My Liverpool supporting friend messaged me on Sunday…

The Mag

·17 Maret 2025

My Liverpool supporting friend messaged me on Sunday…

That fantastic victory, against what is undoubtably the best team in the country, just now is still sinking in.

As we slowly drew nearer to the end of the match (Liverpool managing to receive a not unexpected extra 13 minutes or so) all I could say to Mrs Lass was, “I can’t believe it!”

Video OneFootball

She’d been in the kitchen for most of the game, following it on line for fear of jinxing things, but had to come into the lounge for those last few heart-stopping moments.

When the final whistle went, all I could think was, “We’ve done it. Got that monkey off our back.” Two monkeys, actually – the 70 years without a domestic trophy one and our nemesis, Liverpool beaten at last.

Things don’t get much better than that, but then, a whole series of other thoughts started popping into my head.

First of all, what about all the poor souls who shuffled off this mortal coil during the last 56 years, who never got to see the lads lift another trophy aloft in their lifetime.

Or youngsters gone before their time, who didn’t see it happen at all.

Young men like Sonny Farrier from Walker who was knocked down and killed in December, 2023, and lifelong fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney, tragically brought down to their death as flight MH17 was destroyed when they were on their way to New Zealand to watch NUFC in pre-season friendlies.

Maybe a morbid thought to be having while everyone was rightly dancing with joy but it just suddenly struck me and brought a bit of a lump to my throat. I’m sure though, that their families and friends can take solace from the fact that their team did finally make it and they would be glad to think that the players, coaching staff and owners have honoured their memories in the best way possible.

On a far less serious note, I also thought about two players who left the club recently – Elliot Anderson and Miguel Almiron.

Elliot will have been overjoyed at the win and may even have been there at Wembley, though he must be slightly gutted that he wasn’t walking up those steps with his good mate Anthony Gordon. Still, he won’t feel so bad when Forest deservedly confirm their place in next season’s Champions League – with no small thanks to Elliot for his contributions.

Miggy will at least have the consolation of official recognition. Although he moved on in January, he played in four matches, so easily qualifies for a winner’s medal.

I have some good Scouse friends who are avid Liverpool fans. Before the match, one messaged me and said. “I obviously want our reds to win this cup (and the league of course) but losing to the Magpies wouldn’t be so bad for me… We’ve won a hell of a lot over the years and are top in England for major trophies, so we can’t complain too much if others have a bit of success.”

Not patronising but also, I’m sure, not totally typical. However, I have seen comments from people who were at Wembley that the Scousers were generally gracious in defeat. Their manager certainly was and admitted quite frankly that we deserved to win because we executed our game plan much better than they did. I can’t imagine the now retired Mr Ed being so magnanimous!

There’s a small town at the end of a metro route in The NE of England where, of course, the denizens will not be overjoyed today. The supporters of their, currently, second tier team always take great pains to try and denigrate any achievement of ours as a means of ignoring the lack of such on their part in recent times. Let’s see them trying to get around the fact that we didn’t just beat the best team in the land to win the Cup but the best four on current form – Chelsea, Forest, Arsenal (twice) and Liverpool all put to the sword.

After the game we both enjoyed watching the presentations of medals and the cup and then the prolonged celebrations on the Wembley pitch. But Mrs Lass was quite taken aback by how quickly the Scouse hordes left the stadium with most of them gone, I think, before their team received their medals. She scathingly pronounced that, “The Geordies would never have done that.” Quite right too.

Which brings me to my final thought. What about a homecoming? I know there was no plan for a parade this week because they’re away for some well earned R & R and warm weather training but surely there has to be something when they come back to Tyneside. Just YouTube the lads’ return in 1974 having lost the final, to get a flavour of the total madness that will take over the city when they come back as winners this time around (***ED Just after publishing this article, the club have announced Saturday 29 March for the victory parade).

I still actually can’t believe it!