Anfield of Dreams:
Tour
by rick olivares
There was a time when Liverpool was the center of the
world. There were four lads from the Merseyside who changed pop music forever.
And their football team was on fire.
I knew of the Fab Four first before the Reds, as the
main team of Liverpool was nicknamed (there’s another team from the same city
that is called “Everton”). But when I became a fan of Liverpool, it began a
love affair with a football club that has lasted some four decades now.
I got up real early. Three in the morning to be
exact. I didn’t have difficulty sleeping. It was more of excitement and an
overactive mind that kept me up. Imagine my finding out in the morning that the
Britannia Adelphi Hotel was built in 1914 and was primarily used by the passengers
of the ill-fated Titanic that was launched from the Merseyside docks. No wonder
I thought that the hotel had seen better days and the design was from another
era. And not from the 1960s! But one that goes all the way back even before the
first World War.
The Sefton Lounge in fact is an exact replica of the
smoking lounge from the Titanic!
My mind was reeling. That is some incredible history
and here I am staying in the same hotel as those people from 100 years ago.
That is mind blowing.
But I was more excited about the trip to come that I
was sure was to be an even better mindfuck.
Several days ago, I booked the first Stadium and
History Tour for Friday at 9:30am. I initially thought about walking from the
hotel all the way to Anfield. But I thought better of it. I’ll do that tomorrow
after the match. Today, I’m taking the cab that costs a little over £5!
About that cab, I finally got to ride
that cab that is unique to England. And the one I rode one was one of those
originally made in Coventry. The newer models are made in China that are
unfortunately said to be defective. So it is only right that the cab I ride on
is proudly made in England.
I arrived about an hour early and began taking
pictures outside the stadium. The concierge at the stadium informed me that
there was an earlier group that was not only much smaller but ready to go. I
agreed to go with that group as I felt there would be more time for picture
taking and the talk would be more intimate.
And yes it was. I was in a group that included a
German national whose favorite football team was Bayern Munich with Liverpool
as a close second, a Londoner named Eddie Barnes who I quickly formed a fast
friendship (Liverpool has always been his favorite club and this was his first
ever trip to Anfield), three gentlemen from York, and one from Sheffield. All
of us for solid Liverpool fans.
The man giving us the tour was named Ian and began
working for the club around 1974. That’s 40 years with LFC. His son is a
Scouser but his brother is, according to him, “with the dark side (Everton).”
We start off in the Legends room where there are all
these mounted pictures or blown up ones of famous players and managers.
We then moved on to the pressroom that incredibly
also has a small kitchen. The pressroom isn’t that huge and it seems so much larger
on TV. What makes this room noteworthy is that it used to be the famous Boot
Room where the managers and their assistants held court. It was here where the
club’s braintrust was supposed to have discussed and formulated strategy. Ian
says that rather coincidentally, when the Boot Room was taken down in favor of
the modern pressroom (they never had a press room before but this was
prescribed not only by the Premiership but also by FIFA), the club never won
another league title.
We all had chances to sit on where Brendan Rodgers is
interviewed by the media.
From there we went to the Home Team’s Dressing Room.
And I felt so happy to see a massive Gatorade refrigerator inside. If you’re
looking for plush amenities then you will not find it in Liverpool. It’s simple
and very Spartan. The defenders side on one side, the midfielders on another,
and the forwards in one area. There are no lockers for players to keep their
personal belongings. Bill Shankly believed that a players of similar positions
had to sit next to one another to get to know them better and that if they
couldn’t trust their teammates with their personal belongings he couldn’t trust
them on the pitch. Mind games, it was something the club used to be very good
at.
If you run your hands on the bench, you’ll feel
notches and creases on the wood. It is the same bench where everyone from John
Toshack to Ian Rush to John Barnes, Robbie Fowler, Kevin Keegan, Kenny
Dalglish, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Pepe Reina have laced up their boots
hence the creases. “The only thing new about it,” says Ian. “Is that it
periodically receives a fresh coat of paint. But other than that every single
legend and non-legend has sat on where you are now.”
Me? I sat on Steven Gerrard’s spot and pulled down
his jersey and had my picture taken.
The Home Team Dressing Room was soundproof and had a
non-slippery surface. The Away Team Dressing Room? It was underneath the
section for the season ticket holders who knew who was underneath. It wasn’t
soundproof so one could hear the manager talk from the inside and the surface –
you guessed it right – was slippery.
We checked out the Away Team Dressing Room and had a
laugh. Then on it was on to the steps that descent towards the pitch where that
famous “This Is Anfield” sign is. Of course, this was another perfect photo op.
From there we were on to the pitch and I felt a wave
of emotion hit me. And this with no one in the stands and no game played on the
pitch. This field has seen so much history. And here we were standing where the
gaffers stand. Where the reserves wait for their chance to be substituted in.
This was the last stop of our hour-long tour of
Anfield. And we stopped and sat right where the Kop is located. The Kop or
Spion Kop is named for a famous battle in South Africa where 300 local lads
were killed. It is no longer the original Kop as that was taken down in the
wake of the Heysel Disaster. But the power that emanates from there cannot be
taken lightly. Football legends from Johan Cruyff to name one have spoken
highly on Liverpool’s 12th Man.
We were then brought to the Museum where I had my
picture taken with a replica of the European Cup (the trophies are stored
somewhere).
The tour done, Eddie and I walked around to where the
Shankly Gates and the Hillsborough Memorial were located. It was the most solemn
part of our trip to Anfield.
From there, we took the bus back to the City Centre (where
it was a short walk to my hotel). Eddie and I spoke like little kids who just
got back from Disneyland. We looked at our pictures and compared notes and how
it was a fulfillment of a dream. As for me, there’s tomorrow, the derby with
Everton.
“You lucky bastard,” gushed Eddie.
“Nah,” I denied. “We’re all lucky to be fans of this
club.” We shook hands and promised to keep in touch.
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Thanks to British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad, Standard Chartered (Ms. Nimii and Anne), Liverpool Football Club, and my family and my parents for allowing this dream to come true.
This is Anfield! |
Outside the Shankly Gates and the Hillsborough Disaster Memorial (not in picture but to my right) |
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