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!

That night in Istanbul

At 9:30pm on Wednesday the 25th of May 2005, I was staring at myself in the mirror of my bathroom wondering what was going on. I was left almost dumbfounded after what I had witnessed, did that really happen? Or was it just a bad dream and I'll wake up soon to go to work. As scary and saddening to me, I can't imagine what the players felt at that instant.

 

It was the Final of the Champions League, Liverpool FC proved any doubters wrong as they made it through the group stages by the skin of the teeth or should I say by the "OH YOU BEAUTY!" off Gerrards right foot. Then went on dismantle Bayer Leverkusen and humble European giants Juventus before taking on English Champions Chelsea in a thrilling semi final which saw only one goal being scored between the two legs, although Jose Mourinho would still say there wasn't any goal scored.

 

As I stood there in my bathroom, I said to myself, it can't end like this. All that hard work throughout the season, being written off countless times but rising to the challenge over and over again, it would be wouldn't be right. I made my way back to the lounge to gear myself for the pain that the second half could have in store. I sat there and I prayed to the the all mighty, as I'm sure many supporters of Liverpool did. We all prayed for a miracle because that was the only thing that could save us.

 

Being 3-0 down at half time in a major final against opponents of the highest calibre would bring down the spirits of any team but Liverpool FC were not just any team, they didn't have any manager, and they didn't have ordinary fans! For during that 15 minutes, the thousands thats travelled to Turkey who were at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul made their voices heard by belting out You'll Never Walk Alone, so loud that it and the vibrations could be felt in the change rooms. That coupled with the words by new manager Rafael Benitez reignited belief into those players.

 

There was still a mountain to climb but with Steven Gerrard leading his troops, he showed them the way. Getting the first goal in the second 45 was always going to be important and a well placed header by Captain Fantastic of the cross from John Arne Riise beat Dida and found itself in the corner of the net, that ignited something beautiful. Two minutes later the Red men were on the attack again, Dietmar Hamann passed the ball to Czech International Vladimir Smicer who didn't think twice and struck a low shot towards goal, which prompted Milan Baros to make his most vital contribution during the 90 minutes... getting out of the way!

 

There I was in my lounge barely finished typing out my text message after the first goal to send to my cousin "and the comeback begins" the score was 3-2. I looked up to the heavens, well my ceiling and thought "maybe there is a God?" In what seems like a flash they were on the attack again, who else other that Steven Gerrard breaking his way into the box only to be brought down by Italian hard man Gattuso. Penalty! Step up Xabi Alonso, with practically the whole world watching, he struck his first attempt which was parried away by Dida only for the Spanish superstar to rocket home the rebound. "Mission Impossible. Accomplished!" said the commentator while Alonso nearly had his head ripped off by Baros during the celebrations.

 

That equaliser sent every Liverpool supporter into a sense of ecstasy I for one was lost for words, belief was always there but to actually see it happen was truly extraordinary. Carlo Ancelotti still says its the worst 6 minutes of his life and what transpired after that will go down as one of the memorable defensive display in a final with Carragher playing through cramp and Hyypia the being the stalwart that he was but the main talking point being Dudek's double save in extra time..

With nerves already half shattered from the 120 minutes, penalties were next to come but by then one already had a feeling that the Gods were looking down on us. Many sing the praises of Dudek which is duly deserved but spot kickers deserve mentions too, the moment got the better of Riise who had his saved but Cisse, Smicer and Hamann who might I add played the game with a broken toe, all converted to hand Liverpool the win and their 5th European Cup. It was an evening of mixed emotions, we all heard stories of the great European Nights of yesteryear but there it was, back for us to enjoy again. There was a particular fan that caught my attention, an elderly gentlemen sat on his own in the stands , overwhelmed with what he witnessed, in tears he took off his shirt to wave as acknowledgement to the players as they made their way around the ground. 

Saturday will mark 8 years to that day but it will forever be etched in my memory, it was one of the greatest nights of my life and has been dubbed as the greatest final ever played, to quote a football great "The English club proved that miracles really do exist" - Diego Maradona. More importantly was what that game meant to me, like everything there was a moral to the story. Never give up, fight for what you want as you will be rewarded, never to dream but believe!

You'll Never Walk Alone!