An open letter to the playing and coaching staff of Liverpool Football Club
To the playing and coaching staff of Liverpool FC,
I write this to let you know of the hope, sorrow, pride, misery, belief, depression that has overtaken myself, and many other Liverpool fans around the world of the last few months and years. First of all though, let me take you back, back to a time when we were the kings of Europe, when teams would fear playing us in any competition and when the future of the club and anyone associated with it, looked bright.
Let me take you back to May 25th, 2005, Liverpool had reached their first Champions League final since 1985, the opposition, AC Milan, a team known for winning and a team who had dominated the Italian league for years.
The final kicked off, and within the first 45 minutes, I was brought to tears, after watching Liverpool go three goals down and the game looking wrapped up to end in a Milan victory, however, I never gave up hope, and neither did the other millions of Liverpool fans around the world, we stood strong, we showed a passion that hadn't been seen before, we showed a fight and spirit as we sang that famous anthem, 'You'll Never Walk Alone.'
The support was kindly repaid, with John Arne Riise playing a brilliant cross onto the head of a free Steven Gerrard in the Milan penalty area, who managed to smash a bullet header past the static AC Milan goalkeeper, Dida, with Vladimir Smicer pulling off an amazing 20 yard strike that left jaws on the floor for some time before Xabi Alonso converted a rebounded penalty to take the game from 3-0 to 3-3 in the space of 6 minutes in the second half. Witnessing that, brought more tears to my eyes, not due to sorrow, but due to the pride I felt at seeing Liverpool Football Club lift a Champions League trophy. Jerzy Dudek also deserves a mention, for not only making a double save against one of the finest strikers in the world at the time in Andrei Shevchenko, but also for saving the strikers penalty in the shootout in order to bring the Champions League back to Liverpool for a 5th time. I was only 14 when witnessing that amazing feat.
The crowds that gathered for the homecoming was a sight to behold, with thousands packing the streets of Liverpool as the trophy was held aloft, on an open top bus. That Champions League campaign really hit home what it meant to be a Liverpool fan, no matter what hardships you may face, no matter how much you're backed into a corner, you keep fighting, you keep the fires burning and you never give up.
Fast forward a year and another final beckoned, the opposition, West Ham United in the FA Cup at Cardiff. West Ham took the game to Liverpool that day and looked to dash the hopes and dreams of anyone associated with Liverpool Football Club, however, the passion and the belief shone through again, with Liverpool taking the game to penalties, and a new hero was born. Recently signed goalkeeper Jose Reina managed to save 3 of the penalties in the shootout to bring the FA Cup back home to Anfield. We did it the hard way, but we won, we fought, we never gave up again and we conquered. I was still only 15.
Things were looking good for the club and its fans, the future was bright.
The next season brought about another final, this time, in the Champions League again, the opposition, AC Milan. The match kicked off and instantly, you could tell that Milan wanted revenge for the previous final, they wanted to take that trophy home and had worked on their defensive side of the game to a great extent in order to make sure they got the win. 2-1 that game finished, AC Milan taking the trophy even though the comeback looked to be on for a third time in as many years, with Dirk Kuyt heading in the only Liverpool goal but it was to be in vain, as Milans defence were just to stubborn to break down.
Something was said after that match by then manager, the Spaniard, Rafael Benitez, who had also overseen the last two final victories written about above. Rafa (as he was known for short) said exactly what fans everywhere had been thinking, the team needed fresh investment, something which everyone thought it was going to be getting after club owner David Moores had sold to two American businessmen who go by the names of Thomas Hicks and George Gillett.
Now, for those of you who thought this was going to be a letter written to relive the past glory days, think again, as what I am about to write may shock you and also bring you to tears, especially if you were involved in the following years.
The two owners promised the world and brought nothing, with fighting going on not only inside the club, between staff and certain players, but also in the stands and in the streets, as fans turned on each other in a bid to try and prove that the owners were either right, or wrong for the club. The answer unfortunately being the latter.
The club was brought to it's knees, with crippling debt being pilled on, players heads being turned by teams who were no longer classed as equals, but betters and also with the loss of those deear to us, including a very good fellow red known as Ray from independant Liverpool Forum, Red and White Kop.
