I remember the first time I saw a teenager score a wonder goal against a commendable Argentina side. You guessed it right, the teenager was none other than Michael Owen. Back then, football was just like a motion picture for me but I liked what he did. I would like to keep it short and not beat around the bush. Michael Owen is the reason I started supporting Liverpool Football Club. Since the early 21st century, I went through a lot of ups and downs being a Liverpool fan, but that is what makes me a Liverpool fan. Life is not supposed to be perfect. I remember Gerard Houllier, the Liverpool boss who built a team with a group of passionate lads. He signed some of my favourite players. Hyypia, Baros, Hamann and a few more.
In 1998 another teenager debuted for Liverpool Football Club and the rest is history. Steven Gerrard made me cry and smile at the same time. I, as a football player always tried to emulate what he did. The night at Istanbul was one of those nights that every football fan craves for. The little child in me always wanted to meet Gerrard especially after that goal against Olympiakos that saw us through. The incredible noise at Istanbul after we were 3-0 down at the stroke of half time against the legendary A.C Milan side. We won our fifth Champions League trophy and the moment when Stevie G lifted the trophy, I was not being able to control my emotions.
My mission for Anfield started as early as 2001-02 when I realised that St John was right, "There's no noise like the Anfield noise".
Anfield Experience.
I am in the U.K for the past 5 days and I saved my Anfield visit for the match day. I was staying in Manchester which is one bus(one hour) away from Liverpool.
It was a 5:15PM kickoff and so I had a lot of time to reach Anfield. I got out from Manchester as soon as possible, as early as 10A.M in the morning. I took a National Express to Liverpool via Manchester Airport. After 45-50 mins I could see familiar things. I saw Liverpool Echo, Liverpool One. I reached Albert Dock followed by the Liverpool One Bus station. I could wait no longer. "Sir, What is the best way to reach Anfield?", I asked an officer who are the best people out here. "Take bus no. 26 from stand 4 my boy and have a great time", replied an aged voice who knows how it feels to visit Anfield. So I waited with a group of Liverpool fans at the mentioned stand. I could already feel the atmosphere and was not in the right mood to talk sense. The bus came and as expected I dropped my coinsfrom the wallet and I was already speechless to realise the fact that I'm travelling with The Famous Kopites to Anfield. The bus had an upper deck but I chose to sit in the lower deck and I sat and thought about the fact that I'm actually travelling to Anfield. It took 15-20 mins to reach the place where I always wanted to be. I went down from the bus and stood watching the place like a little kid. I kept staring at it for more than 10mins, shook myself really hard to to believe that I'm actually standing in front of a very famous gateway with 3 champions league trophies on top. It read "Paisely Gateway" and the upper wall read "The Kop". I had moist eyes that searched for someone. Someone I can share my feelings with. I entered through the gate and looked straight and there he was, the man who gave a new life to Liverpool. I could not believe my eyes. I took a picture with the statue and headed towards the LFC store where I lost all my money to some of the coolest merchandise you can take home with you. The most notable one being the Official Matchday Scarf. I took an Expresso and a couple of Fish Sticks as I lost my appetite to some incredible match day scenes at Anfield. I walked towards the Centenary Stand and saw the most beautiful gate that read "You'll Never Walk Alone" . I took a picture of it and the beautiful gate gave my zero photography skill a whole new level. I saw people roaming around cladded in their red jerseys and jackets and scarves. I kept wandering around the stadium visiting the main stand followed by the Kop again. Then I saw a familiar face walking by the main stand and waiting to enter the Hospitality gate. I ran my heart out so that I could reach before he enters the stadium. I took a picture with none other than Dietmar Hamann. As soon as I was half dead, I decided to enter anfield and the rest I will try my best but words are certainly not enough to describe that feeling. It was incredible to say the least.
Anfield was buzzing with matchday thrill and people kept on pouring in numbers since the turnstiles were open. The setlist at Anfield sounded more familiar than anything else that day. "What's it like in Liverpool", "Three Little Birds"and my personal favourite "Fields of Anfield Road". I sang my heart out before I had a photography marathon session. People were always ready to help me get some of the best snaps. I had two extreme seats for the two games I went to watch. I had a 72nd row for the Stoke City game and a 4th row for the mouth watering Manchester City game. Suddenly I could see Mignolt and Karius warming up and getting ready for the game against Stoke. It was around 4 40-45 when the whole Liverpool team followed the footsteps of Henderson, greeted by 50000+ Kopites were on the field for a light warm up session. I could not belive my eyes when I saw my Liverpool Eyes practising in front of me. Firmino doing an elastico to put one past Mignolet, Milner sending a long ball to Lovren who received on his chest and put the ball in the box for Origi who sent it flying into the Kop End. It was still a dream for me.
