground safety improved and others may argue it wasn't a rational decision but there you go, it was my decision .........

I rekindled my match going involvement in 95 when almost by chance we applied for Season tickets and were accepted almost straight away ( No 15 year waiting list then my friends ! ):D

The second break I took was the season after Athens and largely due to my treatment (along with 1000's of others I might add) over ticket allocation for the European Cup Final. It wasn't simply that UEFA gave us very few tickets but the way the club set about allocating those tickets without thought or logic.

But more importnatly for me it was probably the first time I accepted that perhaps I'd let the whole LFC thing get to me beyond reasonable or justified cause. I didn't sleep for a fortnight wondering whether I'd get a ticket and at one point was contacted by the club only for my Wife to say I was at work and did they want my mobile number which prompted the ticket office to put the phone down and deny all knowledge of having rang me ! I was understandbaly mad as hell but after calming down realised it was becoming just too important so I sold my flight to Athens and took the decision to take the following season off.

With the birth of my daughter imminent in the October of that new season and the financial consideration, it proved to be the right decision and I can honestly say the only time I "regretted" it was when Torres got his very first goal for LFC against Chelsea in September of last season. I did however get my "fix" at about 6 or 7 away fixtures as we had accrued enough aways from the previous season to do that and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed going away watching the Reds and probably more than I did watching them at home. Maybe it's the fact your in the minority as fans or the unfamiliar surroundings but I've always loved away games.

The prodigal (thats me !) returned at the beginning of this season and what a season it has been. Doubles over Chelsea and United, the humbling of Madrid, that 4-4 against Arsenal and the Chelsea 4-4, take your pick There's been a fair few lows as well (Stoke Home and Away and my persoanal agony of a game , Spurs away when we battered them for an hour only to concede 2 soft goals late on)

I don't think anyone really has the right to tell you whether you have made the right decision or not mate, just respect that it's been a difficult one after such a long association. If the reasons are sound and balanced you'll be fine , if their knee jerk you'll be like a bear with a sore head ! I suspect their not and I'm not under estimating what a difficult decision it is to make but I suspect you'll be back ................... It's a LOVE thing !

[Reg]

Good post mate and theres a strong common theme running thru a lot of the responses.

[redbeergoggles]

I hear a lot of myself in Redbeergoggles's thread but the timeline is slightly different. I started watching the Reds in the 80's but have had 2 "breaks" but for totally different reasons.

The first was due to my experience at Hillsborough and my subsequent 6 year self imposed exile. Looking back it was a combination of fear of crowds and an indifference to football when lets be honest here..... it wasn't hard to stay away during Souness's reign !    Simply put I was terrified of being caught up in a crush again and stayed away for safety reasons. I know ground safety improved and others may argue it wasn't a rational decision but there you go, it was my decision .........

I rekindled my match going involvement in 95 when almost by chance we applied for Season tickets and were accepted almost straight away ( No 15 year waiting list then my friends ! ):D

The second break I took was the season after Athens and largely due to my treatment (along with 1000's of others I might add) over ticket allocation for the European Cup Final. It wasn't simply that UEFA gave us very few tickets but the way the club set about allocating those tickets without thought or logic.

But more importnatly for me it was probably the first time I accepted that perhaps I'd let the whole LFC thing get to me beyond reasonable or justified cause. I didn't sleep for a fortnight wondering whether I'd get a ticket and at one point was contacted by the club only for my Wife to say I was at work and did they want my mobile number which prompted the ticket office to put the phone down and deny all knowledge of having rang me ! I was understandbaly mad as hell but after calming down realised it was becoming just too important so I sold my flight to Athens and took the decision to take the following season off.

With the birth of my daughter imminent in the October of that new season and the financial consideration, it proved to be the right decision and I can honestly say the only time I "regretted" it was when Torres got his very first goal for LFC against Chelsea in September of last season. I did however get my "fix" at about 6 or 7 away fixtures as we had accrued enough aways from the previous season to do that and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed going away watching the Reds and probably more than I did watching them at home. Maybe it's the fact your in the minority as fans or the unfamiliar surroundings but I've always loved away games.

The prodigal (thats me !) returned at the beginning of this season and what a season it has been. Doubles over Chelsea and United, the humbling of Madrid, that 4-4 against Arsenal and the Chelsea 4-4, take your pick There's been a fair few lows as well (Stoke Home and Away and my persoanal agony of a game , Spurs away when we battered them for an hour only to concede 2 soft goals late on)

I don't think anyone really has the right to tell you whether you have made the right decision or not mate, just respect that it's been a difficult one after such a long association. If the reasons are sound and balanced you'll be fine , if their knee jerk you'll be like a bear with a sore head ! I suspect their not and I'm not under estimating what a difficult decision it is to make but I suspect you'll be back ................... It's a LOVE thing !

