It’s on, isn’t it? It is well and truly on. It is gloriously on. With just seven games to go, the title is in OUR hands. No depending on anyone to drop points. It’s up to us. Win our remaining games, and we win the title. That is the prize at stake. That is the prize we haven’t seen for a while now. I know Brendan has asked us to stay calm, but I can’t sit still in a place for more than 5 seconds. Sleep hasn’t been forthcoming since both Chelsea and City dropped points yesterday. I can’t imagine what I will put my body through if we beat Spurs tonight to move clear at the top.
I dreamt of Rafa Benitez last night for some reason. He was the first manager that forced me to think about football. As a younger Liverpool fan, though I started supporting us in the Houllier era, I am almost indebted to Rafa. For making me actually love football. More than the trophies, it was always the class of our club that he portrayed. That set the bar for all Liverpool managers I saw subsequently. He taught me, subliminally and outwardly, what it meant to truly support and love a football club. Even Roy Hodgson, so blatantly obviously wrong for the Liverpool job, had my complete support.
A day away from administration, docked points and possible relegation under Hodgson and here we are now, just four years later. Seven games away from a league title. This feeling is brilliant, isn’t it? I can see what Jamie meant when he said what one title with Liverpool would mean more to Stevie G than ten with Chelsea or United. This is what he has been waiting for all these years. I’m certain he can smell it. It’s so close now. Just seven games away. I’m certain Jamie himself will be kicking himself. “Just one season more!” is probably what he would be shrieking to himself in his shrill ring. No matter what happens in these last seven games, this season has been a massive success. But we now have the opportunity, a very REAL opportunity, to make it a legendary success. The kind we will be telling our grandkids about 50 years later. The kind that will be written about in footballing legend and folklore. This is your time to make yourself heroes, Liverpool. Do it for Steven Gerrard. Do it for Jamie Carragher. Do it for Rafa Benitez for calling out those snakes and sacrificing his job for it. Do it for everyone who got in touch with Mill Financial, the Macquarie Group, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital and of course to dumb and dumber. Do it for the absolutely fantastic Spirit of Shankly. Do it for Anne Williams and Margaret Aspinall. Do it for the 96.
Bring it on.