I’ve been trying my best to ignore the dismal reality of my team’s performance. I’ve continued to remain hopeful for good things to happen to the club, but somewhere in February or March of 2010, I just knew I had to get out of my state of denial. It’s not something I’m proud of, but at that point of time, I started growing nonchalant, and started setting low expectations. A draw would be enough, I’d tell myself, especially if they’re playing a “bigger” club. I’d only get myself up in arms if my boys came away defeated at a match that they should’ve otherwise easily won. After all, on paper, playing against one of the “smaller” clubs was supposed to be a walk in the park, not to sound complacent. But, on paper, there’s simply no reason for the team to perform so poorly.

Many have attributed this debacle to the sale of Alonso. As much as I love that man, and was admittedly very, very crushed to see him leave, I never believed his departure to be the cause of such a massive impact. After all, isn’t football a team sport? How is it possible for one absent player to cause so much damage? Instead, my finger was pointing at the manager and the club’s owners. I believed that it was a combination of a major lack of player development, team cohesion and financial support that was doing us in. And after reading this article that triggered this rant, I’m even more convinced now that Benitez has to go. Because quite frankly, I see him as one of the proverbial rotten apples who has contaminated the entire basket of apples.

I will not dismiss his successes with the club, and I’m grateful for the silverware he’s helped to bring home. But I do believe that Benitez is not a good fit. We must acknowledge his strengths and the fact that he has brought in a good number of valuable players, however I do not believe that his yin has necessarily meshed well with Liverpool’s yang. I also do not blame him entirely because he made it very open about the constraints he had in managing the club. As for Liverpool’s two public enemies, I think of it as two Americans who made an investment that didn’t pan out as ideally as they’d hope and unfortunately, we are now at the brunt of it. Thankfully, their departure is imminent. Although it will undoubtedly leave behind a big cloud of ash.

I’ll admit that Liverpool’s future does appear somewhat bleak and unless a superhero of a billionaire appears (such as Tony Stark, according to a friend), it may take more than a few years for the club to fully recover to its former glory. I also understand that I’ll continue to get frustrated with decisions/directions that I won’t ever comprehend, and I’m only putting myself through more disappointment and heartache. Nonetheless, I’m more than willing (especially now, more than ever) to stay true to my club’s motto and continue supporting them through this tumultuous ordeal. Yes, no matter how long it takes.

And yes, I’m passionate about Liverpool like that.

Oh, and might I add, tug-of-war is officially the funnest sport/game ever. It’s something I look forward to each year and I was completely bitter when I wasn’t able to participate last year, no thanks to my official duty as an emcee. This year, I made sure I didn’t miss out, so as soon as I saw that my emcee booth was well-manned by the students and my partner, I skipped down to the field to help pull my House to victory. Of course, I’d like to think that my being there helped us to win but truth is, we’ve won for 3 years running. So yeah, we may not always win the overall champion trophy, but this one is gonna be ours to own, for a long, long time.

Funny how I don’t remember enjoying Sports Day as much when I was a student.

My lads have had a crappy start this season. It’s gotten me frustrated, annoyed, and almost resigned to the fact that we’d probably end up 3rd in the league, at the very best. I’ve even joked about swearing off football altogether and focusing on rugby instead. Alas, I know I won’t be able to tear myself away from Liverpool. It is my club. My one true love. No matter how badly they play, and no matter what position they end up in, I know my support for them will never cease. And that’s just what I love about sports. It gives you an indescribable sense of loyalty, one that comes from a pride that only sports fans can understand. And it’s all perfectly summed up in Liverpool’s awesome motto – You’ll Never Walk Alone.

So we have not won the title in many years. And we won’t win the title this season, or maybe even the next. But I know that we will, eventually. And when my captain lifts that silverware, that moment is going to be so freakin’ sweet.