Excellent post mate ,I particularly like the bit about Souness's reign ,I personally found that one a hardship and a season I was forced to endure purely for my devotion to Liverpool Football Club .
I still wake up in a cold sweat thinking we still have Torben Piechnik in our defence ..

On a more serious note though Hillsborough killed my Dads appetite for the game ,I used to think he was the most ardent supporter I was ever likely to meet ,but after that fateful day it was like someone had switched the light off .
I know deep down its going to take a concerted effort to stay away from the place I used to love  more than all others .....

[Dalglish]

Thanks for your kind words Redbeergoggles..............

As a club we lost 96 fans at Hillsborough but countless more faded away and after the horrors of that day can you honestly criticise them 

April 15th 1989 defined a generation of football fans and although many found a way back, others simply couldn't.

The onset of ther Premiership in the early 90's created a new breed of fan obsessed with consumerism and the misguided idea that football had becoeme a  "product" to sell to the highest bidder and for fans who had followed their team when football wasn't vogue or trendy it took some adjusting to..........

Personally I like to think I never made that adjustment and refused to fall into the corporate trap. I don't buy the shirt season in , season out, I have never taken advantage of corporate tickets, don't go in the LFC Superstore to stuff some overpriced merchandise in a plastic bag and I wouldn't dream of taking a  camera to the match !

No, I'm old school and proud to be such................ We have a Flag we designed ourselves cos it's part of our clubs heritage and tradition but in our section of the KOP I've found a sanctuary of like minded fans who go to the game for just that .............the game. You'd like it mate 

Walk on...............

[stmichael]

Excellent post mate ,I particularly like the bit about Souness's reign ,I personally found that one a hardship and a season I was forced to endure purely for my devotion to Liverpool Football Club .
I still wake up in a cold sweat thinking we still have Torben Piechnik in our defence ..

Funnily enough, the first time I started going regularly was Souness' first full season in charge. The sight of Mark Walters, Paul Stewart and the likes should have been enough to put anybody off football for life. Fortunately, we managed to win the FA Cup that season. You have to say that the mid nineties was saved by the emergence of the likes of Rob Jones, Robbie Fowler, Steve Mcmanaman and the signing of Jamie Redknapp.

Good post as well by the way Ian.

[taff]

I was at Anfield on Tuesday night for the Arsenal game, and I ran through the full gauntlet of emotions ,the game was memorable for the average armchair viewer ,but to me it sucked me dry ,  in one moment I would be overwhelmed by unbounded elation ,the next mentally exhausted by the return to reality .
I experienced to many highs and lows that night,  and it had a profound effect on my personality ,I walked away from that game drained and inconsolable ,and the effect my demeanor had on the people I love was profound ,but on this occasion my depression was apparent to me as well as my family and friends.
Football is just a game ,but its ran my life for so long now its hard to shake off ,but for the longevity of my relationships, I have decided with heavy heart to distance myself from attending Anfield in the future .
This decision was not made easily ,I have watched the Redmen since 77 ,so it was made with much deliberation, but the stability and happiness of my family has to take priority .
It is why I came to the conclusion no more travelling with the lads for a while ,but while my family have been informed of this decision ,I can't bring myself to tell the boys, such bravery eh !

So I  have a very good reason to be disgusted in myself today, because yesterday I turned down the opportunity to travel with the lads up to the KC Stadium .
I know it may not sound like a big deal to some ,but to me it clearly shows I lack the courage to tell the lads , and my subsequent  inability to tell the truth ,has led me to this eventual conclusion ,they simply would fail to see the importance of my revelation at this present time ,so I will lie until the truth dawns on them ,I know this may seem underhanded to some ,but it is my only course of action ,they will simply not be able to fathom the truth, such is their dependancy right now . 
Its not just my withdrawal from going to the matches ,its my rejection of my second family ,and the institution that travelling to games home and away instills in the bonds we have made .
These last few days have been pivotal ,and no less profound for  my respective future,and I seriously dont know if the allure of Anfield will entice me back ,but for now I am sticking to my guns and giving it a wide berth .
I would be interested to know other posters who have made the same decision, for more or less the same reasons .

I had a season ticket in the 90's and I found that when your in the middle of the storm it consumes you, the hope, the despair the working out what results you need and this was during the Souness reign

If I was a regular match goer now I would be on an emotional rollercoaster, more so than watching telly and the rare visit to Anfield. Life throws up things that are more important but the buzz never leaves you.

