incREDible

I sit here, still battling to find the words to express what we witnessed last night. Don't get me wrong, even though we were 3-0 down, there was still belief that we could do it. Every Liverpool fan had that feeling of hope and belief but to see it unfold was just magical. Anfield on a European night is a stadium like no other, we've heard the tales of the past, we witnessed for ourselves some of these incredible victories, Olympiakos in 2004, Chelsea in 2005, Dortmund 2016 but last nights win against Barcelona tops them all. The passion, the commitment, the fire and desire each and every player showed is just testament to that performance. When Jurgen took over four years ago, critics were out against him, criticizing his high intensity training regime, his rash and wild football style, last night we saw it bare fruit, in fact this whole season we saw what Jurgen envisaged for this team. 

On Monday night, after Vincent Kompany struck and incredible goal, handing Manchester City a slender one goal win over Leicester, it sank the hearts of all Liverpool supporters as we knew that virtually wrapped up the league for them and with a mountain to climb on Tuesday night, our teams displays this season would have no trophies to show for but Jurgen and the team had other plans for us. I'm a big critic of Divock Origi, while he might be a squad player for me he never seemed to fit into the Liverpool team that Klopp has built, I've been giving him stick every time he came on for us this season, but today I eat my humble pie. He scored two important goals for us last night, the first one was crucial, an early one that kick started the come back momentum, and the last one which was the key to sending us to Madrid in June. His play all round last night was magnificent, fighting for the long balls, pressing and keeping the ball up the pitch when it was needed, Klopp trusted him and he repaid him. 

In a game like that, you cannot pin point individuals, as that was a proper team effort but a word to our captain, Jordan Henderson, the one many fans wanted to see go for most of the season, last night proved why he still wears that armband. From the first goal, till the final whistle, he was there marshaling his troops, fighting for the ball, urging the team forward, never letting anyone drop their heads, that is what a captain does and that is why he will always be our captain. Even when his night looked over after he banged his knee, he came back on to fight till the end. He wanted to be there, fighting through the pain making sure his team gets over that line and they did. 

Emotions were at an all time high when that final whistle blew, the team standing in arms in front of the Kop will bring a tear to any supporters eyes. They were all in it together, the fans played just a big of a role as the team did last night. Their voices unsettled that Barcelona team and even with two former Liverpool players, they could do nothing. Praises after the game coming in from stars of the game, Csec Fabregas being one of them and ex managers of the game, Arsene Wenger and one that left me speechless was an interview with Jose Mourinho, his admiration of Klopp shows that he does appreciate good football when he sees it and isn't always a pompous arrogant jackass. The Barca players head home shook after what happened to them last night, but there's a lesson for everyone from this, something that we Liverpool fans always knew, never, ever write Liverpool off in Europe. 

You'll Never Walk Alone

My Captain

This post was a long time coming, its dedicated to all of those who said he was no good, the ones who said he doesn't have what it takes, he doesn't have the mentality, he doesn't have the passion, the desire, the stomach to lead such a big club, echoed in history such as Liverpool. This is for those who said Jordan Henderson wouldn't cut it, well, I'm here to tell you to go and look at him now.

When Steven Gerrard left Liverpool, it was more than just a player leaving, he was the club because for so long he was at the forefront of everything, in defeat and in victory he was there. When we were down, he lifted us up, he was the heart beat that gave the team life. He was formidable in attack, partnered well with many superstars who joined the club, he was the one constant we became used to and when he left, he left a huge void that many felt that could not be filled. Hence when the arm band was passed down onto young Jordan Henderson, many felt he wasn't the right man for the job. After Stevie, could there be anyone that would have been right? No!

There was a divide, some who trusted the decision by Brendan Rodgers and those who slated it. He was just 24 years at the time, only been at the club for about 4 years, not even from the parts, how could he be captain of one of the greatest football clubs of the world? Well, I was part of the divide that welcomed him, there was just something about him that I liked. He gained my respect as a player as he challenged for a place in a hotly contested midfield since he got to the club in 2011 to instill himself as a regular in the starting 11 and he gained my respect as a person, when he was pictured in the crowd of Sunderland supporters, at Wembley in 2014, watching his boyhood club Sunderland, take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup. That is passion and love for you, opting not to sit in a corporate box, or the FA allocated seats, but being there as a fan.

