dave - did you go to Anfield one week and Goodison the next in the boys pen? My Dad (love him, miss him) was an Evertonian but my older brother was a red so I followed suit, bearing in mind we were just up from the 2nd div, just putting it straight I was no glory hunter - I didn't get to go to an actual game until I was about 12.
No mate. I never set foot in Goodison until I was 14 and apart from the World Cup games I only visited the place once per year! I never could get used to those little steps! Glad to hear the somebody-else also had a fantastic Dad. Mine used to regularly shout at me on Saturday dinner with "get out of my sight I'm sick of ye". Then put his hand in his pocket pull out some money (that he had probably saved to go to the match himself) and say "go to the match". I still miss him very much.
I used to taunt my Dad (which I'm really sorry for now) when we won the derby and he was as good humoured back to me as he could be. Bought me my first Liverpool scarf and this from a man who wouldn't touch anything red - wouldn't dry the dishes if the tea towel was red!! I take him only blue and white flowers now - never red!
I only hope that my son has as fond memories of me when I go as I have of my Dad. Still I'll be seeing him out in Australia in a few weeks. He can get ALL of the Liverpool matches live. So we'll be glued to the screen for each and every one. I pity the girls though because they are 7 hours ahead so we'll be making loads of noise in the middle of the night!
Is that your grand-daughters Dave - I'm sure they won't mind losing a bit of sleep if it means you're doing plenty of goal celebrating.
Unfortunately not -yet! I was refering to my wife and his partner. Now I'm tempted to make some remark about beauty sleep - but I'd get battered!
Must be tough with your son living in Convictland. Have you got any kids here? God forbid if mine ever want to move to distant climes.
Sorry dave - adding a few years (more) onto you - but wives, girlfriends all the same, won't mind losing their beauty sleep ;-) Oz will have to wait a little while longer for a few more kopites eh!
He's always had a wanderlust since he was 18. He's lived and worked in Australia and New Zealnd and Canada in between working in the UK. His partner is dual Aussie/Scot and they met in Canada! It means that we have become accustomed to communicating by text, email and Skype (we've had to cut down on the Skype as they turned into 4 hour marathons that ended with everybody pissed and me with bruised rubs where herself has elbowed me out of the way!). In some ways its also been good for us because we have been able to live both here and in Spain but mostly in Tobago. So we are a long-distance family. It makes the reunions all the more sweeter but the goodbyes very tearful. If they decide to stay in Australia and have kids then there is a fair chance that we will end up living there as well. It won't be too bad as long as I can get to watch all the matches live!
I was brought up just off Goodison Road with a dad who was a blue (I've explained before why I turned out normal). Being near the ground we kids used to operate a car minding scam where we'd take the money off drivers and bugger off as soon as they'd gone off to the match. Not long after the second half started they'd open the gates and we'd go in and watch the rest of the game- we were only nippers so no-one seemed to bother us.
Those were the days eh saint? You could be a kid and get away with murder. I feel sorry for the kids today. My parents didn't have a clue where I was half the time or what i was up to. But there was always some adult you could turn to if there really was a problem. We didn't have a lot of money, we made our own entertainment. But in general we were happy. I didn't know until I went to Uni that I was supposed to come from a deprived environment! What deprevation? Liverpool was heaven - dirty, battered and ragged at the edges but HOME
When we were kids and went in the Kop we'd sit on the crash barriers. Every time something marginally exciting happened the crowd would all surge down a few steps, someone would hit you in the back and you'd get pitched off the barrier. You'd land on the back of the bloke in front, if he hadn't gone forward, or the terrace if he had. Either way the bloke behind would reach over and pick you up and stick you back on your perch. Great stuff. Didn't realise how good it was 'til it was gone.
No mate, by then I lived in the posh part of Liverpool in Childwall - but in a corpy house! So I cycled to the match and got fleeced (6d) by the householders in Kemlyn Road to park me bike in their backyards!! It was saint who scammed the fortune.
Like most of us I've had good times and bad. It's still a surprise to me that I've ended up reasonably comfortable - someone up there loves me!