When Wales played Ireland in rugby and the Irish lot were singing Fields of Athen Rye I joined in but sang fields of Anfield Road with them.  If we win the league this year it will be bigger than Istanbul and if you have the chance to be there then take it, although Im sure there will be more opportunities over the next few years

[NANNY RED]

Talking about Souness though i adored him as a player. Best captain weve ever had imo. But when he was the manager i felt like a traitor, it was horrible to watch him slowly destoy the way we played football. I couldnt clap him when he came on the pitch to take his seat in the dug out . even when he took us to Wembley i couldnt remain loyal to him, ive never done that with any of our managers not even Ged when we were playing some dire football. But Souness actualy made me for the first time an only time since, feel i was questioning my loyaly.

[Reg]

The onset of ther Premiership in the early 90's created a new breed of fan obsessed with consumerism and the misguided idea that football had becoeme a  "product" to sell to the highest bidder and for fans who had followed their team when football wasn't vogue or trendy it took some adjusting to..........

Personally I like to think I never made that adjustment and refused to fall into the corporate trap. I don't buy the shirt season in , season out, I have never taken advantage of corporate tickets, don't go in the LFC Superstore to stuff some overpriced merchandise in a plastic bag and I wouldn't dream of taking a  camera to the match !

No, I'm old school and proud to be such................ We have a Flag we designed ourselves cos it's part of our clubs heritage and tradition but in our section of the KOP I've found a sanctuary of like minded fans who go to the game for just that .............the game. You'd like it mate 

Walk on...............

This would make a whole new and excellent thread by itself.

Lets save it for the closed season because I certainly have my thoughts on it.

[7_Kewell]

Talking about Souness though i adored him as a player. Best captain weve ever had imo. But when he was the manager i felt like a traitor, it was horrible to watch him slowly destoy the way we played football. I couldnt clap him when he came on the pitch to take his seat in the dug out . even when he took us to Wembley i couldnt remain loyal to him, ive never done that with any of our managers not even Ged when we were playing some dire football. But Souness actualy made me for the first time an only time since, feel i was questioning my loyaly.

i started going to my first games when Souness was in charge, and the difference in atmosphere when he went was surprising to say the least.  I actually cheered when he got the boot 

[Reg]

I only consider Souness the player, Souness the manager doesnt exist in my mind. Best way to be.

[redbeergoggles]

Thanks for your kind words Redbeergoggles..............

As a club we lost 96 fans at Hillsborough but countless more faded away and after the horrors of that day can you honestly criticise them 

April 15th 1989 defined a generation of football fans and although many found a way back, others simply couldn't.

The onset of ther Premiership in the early 90's created a new breed of fan obsessed with consumerism and the misguided idea that football had becoeme a  "product" to sell to the highest bidder and for fans who had followed their team when football wasn't vogue or trendy it took some adjusting to..........

Personally I like to think I never made that adjustment and refused to fall into the corporate trap. I don't buy the shirt season in , season out, I have never taken advantage of corporate tickets, don't go in the LFC Superstore to stuff some overpriced merchandise in a plastic bag and I wouldn't dream of taking a  camera to the match !

No, I'm old school and proud to be such................ We have a Flag we designed ourselves cos it's part of our clubs heritage and tradition but in our section of the KOP I've found a sanctuary of like minded fans who go to the game for just that .............the game. You'd like it mate 

Walk on...............

Another great  post mate..........
After Hillsborough my Dad couldnt handle being in the house on his own ,the silence unsettled him to the point of seriously unnerving him,it was only years later he told me .
I think Hillsborough took a large piece of my Dads soul ,gone were the traits of a happy drunk ,and in its place was anger and confusion ,sometimes he would just stare into space with his fists clenched,my mother would have to hold his wrists until the episode subsided ,we would be ushered out of the room bemused by what had just unfolded .
It was only a good few years after, that my Dad started to finally open up .
One of the most profound effects ,I can recollect is ,
I remember the pubs on Park Rd were as a rule usually empty on match days ,but a few years after Hillsborough they were jammed to the rafters ,with people like my Dad who could no longer go the match ,men who never usually missed a game home or away the real diehards .
I dont think my Dad could ever go to a live match again ,I suspect he neither would have the inclination to attend,and I dont think I will ever fully learn of the horror he witnessed that day ,but if I ever need a reminder ,I need look no further ,its etched into my Dads face everytime his mind wanders and he finds himself staring into space ...