Yes, he was not born and raised in Liverpool, but he's English and that counts massively now in the league. He was given a raw deal under the Rodgers reign and this came to show as it was exposed recently how Rodgers told Jordan that the door was open for him to leave, which left the captain devastated and even said he was in tears later that evening. While he was at a top level, he always had age on his side and I'm glad he chose not to take that option and continued to push with the club. I didn't think much of Rodgers, especially since he had a hand and forcing Gerrard out, still a few years from him calling it time on his career. I think Stevie could have managed another season or two with us. The good thing was during that time, Gerrard helped mold Hendo into the player he is today. 

Since taking over as captain, he didn't have it easy, as I said many doubted him, it was tough but he knuckled down and kept at his job. People don't seem to take notice of the hard graft he puts in because he's not always on the score sheets or not making that telling run down the line or tricking the defenders, he's in the middle, keeping things tidy. Making sure the front players get supplied and the defence doesn't get any unwanted surprises. He's the sweeper, the guy doing the dirty work and never was this more prolific than the opening 20 minutes at Anfield during the first semi-final against Roma. The opponents tried to beat us at our own game, hard pressing, fast pace and all out attack. This did catch us off guard, especially the youngsters, but you could hear Jordan commands his troops, yelling at Robbo and Trent, making sure things were tight in the center with him and Milly. It was because of him we overcame that storm and went finally could get our game into gear. The rest is history. 

So while many might still ponder his abilities, let me tell you now, that if you are a true supporter, a genuine supporter who watches the games, the players, you will know that Jordan has every right to. Come Saturday night, whether he lifts ol big ears up or not, he will have nothing to prove to the faithful, as we know the quality he has, and the trust the manager has in him. Next season will be interesting though, with new signings coming in to bolster the midfield, it might see the shape of the team change and players sitting out some games, bringing back the old rotation which minimizes the fatigue come the crunch end of the season. The future only looks positive though, with Klopp and owners both happy, the players happy and most importantly, us the fans being happy!

Protea Fire

As I sit here, I'm still in pain from what I witnessed today. It's not about being a sore loser or not being able to accept defeat but more the reality of almost crossing that line but being stopped short yet again. I, like many South African's got up at the ungodly hour of 3am, some earlier to catch the start of the first semi-final of the  Cricket World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. South Africa who wear the "chokers" badge in World Cups seemed to have shut critics up by not just winning their first knockout game of the competition but simply annihilating Sri Lanka in the quarter finals. 

After the shaky start in the group stage it was a big surprise to see the squad rally together and produce a memorable effort against a top ranking team, the momentum and confidence from that game wasn't only evident in the players but also us the loyal fans going into the semi-finals. The opponents New Zealand may not be the most feared team in the world but when it comes to World Cups they do tend to have the better track record but even with home advantage, the Proteas were looking to dismiss them and advance to what would have been their first World Cup Final. 

The game itself had everything in it and had us all glued to our seats till the very last over. Both sides gave it their all and whilst New Zealand were in the driving seat for most of the game, the Proteas didn't make them feel very comfortable. At the end, it took a 6 from the second last ball by a Johannesburg born man to send New Zealand to their first World Cup final. It was gutt wrenching to witness another Protea team fall short of expectations. As much as I felt sad for myself, one also had to spare a thought for the players. 

Fair enough, I did tweet that we didn't give it all we had. The bowlers were below par today, especially the paceman apart from Morkel. Our opening batsmen failed again and our fielding was far from great with 3 notable dropped catches and 2 missed runout opportunities. Then again one has to look at the New Zealand tea, they also didn't have the best day on the field, drop catches earlier on which cost them runs. At the end of the day, it came down to which team could handle the pressure more and New Zealand just edged it. 

Many brought up the "chokers" label which quite honestly pissed me off because we didn't choke today, we were just beaten by the better team. Our players showed guts and defiance today. After that mind blowing opening knock by captain Brendon McCullum, everyone thought our chances were gone but we managed to pull back the runrate and took the game down to the very last over. Chokers don't do that, they give up the game when they're in the commanding position, if anything New Zealand almost choked today, not us. 

We've got great bunch of players and whilst I may not agree with the selections of the starting line up at times, they do pull off the odd surprise now and then. Our captain AB continues to set the world alight with his batting arrays, smashing records left, right and centre and long may he continue to do so. So to end it off, yes I am disappointed at our loss but I'm also proud of how hard we fought, many wouldn't have taken the game to such a dramatic conclusion and yes, while we did have missed opportunities, its not like we didn't try. 

Keep the passion burning, Protea Fire!