Liverpool FC Forum

by **metalhead** » Sat May 14, 2011 1:42 pm

Sir drunk is very afraid :;):

by **Reg** » Sat May 14, 2011 2:00 pm

He doesn't have the energy to fight a 2 year campaign against us, he's knows its over. Finished.

by **Kenny Kan** » Sat May 14, 2011 3:36 pm

THERE’S no other month as pivotal to the history of Liverpool Football Club as the month of May.

May is the canvas upon which the tapestry of the club’s story is woven; the month in which the most introspective reflection of seasons, decades and eras take place.

Liverpool’s greatest triumphs and most harrowing defeats have come in May. It is the month that defines success and forms anecdotes, and the month which brought five European Cups and seven FA Cups, Molineux 1973, Stamford Bridge 1986 and Dortmund 2001.

It also brought Michael Thomas, Eric Cantona and Pippo Inzaghi; and with that, an insurmountable sense of pride, regret, humility.

The cliché surrounding Liverpool after Istanbul entails one night in May. In reality, there are 31 days and nights, and the club has provided enough drama to fill them all.

It’s strange, then, that such a defining moment of the past two decades should come in the April of 1999. It was a night for the strange anyway.

It was strange to see Leicester City’s Ian Marshall smash the winner past David James in the 90th minute, with the disenchantment of the Kop only equalled by its silence.

It was strange to see Leicester City, bereft of several players including Heskey and Claridge, consign Liverpool to 10th place and their 13th defeat of the season; it was strange that Liverpool had lost 1-0 at home for the second time in three days.

Booing should never be expected from Anfield, but given how loud the voices of discontent were on the Saturday previous, an even louder repeat was anticipated. Strangely, it never came.

People’s attentions had already turned over 700 miles south to Italy, where Manchester United were facing Juventus in a European Cup semi final. Whispers they had reached the final in Barcelona were slowly being confirmed. A second European Cup was a distinct possibility, so too the treble.

As the Kop rapidly emptied into the chilly spring night, thoughts were not of the ineptitude witnessed in the previous 90 minutes.

Instead, the quiet, sombre shuffle down Walton Breck was occasionally broken with a curse towards United or a tactical analysis of Bayern Munich, United’s opponents in the final.

The flags at flagpole corner were at half mast and the Liverbirds’ heads were bowed. We’d become everything we used to mock. Our defeat to Leicester hurt, but nowhere near as much as United’s success did.

It seemed from that night onwards, some supporters constantly looked over their shoulders, consumed by the possibility United could take over Liverpool’s proud haul of trophies.

Beads of sweat aggregated upon foreheads with each title they added; exhales of air became stronger with each missed opportunity. It becomes much more difficult to move forward when continuously looking backwards.

Local rivalry will always intensify emotions. Victories for Everton and United will always grate more, while defeats will always bring finer celebrations. Matches between the pair bring wishes of 22 red cards and both managers to spontaneously combust on the touchline.

But the rivalry should never mask supporters’ love for Liverpool. For some, it did.

Istanbul was not Liverpool’s fifth European Cup, but a trophy to pull even further away from United. The title push of 2008/2009 was a way of stopping United’s 18th championship as opposed to bringing Liverpool’s 19th.

For too long, May has been a month of mourning, regardless of Liverpool Football Club’s performance throughout the season. Only 2001, 2005 and 2006 bucked that trend.

Walking through Bishops Park on the way to Craven Cottage on Monday evening, this May felt different.

It matters not what trophies United have won or will win, nor whether Liverpool finish 5th or 6th. As the sun gently massaged necks and calves along the River Thames – a pathetic fallacy for the 90 minutes ahead – Liverpool supporters were smiling.

It’s hard to tell whether they were smiles for disbelief, optimism, intuition, or an amalgamation of the three.

Disbelief that Kenny Dalglish had harmonised the club from the fragmented pieces left by Hicks and Gillett; disbelief Dalglish had lead the club to 30 points out of a possible 42, from 12th to potentially 5th, from despair to delight – all within four months.

Optimism over the future, and the fact these remarkable results have been achieved without several key players including Gerrard, Agger and Kelly. Optimism that Kuyt, Lucas and Maxi have thrived even further since January; optimism that Luis Suarez is a Liverpool player.

Intuition that these feelings were not short-term; that the King would take his rightful throne deservedly, fittingly and most important of all, permanently.

The smiles became broader within 36 seconds of kick off; the aforementioned emotions moulded into one of relentless delirium. Every pass, tackle, shot or Suarez moment was met with vociferous appreciation.

From Lucas to Kuyt, from Flanagan to Suarez, the songbook was worked through, added to and worked through once more – a brimming catalogue which even Michael Jackson would have tipped his ivory white hat to.

The master of the Moonwalk would have also approved of the movement of Liverpool, particularly the front three. Maxi, Kuyt and Suarez interchanged at will, leaving Carlos Salcido, Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes in a daze. Lucas, Meireles, Spearing and Shelvey enjoyed the space ahead, hitting moving targets at will with their pinpoint passing, like eagle-eyed clay-pigeon shooters demolishing their finest crockery.

It’s telling that, in a match which included a hat-trick, the man-of-the-match award was not academic. Maxi may have lit up the scoreboard thrice, but all eleven shone like the early evening west London sunshine.

Johnson and Flanagan provided excellent support from full back, while Spearing celebrated his new contract with a typically tireless display. Lucas set the tone to his display with two telling passes in the first seven minutes. Luis Suarez was simply Luis Suarez.

Each player has a vital role in this Liverpool squad. Shelvey replaced Meireles early in the second half and was arguably the standout player in his time on the pitch. Shelvey walked on and slotted in perfectly; harmony was not disrupted, ethic was not compromised. But that’s Steve Clarke and Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool; that’s the socialism Shankly spoke of.

As Dalglish walked past the away support, the away support thanked him. The songbook was torn up and the smiles became a manic cry of ‘Dalglish’ – if FSG hadn’t decided on his permanent future already, the support at Craven Cottage did it for them.

But one suspects they already had decided, because it’s May, and this May, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are smiling. It’s also May which defines the history of Liverpool Football Club, and the signing of Kenny Dalglish may be one of its most important moments.

Today, the Liverpool Echo and Manchester Evening News both had pictures of Kenny Dalglish on the back pages. The former had a picture of Kenny smiling at his coronation; a smile to mirror the supporters’ smiles, and one that knows performances such as those against Chelsea, United, City, Birmingham and Fulham can be a regular occurrence for the next three years and beyond. As the headline proclaimed: boss.

The latter newspaper ran a picture of Kenny’s head – still smiling - superimposed onto a parrot with talk about perches and other such trite remarks.

It becomes much more difficult to move forward when continuously looking backwards.

Link: http://thekop.liverpoolfc.tv/_Why-LF....71.html

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