Well done, Liverpool, I'm proud of you

I did feel somewhat inclined to write a less than subtle post here. I was sorely tempted to write a vitriolic diatribe on how "we wuz robbed", jammy Italian teams and dodgy match officials. But I'm not going to. Why the change of heart, you may ask. Well, after the game I didn't feel inclined to watch somebody else's celebration but I couldn't be bothered getting up out of my chair either, so after the final whistle I just continued to watch the TV. As I watched, I saw members of the AC Milan team applaud our players, even in the midst of their own celebrations. I noted with interest the fact that the might red international army of Liverpool fans remained in the stadium and applauded the Italians. I listened as a series of Liverpool players were interviewed and gave all credit to AC Milan for their victory. No bitterness; not a hint of it. I remembered that we British were once known for our sporting nature and at this moment, in a stadium in Athens, that sportsmanship still existed. How ironic that this great, British attribute should reveal itself in a Liverpool team of international dimensions under the management of a Spaniard and the ownership on two Americans. Such a pleasant change from the bitter war of words that pours forth weekly from that other golden soccer trio of Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho.

That great legend of Liverpool FC, Bill Shankly, once famously said, "Some people think football is a matter of life and death...I can assure them it is much more important than that." Well, of course, nobody knows better than Liverpool fans how untrue that statement is. We have known our dark times. We have felt deep shame after the loss of life at Heysel and we have grieved the loss of our own at Hillsborough. We have spent our time in the wilderness. We have also been fortunate enough to experience the highest highs that sport has to offer, many times. In this part of the world, football is in the blood, but ultimately there are some things more important. We must remember that as we journey through this life we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. Undoubtedly we will return, wiser and stronger for this experience. Tonight's score line may not have fallen in our favour but Liverpool FC did enough to make me proud of them.

Be warned, Europe, Rafa and the boys will be back. In the meantime, we will remember the good times.