At 5, the players went down the tunnel to get themselves ready for the kickoff. The Stoke City fans at the opposite side were trying to make some noise but 50000 Kopites were too loud for their comfort. The players were on the field at 5 10-12. Then came the most emotional moment of my life. The stadium palyed Gerry's You'll Never Walk Alone. I, somehow held on to my phone to capture a video of the whole thing. Tears rolled down my cheeks. After a long time I cried like a little child does when he/she fails to cope with his/her inhibitions. Goosebumps. Anfield screaming at the top of its voice. 1000s of scarves up in the air, electrifying atmosphere, highly hostile for any opponent. As soon as the whistle was blown, I lost myself in a dream that lasted for 90mins and the hangover will be a lifetime one. We won 4-1. My first game at Anfield and it turned out to be a one sided game for my team. I smiled, I cried, I shouted, I reveled, I jumped, I sang and I lived every moment. That night, after the game I returned home alone from Liverpool to Manchester. I was the happiest man on earth. I went back home and eagerly waited for the game against Manchester City.
Before the exciting game against the Cityzens, I had the privilege of entering anfield, because I had booked a museum tour. I was very lucky to get a brilliant guide who was known as Ray and he is a season ticket holder since 1967. He explained Anfield in a beautiful way. He shared all the history. We went in to the Legends Lounge, the seats right in front of the box office in the main stand. We went to Spion Kop where he shared all he knew about the very famous standing kop that has been forced to be a seated one since 1994. I sat on Jurgen Klopp's seat and had a few wonderful pictures clicked right beside the silky smooth pitch that was getting ready to host Man City in couple of days.
We had a one on one Q&A with Liverpool legend, John Aldirdge or Aldo. He is a golden boot winner and had won the first division with Liverpool. He shared all his experiences as a player and also shared his views regarding the current team. I had the opportunity of asking a couple of questions to him. Asking a question to John Aldridge? Yeah Right!. He signed my matchday program and also allowed me to click a picture with him. He shared some of the moments of his career that I'm going to cherish throughout the rest of my life.
After meeting Aldo I headed towards the Club Museum which had all the silverware and the sight was unbelievable. I saw all the jerseys of all the previous eras, even the one with the blue and white sides that Everton had left when they went to the other side of Stanley Park. Then came the 5th Champions League trophy that was won at Istanbul in 2005, it is the only original Champions League trophy in England. With Phill Thompson's commentary and guidance in my ears, I went around the museum with a scintillating sense of gratitude. I couldn't believe my eyes. I left the museum and left Anfield in the evening to catch a bus to Manchester.
31st December was a huge day for me as Liverpool locked horns with Manchester City at Anfield and I had a seat at the 4th row of Kop End. I could not control my excitement. I was totally charged up and was very excited to see the whole team pumped up for the big game. To be very honest, it was a very average game but thanks to a brilliant header by Wijnaldum we ended up with 3 points leaving Manchester City 4 points behind us. Anfield was at the top of its voice and it booed Raheem Sterling every time he had the ball in his feet. I had planned to leave one of my scarves at the Hillsborough memorial but unfortunately I dropped it somewhere inside the stadium and it was already too late to buy one from the club's store. I went out of Anfield with mixed emotions. We beat Manchester City and I was there inside the stadium singing with the Kop but that was probably the last time in many years to come that I was in front of Anfield. With a heavy heart I headed towards my next destination which was London.
The Beatles Story
We booked our Magical Mystery Tour for 29th of December. We reached Albert Dock as early as 10 30 A.M. Baffled at the scenic beauty, we headed towards our Beatles tour . The bus was right on time and from the time we had boarded the bus, we had been under the guidance of a man who knew everything about The Beatles. We visited Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, Ringo's house, Paul's house, John's house and my favourite George Harrison's house. We were enjoying all the Beatles songs that were being played in the bus and they were in accordance with the places we were visiting. The Beatles were my childhood heroes and that idolism has not changed yet. I always wanted to make this tour possible. We ended our tour at The Cavern Club where we saw an extremely talented musician, Marc Kenny play some of the Beatles Classics along with his original "What's it like in Liverpool". The Beatles performed 292 times at The Cavern Club and the place was equipped with guitars and mementos from so many legendary musicians who had performed at that place before. We left The Cavern and went to the Goodison Park followed by my Mecca, Anfield. We left for Manchester again in the evening.
