Right ...Tin hat on....
As I have posted previously I think Liverpool have alot to be proud of, but also alot to be ashamed of and so I do get the hostility from many on here. To some extent I admire it as it shows a passion for your own club, something that the game is built on and is sadly missing a little from the games we have seen since restart.
So it was Kent's comment that got me thinking about "hatred" and rivalries and whether they change. Growing up on the Wirral I tended to follow the results of all the local clubs, Chester, Tranmere, Liverpool and Everton, wanting them all to do well. Then after starting to go to matches with my dad who had a season ticket at Anfield I became more narrow in my support, but my dislike for your neighbours increased. I wouldnt say it got to the level of hatred. The dislike and the rivalry...and yes jealousy only grew during their succes and our fallow years. During that time there was the success of Arsenal , Chelsea and now City. I dont think I ever really disliked any of them or begrudged them their success. Maybe Chelsea a little with their less than exciting football...... Arsenal (maybe not as much with the 1-0 to the Arsenal phase) & City were/are a joy to watch and I dont think many can dislike or hold a grudge when you see good football played.
Yes the recent incidents (bus/hacking/letters) will shape and no doubt remain the memories of many, but I wonder if Liverpools win last season was a once in 30yr thing and we go back to being mediocre, whether the dislike/hatred will remain. Or will we go back to being that "unpleasant memory"?
Do those local or "tradional" rivalries/hatreds change with success or the rise of other clubs?
Just me pondering again.
It has nothing to do with success..
When I started going to games, Liverpool were emerging as the team to beat..
Pipped us to the league in '77, Forest then came along to upset the applecart in '78 and' 79, winning the league and knocking Liverpool out of the European Cup.. I cannot deny that at the time I was pleased for Forest..
I liked Clough and had a soft spot for Gary Birtles back then as he came from non league Long Eaton and was leading the line for a very watchable Forest side..
Saying that, I was OK with their European wins in '81 and' 84..
Then came Heysel when their fans caused the deaths of 39 rival supporters, then did their upmost to deflect the blame onto others..
English clubs were subsequently banned from Europe for 5 years, Liverpool for six..
In that time, I didn't recall any remorse being shown by either Liverpool football club or their supporters..
I remember "The stadium wasn't fit for purpose, it was other teams fans, the trouble was started by Juventus supporters, we had to defend ourselves.."
The club's arrogance was astonishing..
We all know what followed a few years later..
Then you had ex players in the media and on TV who you would think were employed because they had represented the most successful team of the decade and had a knowledge and insight in to how the game should be played and would impart their thoughts onto viewing public..
How wrong can you be..
They, all to a man and recently woman have shown no impartiality whatsoever when it comes to discussing Liverpool..
The Eastern Block leaders of the day would have be proud of the propaganda spouted by all of them..
I won't list them because there are loads of them as we all know..
However, It wouldn't be way off the mark to say the majority of which have also regularly told lies about the club I support on National TV, in the written media and on the radio without fear of recourse..
How Garragher wasn't immediately dismissed for spitting at a 12 year old girl is unbelievable..
In any other walk of life you would expect to lose your job for such an offence..
Yet another case of anyone being associated with Liverpool being untouchable..
Liverpool as a club show no respect to others whilst demanding it from one an all..
They promote themselves as the shining becon of light that we should all look up to open mouthed, European Royalty if you don't mind, whilst doing their upmost to airbrush their quite appalling history out of existence..
They're nothing special as a club, in fact no different to any other club who attract a passionate support..
If they took the time to remember this, accept it and show some humility, they might be afforded some slack..
However, the bus attack, the computer hacking, their gobby players, their 2 faced manager, their efforts to get us banned from Europe and sanctioned by the PL despite not having the full facts to hand, the sycophantic media, infested with Liverpool yes men and women and their unpalatable fans mean I won't be cutting them any slack myself..
Absolutely and without question, one f"kin odious club..!