Recorded late summer 2023, the video you’ll find at the bottom of this introductory paragraph is one of my better efforts as come rain or shine, I decamped to the banks of my spiritual home to read passages of my own writing direct to camera in a vain attempt at self promoting my own books that quite frankly need a bucketful of holy water and the blessings of an exorcist rather than my silly attempts at self promotion. But this is beautiful Ironbridge and the oldest iron bridge in the known world, and here I am on the banks of the River Severn narrating a story of my youth, my oldest and dearest friend, my love for Liverpool Football Club, a “Father Ted” reference and just generally larking around on the riverside.
Care to take 7 minutes out of your busy lives to join me?
"The Day The Reds Came to Town" - Youtube
and here’s the original article that spawned another reason to sit and talk to myself in the shadow of the “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge
"The Day the Reds Came to Town", published 18th July 2023
Article submitted for the pre-season edition of Liverpool FC’s longest and now sole fanzine publication “Red All Over The Land”.
Well it’s the silly season again or, to be more footballing accurate, the silly pre-season, as the VAR generation spout endless nonsense on social media about transfers that simply must happen as they’ve seen 3 minutes on Youtube of a player that must be signed, but if not him, well here’s another definite superstar in the making and Real Madrid don’t want him anymore and he’d be perfect in the new midfield under the curation of the warm hearted German from Stuttgart with the most magnificent of beards.
“Have you seen the goals scored from outside the box by Dominik Szoboszlai?”
“Do you think Aurélien Tchouaméni will fit into a Jürgen Klopp midfield?”
“Why haven’t we bought Moisés Caicedo from Brighton yet?”
“Have you seen the Youtube clips of Romeo Lavia?”
The more pressing questions I have are two fold (1) Why is Jordan Henderson, remember him, the man with the armband and a knack for dancing with trophies, why is he so decried by members of the Reds 21st Century fan base? And (2) Why don’t they just shut up, enjoy the English rain of an English Summer and perhaps reflect on the fact that we have (injuries permitting) the linchpin of a midfield for a generation in Alexis Mac Allister and the man with the beautiful beard from Stuttgart has built winning teams before. Many times in fact and perhaps, just perhaps, he’s in the best position of all to attempt to gloriously reinvent his team once again?
OK, that’s more than two questions.
Another would be doesn’t anybody remember the trumpets and fanfare that accompanied the signing of Alberto Aquilani?
Transfer talk is for the birds, a soothing salve for the pre-season blues and social media is ablaze with transfer rumours from 20 something’s that drink from the fountain of youth, lovers of the bureaucracy and equally ignorant of the dystopian tentacles of VAR. They’re young, idealistic and probably ruggedly handsome too and yes I’m jealous and yes I’d equally wish they stop going on and bloody on about players from other bloody teams!
At the time of writing, the Reds have signed Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister and Jürgen Klopp is still the manager. For more opinionated fare such as this, can I send you to Amazon in search of my first self published book on the Reds entitled “Chasing The Impossible and a Sword of Damocles” which I’m sure the good Editor of this esteemed and treasured publication will only be too pleased to plug for me as it was he who roused me from my pre-season slumbers to ink my quill once more and transport us back in time with “Yesterday’s Paper”, and I was more than happy to do so.
"Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles"
According to the statistical historians of our great club, the Reds played 4 pre-season friendlies in the lead up to the 1982/1983 season and only one was played on English soil. A 0–0 draw with Servette in Switzerland was followed 4 and 5 consecutive days later with back-to-back games with Real Betis and Malaga before 6 days later defeating Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 at Wembley in the curtain raising season opener once known simply as the Charity Shield. The only recorded pre-season friendly for the defending Champions of the 1st Division and holders of the League Cup was at the south coast home of 3rd Division Portsmouth, and I know this to be true as I was there.
10 years old and my first ever Reds game, I only vaguely recall standing on the “South Terrace” as it was then and that all 3 goals in a 3–0 stroll under a south coast sun were scored at the “Milton End”, an away sectioned terrace with a ginormous wooden clock slap bang in the middle section! The starting XI for this pre-season friendly was as strong as possible and the de-facto first eleven that would win everything in the early to mid 1980’s, from Brucie in goal through the impregnable defence of Hansen, Lawrenson, Neal and Kennedy, the blossoming talents of Ronnie Whelan and Sammy Lee alongside captain Graeme Souness, and the attacking partnership for the ages of Rush and Dalglish up front.
I can’t find a record of the substitutes that sunny Sunday in August of 1982, but with a starting XI as glorious as that, who needs them!
I know this game to be true as naturally I hold this particular game dear to my Red heart as my live debut of seeing the pictures on my bedroom wall come alive in front of my disbelieving eyes for the first time. Graeme Souness! The King! 2 more goals to add to the tally of official league and cup goals for Ian Rush that will never, ever be beaten. “Brucie Grobbelaar in our goal!”. I may not have the memories of this day but I know them to be true, I was there and so was my dear, lifelong friend Marc who had his picture taken with every Liverpool legend named above after the match. Read that sentence again if you wish to raise your jealousy meter! My treasured friend has the photographic proof that the Reds came to town on a gloriously sunny Sunday in the middle of August 1982, and if you think I’m envious of his photo with Kenny Dalglish, then you’d be right!
Alas it would seem that Fabinho is destined for pastures new, Henderson is criminally castigated by the fantasy football playing VAR generation of social media illiterates and the Reds haven’t signed Tchouaméni, Caicedo or Lavia or indeed any number of players that make transfer windows and pre-seasons such an incessant bore fest.
Treat yourself to my new book!
Buy yourself an ice-cream and go for a walk along the coast or a river!
Go and get your tan from standing in the English rain for all I care!
Just stop going on and on about other team’s players and perhaps leaving the reinvention of our magnificent team to the German with the most magnificent of beards.
We’ll be ok.
Thanks for reading. I hope the world is spinning and turning in your favour in your corner of our world