Bit of this and a Bit of that
I visited Old Trafford with my friend. We went inside the Lancashire stadium which is adjacent to Old Trafford. While my friend was watching Manchester United toy with Sunderland's defense, I was roaming around the city, drinking a glass of beer and hoping they would telecast the match somewhere but unfortunately the match was not telecasted that day. I went to Etihad and we boarded the Metrolink Tram services to visit both the stadiums within the city. We visited the English Lounge for a couple of drinks and met with an aged Evertonian who had a couple of things to tell me for obvious reasons. We went to Yates on the 31st night before boarding our bus to London. Christmas is very boring in the U.K and we screwed up a bit in order to reach Manchester. We booked our train from London Euston to Manchester in accordance with the IST and that cost us 27 pounds. We took an Airline bus to Oxford where my Subhayan offered us the best services and hospitality. We took a gamble and went out around 1 A.M at night. We were lucky enough to get two seats in a bus that was heading towards Blackpool via Liverpool which was sold out when we checked online. The bus took us to Liverpool from where it became really easy for us to reach Manchester.
We again screwed up, went to Island Gardens in London on 1st. We visited Emirates, Stamford Bridge and Wembley followed by The Big Ben as well as the London Eye but the rain had ruined most part of our visit to London. However, we went to Oxford again after missing out on the 9:20P.M bus which was full. We reached at 1 A.M and Subhayan was again very kind enough to let us have a very good night sleep at his place. We took a small tour of Oxford next morning where Subhayan became our guide and finally left for London Heathrow around 2P.M in the afternoon.
Small things that mattered a lot
Picadilly Gardens
Primark
Debbenham's
Metrolink Services
National Express
The classic black cabs
The weather was absolutely crazy. Too cold for an Indian. We surely had the time of our lives and would love to go back again as soon as possible but this time it will be a different time of the year. We had a very little glimpse of London, probably next time we will explore a lot of London.
And..
Etihad Airways is a stupid airline
"Beside the Hillsborough Flame
I heard a Kopite mourning
Why so many taken on that day?
Justice has never been done
But their memory will carry on
There'll be glory around the Fields of Anfield Road"
In 1998 another teenager debuted for Liverpool Football Club and the rest is history. Steven Gerrard made me cry and smile at the same time. I, as a football player always tried to emulate what he did. The night at Istanbul was one of those nights that every football fan craves for. The little child in me always wanted to meet Gerrard especially after that goal against Olympiakos that saw us through. The incredible noise at Istanbul after we were 3-0 down at the stroke of half time against the legendary A.C Milan side. We won our fifth Champions League trophy and the moment when Stevie G lifted the trophy, I was not being able to control my emotions.
My mission for Anfield started as early as 2001-02 when I realised that St John was right, "There's no noise like the Anfield noise".
Anfield Experience.
I am in the U.K for the past 5 days and I saved my Anfield visit for the match day. I was staying in Manchester which is one bus(one hour) away from Liverpool.
