Take Five
You might be familiar with the saying “I’m not crying, you’re crying”. At this point in the season, we’re all crying. Loud, shaking sobs of despair and anger.
More tears have been shed over LFC’s performance during the first four months of this season than have ever trickled across all the floors in all the onion factories in Vidalia, Georgia. You could fill buckets with the spittle that has been ejected toward the TV during red cards, penalties, fouls, and unfathomable losses.
It’s not a pretty picture, yet there could be hope.
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In and among the injuries and the addition of a handful of players, the intensity on the field hasn’t dropped off that much. From what I’ve seen, the ball is bouncing the wrong way (from a Liverpool perspective). That’s going to happen from time to time.
Writing this during a snowstorm, I’m aware there are three EPL matches on Peacock in about 37 minutes. It’s not LFC, but that’s another bonus from a season full of missteps. When your side is crumbling, you can actually enjoy football again.
Seriously. At the start of ’25-’26, we looked OK, but not at all like the team that came roaring back at sides almost every match when the clock hit 90 minutes. We got a couple of wins, and then the bounces went the other way.
Last-minute goals, our forté last season, are seemingly now the signature moves of every single opponent. I mean, has anyone turned so many draws into losses in such a short period of time?
We’ve gotten slaughtered in a couple of matches, too, so my insisting that we stay positive might fall on jaded ears. Regardless, let’s continue looking at the upside. For that, I decided a list was the best method to convey my ideas for remaining happy when your chosen team is languishing.
I’ve also made this argument into a list so I can wrap this column before Spurs get demolished by Newcastle 8-2 (that’s a predicted score – I’m hoping editors change that to the correct result after the fact).
Five Amazing Ways To Keep Smiling
5 – It’s football. You started watching football and supporting a side because it’s the beautiful game. Want to be happy, go watch football. Put the time and energy, and gas into going places to see more football.
Lower leagues, high school, pickup sessions at the park, futsal at the gym, and so many more places to watch this sport; there’s no excuse to only watch matches that disappoint you. Go watch.
4 – Sort your scarves. If you’re any kind of fan, you’ve collected a few scarves. The supporters who have a problem may have as many as 40 scarves hidden away in a closet upstairs where Gretchen can’t see how much I’ve spent on scarves…But I digress.
So there may be a scarf challenge. Attack it head-on and do one of three things. Rotate the scarves and wear them all regularly – one at a time is the standard method. Set up a display case or system so you can look at and enjoy the different designs and messages.
Start giving them away to people you see who are not wearing a scarf or handing them to bartenders at your favorite pubs for them to display on the wall; or better still, trade them with other LFC supporters.
AMERICAN SCOUSER TAKES ANFIELD
3 – Watch the women. I KNOW WE ARE ALL ALREADY WATCHING LFC WOMEN. It’s a great product, and the gameplay is solid and cleaner than the men’s version.
Increasingly, I’m cringing when Endo (as an example) goes into a tackle because I think he’s often on the edge of being dangerous. Others will say that it’s just aggressive and contact is part of the game.
I’d rather it be a lot more skill and a lot less hacking and kicking. To that end, the women play without cleaning people out. Then use ball handling more than shin-shattering. And it seems like there’s better communication across the pitch in many cases.
Take a minute to watch them. Instead of runs that evaporate at half-pitch, the women seem to keep a play together frequently, the entire length of the pitch. I’m not sure if that changes the visual product – do we crave the frenetic blasting of the ball from end to end? – but it allows me to lose myself in the dance of ball movement. Watch the women.
2 – Listen to Lowe. I could probably just leave this as is.
We all know Rebecca Lowe.
We all watch the Lowe Down.
Every fan desires to have Fanfest in our city…and with it, Rebecca Lowe.
She’s more insightful than the talking heads and the ex-players at the desk with her. She’s got talent, and she’s got a hold on an audience stronger than you might realize.
That’s probably why we have all found different ways over the past half a dozen seasons to dress up our infants/cats/dogs/grandparents/strangers/farm animals in LFC gear for every single NBC and Peacock soccer broadcast.
That’s the fanaticism we carry as LFC supporters, and by allowing Rebecca and the merry-go-round of Robbies and others to educate us, we all become better, smarter fans. Thanks, NBC, and thanks, Rebecca.
SHOP THE AMERICAN SCOUSER COLLECTION TODAY
1 – Put LFC last. And first. And everywhere in-between. Stay with me….
Once you’ve taken this journey to entertain, educate, and connect yourself to the game in new ways, you’ll be able to embrace a world that isn’t 24/7 LFC. And when LFC gets back in the groove, when the palindrome (Etitike) starts busting nets, and Mo finds himself again, that’s when your time away matters.
With these extra-curricular steps, you’ll rekindle your patience, understanding, and hopefully joy of living and breathing LFC. By taking a little time away, you’ll get to recharge. You’ll be mentally and physically healthier in no time, and that could be just what the team needs this year.
I know my next couple of weeks will be spent thinking about the second half of the season. I’m excited for midweek matches over the holidays. And most of all, I’m excited – and HOPEFUL – that our Liverpool will shake off their current hiccup and nudge a few teams out of the way on their way back to the top.
Have faith. It’s the season.
#YNWA