It’s well documented on here my feelings about Jürgen Ian. Like you I love the guy apart from him managing your club rather than United. Not that it was ever really an option but that’s another story.
When Fergie left it was like somebody stealing my heart, devastated was an understatement. I’ll always remember the date, it’s fixed in my head May 8th over 10 years ago. I honestly believe you don’t get over it, maybe if someone came along like Pep or Klopp I might of thought differently. Obviously United have never been the same since.
I was 26 years young when he took over so it’s safe to say I’ve had the best time ever as a United fan under his reign. What he brought to United and us fans is no different (( IMHO )) than the great Shanks-Paisley and now Klopp at your place. When we won the league for the first time under Fergie I honestly new United were back in the big time, not a term I use often but I just knew in my heart we were the real deal/top draw again.
I was a season ticket holder back then so went to most home matches and some away games. The feeling you get at weekends knowing you were extremely confident of a win made us the force we were at OT and many away games too. I was never a big drinker but did celebrate often, it was hard not to given we’d been dormant as a club for over 20 years. Life was at its best in my 20s/30s and it’s all down to Fergie.
Every time we won I used to think what Fergie did to get the players playing at their best week in week out. His Fergie time goals use to annoy every club in the league, non more than you lot. 😂 Obviously the greatest memory of them all was doing the treble in 1999. Once again I knew and still think of those days where I was watching what was then the best domestic team in the world.
So yeah Ian it hurt, and hurt a lot to the extend that as a fan it put you in depression mode and hard to shift. Has the depression gone as a fan you may ask? Not really mate, 10 years and counting. Watching City and you lot doing so well ( since Klopp took over ) hurt, hurt real bad. There’s no hiding places either, not now with social media being what it is.
Being a member on here for over a decade now I’ve made some good friends now that I even call mates. You being one of them when I meet you a few years ago, such a bubbly character and basically a fun guy to have around you, your company is a breath of fresh air. That’s why I feel for you and others on here the heartache of learning Klopp was leaving. I instantly thought of Fergie when he retired.
That in its self is a testament to how good I think Klopp was when I compared him with Fergie. I honestly believe had he stayed you were winning a lot more trophies/cups. Klopp could do what Fergie did, gets the best out of players and improves them, Klopp had a bit more finesse how he went about it though where Fergie was brutal in the dressing room.
It’s going to be one very very sad day his last game at Anfield, I’ll be glued to the telly for all the right reasons as I genuinely love this guy I really do. I’m pretty sure I’ll even shed a tear so god knows what you lot will be like. Make sure you have plenty of hankies Ian as I can 100% say you’ll need them.
It will hit you and many Liverpool fans really bad, I know this because I follow your club like I do my own so know how you breath/sh*te/fart/ passion you have for your club. You can’t really even prepare yourself, seeing Klopp do his fist pumps for the very last time. His interviews are very special, I just don’t see a bad bone in his body.
I was looking yesterday at some of his stats. Many pundits stating/arguing/debating because he’s only won one league and 6 major trophies how can you compare him with the best? Well it’s about opinions. Mine is he was one of the best managers I’ve ever seen since I started watching football nearly 60 years ago.
Going back to some of his stats I read the follow.
He has the highest win rate ever for Liverpool football club which obviously means he passes the great Shanks/Paisley records.
Average two goals a game since he took over.
Scored more 90+min goals than any other club.
Won more games from losing positions than anyone else.
Had the two longest winning streak (18) in the league.
The first Liverpool manager to reach CL-FA Cup- League Cup finals in the same year.
Had the 3rd highest % rate (60%) in the league. Only Fergie & Pep above him.
Yep!! I can safely say when I talk about the great managers in English football he’s in my top 6.
In no particular order.
Klopp.
Fergie.
Shanks.
Paisley.
Busby.
Pep.
Ps. Remember!! I QUOTE! Make sure you have a bag of tissues for his last game.
What a load of f***in soft hearted Fat Manc bullshit !!!!
That I gotta be honest is a hard read, very honest and fair, anyone reading this that have let’s say ‘not so friendly’ opinions of our resident Manc might think otherwise, it’s a brilliant post Keith,
I think you know deep down there will be a few on here who have a lot more respect for Fergies achievements than they will admit, we’ve all called him bacon face and sh*t like that but if they were to have a serious conversation about football in general they’d soon change their tunes,
So yeah from your perspective it would have hurt like a muther f**ker, the same as we are feeling now, the difference though in terms of management style is chalk N cheese, Fergie was a typical chuck the tea cups around kind of bully, and I mean that in the kindest of terms, whereas Jürgen is exactly the opposite,
Add in the difference of life in Britain back then to what it is now and again it’s totally different Fergies style was acceptable back in those days although not every manager worked in that way, but it was his way, and it’s hard to argue it was wrong, today we exist in a lily livered woke society miles away from the reality of real life,
Jürgen’s style is very obvious, everyone is on the same level, there’s no one above their station, from the boardroom to the litter pickers, we’re all the same in his eyes, Shanks was like that too, the same philosophy, we all work together to achieve the the same goals and we share the spoils at the end,
I think that’s why Jürgen is loved so much and not just Liverpool fans & suporters, even our greatest rivals fans love him and that’s exactly what respect is and testament to what Jürgen has brought to the EPL.
Keith is spot on that last day, that final match, those last fist pumps, the emotion will be overwhelming, even the hardest of hearts will be broken in those final moments, it’s gonna be so painful, it will feel like a bereavement a massive one, so we will need to prepare for it, and hope that the title & tin that we win will be enough to take some of that inevitable pain away!!
Almost welling up now ffs !!!
YNWA