It was a 5:15PM kickoff and so I had a lot of time to reach Anfield. I got out from Manchester as soon as possible, as early as 10A.M in the morning. I took a National Express to Liverpool via Manchester Airport. After 45-50 mins I could see familiar things. I saw Liverpool Echo, Liverpool One. I reached Albert Dock followed by the Liverpool One Bus station. I could wait no longer. "Sir, What is the best way to reach Anfield?", I asked an officer who are the best people out here. "Take bus no. 26 from stand 4 my boy and have a great time", replied an aged voice who knows how it feels to visit Anfield. So I waited with a group of Liverpool fans at the mentioned stand. I could already feel the atmosphere and was not in the right mood to talk sense. The bus came and as expected I dropped my coinsfrom the wallet and I was already speechless to realise the fact that I'm travelling with The Famous Kopites to Anfield. The bus had an upper deck but I chose to sit in the lower deck and I sat and thought about the fact that I'm actually travelling to Anfield. It took 15-20 mins to reach the place where I always wanted to be. I went down from the bus and stood watching the place like a little kid. I kept staring at it for more than 10mins, shook myself really hard to to believe that I'm actually standing in front of a very famous gateway with 3 champions league trophies on top. It read "Paisely Gateway" and the upper wall read "The Kop". I had moist eyes that searched for someone. Someone I can share my feelings with. I entered through the gate and looked straight and there he was, the man who gave a new life to Liverpool. I could not believe my eyes. I took a picture with the statue and headed towards the LFC store where I lost all my money to some of the coolest merchandise you can take home with you. The most notable one being the Official Matchday Scarf. I took an Expresso and a couple of Fish Sticks as I lost my appetite to some incredible match day scenes at Anfield. I walked towards the Centenary Stand and saw the most beautiful gate that read "You'll Never Walk Alone" . I took a picture of it and the beautiful gate gave my zero photography skill a whole new level. I saw people roaming around cladded in their red jerseys and jackets and scarves. I kept wandering around the stadium visiting the main stand followed by the Kop again. Then I saw a familiar face walking by the main stand and waiting to enter the Hospitality gate. I ran my heart out so that I could reach before he enters the stadium. I took a picture with none other than Dietmar Hamann. As soon as I was half dead, I decided to enter anfield and the rest I will try my best but words are certainly not enough to describe that feeling. It was incredible to say the least.
Anfield was buzzing with matchday thrill and people kept on pouring in numbers since the turnstiles were open. The setlist at Anfield sounded more familiar than anything else that day. "What's it like in Liverpool", "Three Little Birds"and my personal favourite "Fields of Anfield Road". I sang my heart out before I had a photography marathon session. People were always ready to help me get some of the best snaps. I had two extreme seats for the two games I went to watch. I had a 72nd row for the Stoke City game and a 4th row for the mouth watering Manchester City game. Suddenly I could see Mignolt and Karius warming up and getting ready for the game against Stoke. It was around 4 40-45 when the whole Liverpool team followed the footsteps of Henderson, greeted by 50000+ Kopites were on the field for a light warm up session. I could not belive my eyes when I saw my Liverpool Eyes practising in front of me. Firmino doing an elastico to put one past Mignolet, Milner sending a long ball to Lovren who received on his chest and put the ball in the box for Origi who sent it flying into the Kop End. It was still a dream for me.
At 5, the players went down the tunnel to get themselves ready for the kickoff. The Stoke City fans at the opposite side were trying to make some noise but 50000 Kopites were too loud for their comfort. The players were on the field at 5 10-12. Then came the most emotional moment of my life. The stadium palyed Gerry's You'll Never Walk Alone. I, somehow held on to my phone to capture a video of the whole thing. Tears rolled down my cheeks. After a long time I cried like a little child does when he/she fails to cope with his/her inhibitions. Goosebumps. Anfield screaming at the top of its voice. 1000s of scarves up in the air, electrifying atmosphere, highly hostile for any opponent. As soon as the whistle was blown, I lost myself in a dream that lasted for 90mins and the hangover will be a lifetime one. We won 4-1. My first game at Anfield and it turned out to be a one sided game for my team. I smiled, I cried, I shouted, I reveled, I jumped, I sang and I lived every moment. That night, after the game I returned home alone from Liverpool to Manchester. I was the happiest man on earth. I went back home and eagerly waited for the game against Manchester City.
Before the exciting game against the Cityzens, I had the privilege of entering anfield, because I had booked a museum tour. I was very lucky to get a brilliant guide who was known as Ray and he is a season ticket holder since 1967. He explained Anfield in a beautiful way. He shared all the history. We went in to the Legends Lounge, the seats right in front of the box office in the main stand. We went to Spion Kop where he shared all he knew about the very famous standing kop that has been forced to be a seated one since 1994. I sat on Jurgen Klopp's seat and had a few wonderful pictures clicked right beside the silky smooth pitch that was getting ready to host Man City in couple of days.
We had a one on one Q&A with Liverpool legend, John Aldirdge or Aldo. He is a golden boot winner and had won the first division with Liverpool. He shared all his experiences as a player and also shared his views regarding the current team. I had the opportunity of asking a couple of questions to him. Asking a question to John Aldridge? Yeah Right!. He signed my matchday program and also allowed me to click a picture with him. He shared some of the moments of his career that I'm going to cherish throughout the rest of my life.
