Re: Liverpool Thread 2012
Let's get some things in perspective:
1) Liverpool have been this country's greatest team (along with you know who). There's no point in trying to deny the truth.
2) 95% of the nation's fans support other clubs and have had to live with a relative lack of success... from fairly decent time (Arsenal) to dire ones (Leeds?).
3) The success of a club is rarely down to us, the fans... we just get subjected to it all... for good and bad. We support who we support, that's that. If you're lucky enough to support the champions, you're lucky, if you're unlucky enough to support Rochdale, you're unlucky. It has nothing to do with us as fans personally.
4) 'Big Clubs' are usually big for many reasons. Not least because they are situation in major cities. That's why Norwich are at a distinct disadvantage compared with City, or United etc. That's not to say they can't do well, or have a few seasons in the sun, but generally speaking it's linked to geographical location and economics.
5) City KNOW what it's like to struggle, and to go from one disaster to another. We've been there. Leeds are now there. The Sheffield cluibs, Newcastle etc... we've all been there, and that usually manifests itself in gallows humour and a lot of sympathy for other clubs that have gone through it.
6) Clubs like Liverpool and United have forgotten their bad times, since a) it was so long ago, and b) they've been so successful since.... which has led to many of their fans constantly touting the 'Big Club' mantra and assuming that the 'elite' of football is a fixed base of (say) 10 teams in Europe. Any notion of that changing, and them being potential victims of the change horrifies them.
7) The mantra of City and Chelsea buying success has some merit.... however:
Money's always played a part in success - let us not pretend otherwise. The 'spend what we earn' retort is laughable when their own clubs are having financial difficulties.
Did City's sugardaddy wealth help them win the title? Yes
Did Liverpool or United reign by spending less than their competitors? No
Let's not forget that before winning the league 'money couldn't buy success' - now they claim it can and did. Staggering. They need to make up their minds which is true.
8) Any sensible City fan will applaud what United and Liverpool have done. We only want the same, and realise we may never get it, but we can aspire to it, and even dream of surpassing it - one day.
9) Liverpool fans struggle to accept they've been surpassed by United. Their last bastion of hope is to clutch on to their very very impressive 5 European Cups.
Depending on how you measure which team has done the best can give different results, but still, it's looking far more likely that United will continue to be successful for a little while longer (not too long I hope).
Winning... and then losing is life.
It's the losing that (some) of their fans just cannot handle.
10) Whilst City have only just smelled the sweet air of success again, we must ALWAYS try to be mindful that we don't make the same mistakes as some of their fans. In some senses, it's inevitable that we will, but I'd like to think we could break the mold and just be thankful for what we have experienced thus far, and hopeful that there's more to come.
And finally...
Of COURSE Liverpool are a huge club... which is why their current quest for a manager is interesting. City fans (I hope) like to look at the wider world of football than just their own back yard. We're not afraid to acknowledge good football, or great clubs, but you'll be hard pressed to find a City fan mocking teams with less success. I'm sure you'll find some that will (every club has them), but as a rule, the scars of our past give us empathy for those not so fortunate.
