Vive la révolution de Brendan Rodgers.
Long live the revolution, they chanted, as the blood-filled streets of Paris oozed excitement and anticipation, the people eagerly awaiting the great new era of independence. Distinguishing themselves from the blight of the past, of kings and queens and royalty, a failed regime, it wouldn’t be easy. But with these new leaders, a new spirit, the spirit of France rejuvenated again, finally progress could be made towards the nation that all dreamt of, where people did not starve in the streets while royals feasted on the delight of indulgence, where the population controlled their own lives, their own laws, their own existence. Under leaders, real leaders, such as Lafayette, Robespierre and the now infamous Napoleon Bonaparte, this kind of warped, idealistic world was a treasure to them and despite the treacherous corruption and moral degradation which they would navigate, even when the guillotine dropped, the light was always there at the end of the tunnel…
Does it sound familiar?
Obviously, the little history lesson would sound familiar to anybody who studied the time period of the French Revolution-and even the most uneducated of people will have heard of that point in history-will know of that conflagration which spread throughout France like wildfire. This was the French Revolution.
The point of that little history lesson?
We’re living it. Now. As we speak, a revolution surges not in the vast countryside of France, but rather in the city of Liverpool, with its people growing ever-restless, its supporters standing firm at the best and the worst of times, if not barely. As those eleven men walk into Anfield on that first day every Premier League fan knows and loves, the excitement and anticipation trembling through their very pores, they’ll know that change is happening, that never before in their lifetimes has there existed such a buzz around the hallowed gates of Anfield. Because what Brendan Rodgers and his faithful team around Melwood, Anfield and Liverpool as a whole are doing is something thought to be unheard of in this age….
Giving the people hope.
Just as Robespierre promised, just as Napoleon assured, just as every member of the sans-culottes desperately desired, the idea of hope of a light at the end of the tunnel, that is the driving factor behind the human mind, and Brendan Rodgers is the man, like those historically iconic names, who is filling the minds of the Kop with that hope once again. The hope that one day, perhaps sooner, perhaps later….
The Liverbird will be back atop its perch.
They almost did. They almost got there, but for the cruellest chance that chipped the dreams of every Liverpool fan around the world. Those in Anfield, those watching on the thirty inch TV screens in pubs and bars around the world, those sitting at home, all breathing one conjoint gasp of horror as Demba Ba slotted the ball through Simon Mignolet’s legs and suddenly the whole world came crashing down.
And they still sang.
The final whistle blew. It took a while to set in. Things didn’t go as planned. The evil mastermind succeeded.
And they still sang.
The Kop still sang.
Because no matter what, last season was a success. It may not have been the ultimate success, but it was a success nevertheless. The revolution’s momentum gained true traction, finally, after what seemed like a millennia, the Kop had that gleam of hope in its eyes once more. Just as the French people sought a better life, so too do the people flooding into the Anfield gates, eagerly awaiting kick-off. Thanks to this season, they can have that life, the life of success and hope. It’s all there for the taking, and Liverpool are drawing closer to it…
And right as the dust settled, and everyone thought Liverpool would be soldiering into next season with the third best player in the world in scintillating form, and the Kop would be rife with praise for their world-beating side….He did it again.
Why he did it, we’ll never know. The consequences, however, are plain for all to see.
Negative consequences? Absolutely.
Dire consequences? Perhaps not.
After the rollercoaster ride, every Liverpool fan will want this revolution to continue. With the type of football Brendan Rodgers instilled in his side, the rest of the world will want this revolution to continue. With or without Luis Suarez. The move to Barcelona – his dream club – is as imminent as the next sunset; everybody wants it to be concluded so that the next day can finally arrive.
Yet there are those, oddly, who believe that the next day contains nothing but sadness. Who believe that names such as Ryan Bertrand and Moussa Sissoko immediately spell disaster for Liverpool, who believe that only having Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema linked is not enough, who believe that Liverpool are suddenly behind everybody else due a few words published in newspapers about people who won’t sign.
Yet those people weren’t thinking about the papers when Liverpool put five past Tottenham, Arsenal and Stoke, Four past Everton and Tottenham (again) and Three past….well pretty much everyone else. It’s a Liverpool curse to have such pessimistic fans; it’s a perennial problem that won’t be fixed until the trophy is back atop the Liverbird’s perch. But in the midst of meltdowns and arguments, of ridiculous links and pessimistic viewpoints, one should sit down, close their eyes, and realise what they’re living. You’d be forgiven for wondering why the French people decapitated their nobles and killed their leaders, and the answer will never be definitive.
However, as the talismans come and go, the money comes and goes and the fans continue to decapitate the leaders with the twiddle of their thumbs across a touch screen, take a moment to realise that this isn’t the French Revolution, this is the Rodgers Revolution and though Suarez, like Robespierre, will exist only in the memories of those privileged enough to get a glimpse of him, one thing will remain the same. The light at the end of the tunnel will be there. And it’s a lot closer now than it ever was before. So enjoy the ride, and remember:
Long live the revolution.
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