After meeting Aldo I headed towards the Club Museum which had all the silverware and the sight was unbelievable. I saw all the jerseys of all the previous eras, even the one with the blue and white sides that Everton had left when they went to the other side of Stanley Park. Then came the 5th Champions League trophy that was won at Istanbul in 2005, it is the only original Champions League trophy in England. With Phill Thompson's commentary and guidance in my ears, I went around the museum with a scintillating sense of gratitude. I couldn't believe my eyes. I left the museum and left Anfield in the evening to catch a bus to Manchester.
31st December was a huge day for me as Liverpool locked horns with Manchester City at Anfield and I had a seat at the 4th row of Kop End. I could not control my excitement. I was totally charged up and was very excited to see the whole team pumped up for the big game. To be very honest, it was a very average game but thanks to a brilliant header by Wijnaldum we ended up with 3 points leaving Manchester City 4 points behind us. Anfield was at the top of its voice and it booed Raheem Sterling every time he had the ball in his feet. I had planned to leave one of my scarves at the Hillsborough memorial but unfortunately I dropped it somewhere inside the stadium and it was already too late to buy one from the club's store. I went out of Anfield with mixed emotions. We beat Manchester City and I was there inside the stadium singing with the Kop but that was probably the last time in many years to come that I was in front of Anfield. With a heavy heart I headed towards my next destination which was London.
The Beatles Story
We booked our Magical Mystery Tour for 29th of December. We reached Albert Dock as early as 10 30 A.M. Baffled at the scenic beauty, we headed towards our Beatles tour . The bus was right on time and from the time we had boarded the bus, we had been under the guidance of a man who knew everything about The Beatles. We visited Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, Ringo's house, Paul's house, John's house and my favourite George Harrison's house. We were enjoying all the Beatles songs that were being played in the bus and they were in accordance with the places we were visiting. The Beatles were my childhood heroes and that idolism has not changed yet. I always wanted to make this tour possible. We ended our tour at The Cavern Club where we saw an extremely talented musician, Marc Kenny play some of the Beatles Classics along with his original "What's it like in Liverpool". The Beatles performed 292 times at The Cavern Club and the place was equipped with guitars and mementos from so many legendary musicians who had performed at that place before. We left The Cavern and went to the Goodison Park followed by my Mecca, Anfield. We left for Manchester again in the evening.
Bit of this and a Bit of that
I visited Old Trafford with my friend. We went inside the Lancashire stadium which is adjacent to Old Trafford. While my friend was watching Manchester United toy with Sunderland's defense, I was roaming around the city, drinking a glass of beer and hoping they would telecast the match somewhere but unfortunately the match was not telecasted that day. I went to Etihad and we boarded the Metrolink Tram services to visit both the stadiums within the city. We visited the English Lounge for a couple of drinks and met with an aged Evertonian who had a couple of things to tell me for obvious reasons. We went to Yates on the 31st night before boarding our bus to London. Christmas is very boring in the U.K and we screwed up a bit in order to reach Manchester. We booked our train from London Euston to Manchester in accordance with the IST and that cost us 27 pounds. We took an Airline bus to Oxford where my Subhayan offered us the best services and hospitality. We took a gamble and went out around 1 A.M at night. We were lucky enough to get two seats in a bus that was heading towards Blackpool via Liverpool which was sold out when we checked online. The bus took us to Liverpool from where it became really easy for us to reach Manchester.
We again screwed up, went to Island Gardens in London on 1st. We visited Emirates, Stamford Bridge and Wembley followed by The Big Ben as well as the London Eye but the rain had ruined most part of our visit to London. However, we went to Oxford again after missing out on the 9:20P.M bus which was full. We reached at 1 A.M and Subhayan was again very kind enough to let us have a very good night sleep at his place. We took a small tour of Oxford next morning where Subhayan became our guide and finally left for London Heathrow around 2P.M in the afternoon.
Small things that mattered a lot
Picadilly Gardens
Primark
Debbenham's
Metrolink Services
National Express
The classic black cabs
The weather was absolutely crazy. Too cold for an Indian. We surely had the time of our lives and would love to go back again as soon as possible but this time it will be a different time of the year. We had a very little glimpse of London, probably next time we will explore a lot of London.
And..
Etihad Airways is a stupid airline
"Beside the Hillsborough Flame
I heard a Kopite mourning
Why so many taken on that day?
Justice has never been done
But their memory will carry on
There'll be glory around the Fields of Anfield Road"
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