Some reasons to be cheerful at the outset of this year anno domini 2015 :
After years of frustration, Liverpool were finally crowned worthy champions of the Premier League in May. They did it for the 96, because, well, Shanks was looking down from his cloud and it was in the stars, wannit ? They also did it the right way, using pure home grown talent born and bred in places like Toxteth and Scotland Road. Like Daniel Sturridge. And Luis Suarez. They also did it, in Howard Hockin’s words, playing ‘never before seen football’ (never mind that Manchester City actually scored more goals in the PL alone — shut up, it’s not part of the narrative).
After winning it several times, but not for a (short) while, Chelsea were also crowned worthy champions of the Premier League in October. This also breaks entirely new ground, because never before have there been two PL champions in the same calendar year. They did it for José, because he provides endless good copy for journalists wondering how to pad out their next article so that it’ll meet the deadline.
After a brief period resting under the guidance of a chosen one — as actors are said to rest between parts — Trafford Park FC brought in a tactical genius who reverted to the fine attacking traditions of that club by deciding to play without a defence. Well, three impostors masquerading as one, if we must be pedantic.
One minor cloud on the horizon, soon to be blown away by the sweet zephyrs of FFP : that club of upstarts over in east Manchester, once of south Manchester (but wait a minute, how can they have been ‘once’ of anywhere ? they’re upstarts) opened a school for some 450 youngsters to learn how to play the beautiful game, and on 1 January drew level with the club that had already been crowned champions. Why did they bother to do either ? It’s all done with oil money anyway. Which — unlike pork butcher money, or football pools money, or Russian money — is dirty. Normal. It’s oil. Innit ?
Never fear : in the words of Dame Julian of Norwich, "all will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well".
Happy New Year, blues.
[Cheerfully off topic! Wasn't going to start a new thread just for this. Lip service to thread topic? I don't want any of their players injured, nor any of ours. I want to beat them fair and square when we meet them at the Bridge, because I honestly think we're the better team, when we've actually got our full team (i.e. never)]