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Quote from: Rafas3leggedtable on May 20, 2009, 06:20:00 AM
I struggled sleeping last night and got up to once again try and relate problems in life to what happens at this club I love. I am still smarting from losing this league title this season and I am sure Rafa is. I am also sure it grates him how Ferguson is coming out smelling of roses once more. You see, until we actually win the title, he will gain this undeserved praise and he will continue to have his ridiculous childish ramblings interpreted by sections of the media as him 'winning' the mind games. I am pleased Rafa has stood up to the playground bully this season. It wasnt Rafa's fight, it was mainly the other kids getting bullied you see, but as a humble and decent man Rafa thought it was time to right some wrongs. The line is in the sand now and we all know where we stand. Now we can look forward to a very interesting five years with Rafa holding all the right chess pieces.
As I saw 2 bright stars in the clear night from my bedroom window I focused on them for a minute or two and as I did, a shooting star came and disected the two. For them few moments I allowed myself to dream. I dreamt that perhaps Rafa was stood looking at the same stars and had seen the same thing. It is a huge world out there but then people say what a small world (you know like when you see someone you vaguely know when abroad on holiday). And when you know that there are millions of people out there who share the same dream as you, of Rafa clenching his fist in front of the kop with a scarf tied Shankly-esque around his neck, you do tend to think that it is a small world.
These are no longer pipe dreams, they are in real danger of happening. And as we all know dream do come true, they have done and they will continue to.
You see I dream alot. When Arsenal and Henry were tearing Carra a new arse I dreamt that one day we would have an outlet like him who could just release pressure and make something out of nothing. When we were winning the treble and having to constantly put two fingers up to those who dubbed us boring, I celebrated wildly but at the back of my mind I longed for high quality fast football. Something we could hold up as a benchmark against United and Arsenal that we could build on for years to come. When those hazy wonderful days that followed Istanbul began to fade and that weird summer followed, I laid on the beach and felt a bit angry at the constant 'lucky liverpool' jibes. Lucky or a sign of real character? A blending of both I will privately admit but there was even something infinite-feeling, frightening in a way, about knowing that for as long as I live I will never see a match like that again.
I remember so clearly the league game before the Juventus home game that season and the mighty John Welsh was in centre midfield, the enigma that was Igor Biscan had a 'free role' in front of the back four and Steven Gerrard was the lone striker who at times was fed scraps from long deep balls.
I made a prayer that evening as I caught the bus back to Liverpool city centre that we somehow did go onto win this magical European Cup, in doing so undoubtedly acting as the springboard that Rafa desperately needed. The rest as they say is history. We have got stronger every season and now a car that needed almost a complete overhaul 4 years ago now just requires one or two tweaks each pre-season.
I make a plea to all us fans, myself included, to not place all our hopes into next seasons basket or even the season after. We can get too 'hung up' on winning this bloody title. It WILL come, we just dont know when. If we are in the same position with United/Arsenal/Chelsea going into April every season I will settle for that. We are now worthy to be sat at the same table with them. We are
as good as any team in this league. Rafa has us playing, the majority of the time, fantastic pass and move football. Football I wasnt sure I would see again for a long, long time. I thank him, and the players for that.
That dream I had not long after the 2001 treble has already come true. The others did too. Last night's is only a matter of time.'