Ray Osborne was one of the main supporters in the fight to rid the club of those that had dragged its named through the mud, he did everything in his power to help fight the cause and rid the club of Hicks and Gillett. Ray unfortunately passed away due to ill health. He was a red until the end, and his memory lives on in all of us, his passion for Liverpool still burning inside the hearts of those who did, and did not know him peronally, yet knew that he was a gentleman who deserved the title of a true Liverpool Football Club supporter. Rest In Peace Ray.
The fight that Ray was a part of was finally won in the summer of 2010, with Tom Hicks and George Gillett being forced out of the club in what became known as an 'Epic Swindle.' The High Court in London rulling that the two were not fit and proper owners for the club and had destroyed the lives of millions around the world by trying to take what was dear to them away. The owners were gone, replaced by two more American businessmen who I shall talk about a little later.
A new fight was now beginning, as although the owners were now gone, they had left a sour taste in the mouths and minds of Liverpool fans alike, by appointing a manager who was out of his depth at a club our size in Roy Hodgson and by appointing a man who was just as much dragging the name of LFC through the mud as the owners in Christian Purslow. The fighting in the stands and the offices of LFC continued.
After many a poor result and poor signing in the transfer market, Roy Hodgson was dismissed from the club and appointed in his place, now manager King Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish, a man who had previously won the last league title for Liverpool in the 1998/1990 season.
Christian Purslow was also ousted as Managing Director of the club and Martin Broughton, a man whose sole responsibility was to push through the sale of the club from the previous owners had also stepped down after fulfilling his purpose. In his place, lifelong Liverpool fan, Ian Ayre.
Dalglish and Ayre have done what they can in their short time at the club to help restore the pride that was once lost.
That point brings me onto the new owners, Mr John W. Henry and Mr Thomas Werner, two more American businessmen who know how to build succesful sporting institutions, such as the Boston Red Sox baseball team. They are as smart as they are ruthless and will stop at nothing in order to build a long term, succesful team to fulfill their need to own the worlds finest teams in any sport they are associated in. A special mention must also be given to Mr Henrys beautiful wife Linda, who has brought an air of elegance to the directors box and to the club, and a woman who has connected with the fans since day one.
So far, they have promised little yet brought huge changes to the club that will benefit anyone associated with it in the short, and the long term. They have brought a strong structure into the club and in my opinon, they're not finished yet.
Under the rule of Henry and Werner, who own Liverpool FC through parent company Fenway Sports Group (FSG,) Dalglish began to build a side capable of challenging for top honours, he wanted to re-ignite the embers that were now simmering in all fans and to bring back the fight that was aimed at the previous ownership, and focus it onto the opposition teams, he wants that back to the wall spirit to shine through again and so far, it looks like the embers have been lit once more.
New signing Luis Suarez, once of FC Ajax, hit the ground running in his debut game against Stoke City at Anfield, coming on as a second half substitute and not only causing as many problems for the opposition as possible, but also scoring a lovely little goal in which he took it around the on rushing goalkeeper and managed to slot it into an open net. Suarez has shown the fight and will to win that Dalglish wants to instill into every single nook and cranny at the club and is a player who has fast become a favourite among the support.
The squad has also been strengthened in other areas with the arrival of Geordie striker Andy Carroll (Who helped soften the blow of Fernando Torres' move to Chelsea on the last day of the transfer window in January) and the recent arrivals of Stewart Downing from Aston Villa, Charlie Adam from Blackpool and the promising youth midfielder, Jordan Henderson from Sunderland.
The good times seem to be making their way back to Liverpool football club, with fans, staff and players all pulling in the same direction, all wanting to achieve the same goal, to make Liverpool FC one of the kings of European and Domestic competition again.
I'm almost 21 now, and in the last 6 years, I have gone from tears of joy, to tears of hurt and now, my hopes are rising once more, and like all Liverpool Supporters who witnessed the miracles of Istanbul in 2005, and Cardiff in 2006, I have never, and will never, give up on the club I love.
I will never give up on Liverpool FC.
Thank you for restoring my pride in being a Liverpool fan, and thank you for giving me hope that the glory days are just around the corner, once more.
John Mc.