As part of our big match build up to the Liverpool v City clash of the titans, VMC’s Skoorb caught up with Vital Liverpool’s Gavin for his take on an imminent goalfest or damp squib…
Q. Who is your favourite Liverpool player of all time and why?
‘That’s a tough one considering we’ve had so many great players over the years. Given my age (31), I missed a lot of our golden period in the 70s and 80s and was too young to remember the amazing teams of Kenny Dalglish’s first spell in charge. Therefore, for me, it’s a toss up between Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler. Gerrard will go down as one of the greatest of all time and so many of our achievements over the past 15 years are primarily down to him. Personally though, Fowler was always my favourite player growing up; he was a phenomenal goalscorer with a god-given instinct for being in the right place at the right time. Fowler was also a real character and, but for injury, would have enjoyed even more success both for club and country.’
Q. What brought you to follow Liverpool?
‘Like so many football supporters I followed my dad’s lead. He’s been a massive Liverpool fan since the 60s and, despite being born and raised in Kent, I was left with little option but to follow suit – not that I’m complaining! I started to make regular trips to the city in my early teens and soon fell in love with both it and the people as well.’
Q. Name the best and the worst things about being a Liverpool fan.
‘Being a southern-based Red, the worst thing has always been the allegation that I must be some sort of ‘glory hunter’, which, given I was seven the last time we won the league championship, is more than a little harsh. In more recent times, getting to attend games due to work, family and financial commitments, not to mention the scarcity of tickets, has proven a source of much frustration and upset.
‘The best thing has to be our history; so many amazing teams, players, achievements and memorable games to look back on. The fans also play a phenomenal part in making the club what it is and there is still nothing like being part of an Anfield atmosphere on the big occasions.’
Q. If you could pick one player from the Manchester City squad who would it be and why?
‘Probably Vincent Kompany due to our defensive frailties this season. He’s a special player who reads the game incredibly well and inspires others around him.’
Q. If there was one player in Liverpool’s squad that you would want to keep above all others who would it be and why?
‘Got to be Luis Suarez, especially given Gerrard is now into the twilight of his glittering career. He really is up there with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world right now. Suarez has so much skill but allies it with intelligence, tenacity and an unbelievable work-rate. I love a good footballing cliche – even though most of them are nonsense – and if a player could ever truly be described as ‘unplayable’ when on form then it is him.’
Q. If John W. Henry offered the fans a choice between staying at an unchanged Anfield or moving to a brand new, larger capacity stadium which would you pick?
‘If those were the only two choices then for the good of the club it would have to be a new stadium. We currently generate around £1million less per home game than Arsenal and Manchester United do. That’s a lot of money across the course of a whole season and it will be hard to compete long-term unless we increase capacity and improve the corporate facilities.
‘Thankfully we will soon be revealing further details of our proposed revamp of Anfield which will increase capacity by 15,000 to 60,000. It’s a very happy medium, if you will, as Anfield is an iconic venue that nobody wants to leave unless we really have to.’
Q. When the season started did you expect to be challenging for the title or would you have seen qualifying for the Champion’s League as a decent return for Rodger’s first season in charge?
‘Champions League qualification was always the aim and, after finishing last season strongly and then keeping Suarez, I always felt we could do it. Challenging for the title, not to mention being top with just five games to go, goes way beyond what I could ever had imagined outside of a dream though. This is still fundamentally the group of players who finished 7th last season and 8th the year before that.’
Q. When Brendan Rodgers gets around to discussing a new contract would you like to see him awarded one for say…10 years? Can you see him being at your club for that long?
‘I certainly see him being at the club for a long time but I’m not sure I’d ever give someone that length of contract! It will be interesting to see how he copes with the inevitable increased expectation, not to mention juggling playing in Europe, next season. His appointment was always with an eye on the future and I anticipate him being around for at least the next three or four years but in modern football you just never can tell. The days of managers staying for 15 or 20 years at one club sadly seem to be over.’
Q. The cruise ship you are on is sinking but you have made it onto a lifeboat. You can take one more person in the boat without risking it tipping over. Two other survivors swim up to the lifeboat desperate to be saved. One is wearing an Everton shirt the other is wearing a Manchester United shirt. You have to save one…who’s it going to be and why?
‘I suspect not too many fans of any of the clubs mentioned go on cruises (perhaps some of the Old Trafford prawn sandwich brigade?) but, hypothetically speaking at least, I’d save the Everton fan without a moments hesitation. Of course, I’m tempted to say I’d sacrifice my own spot and allow them both to survive but that would probably be a lie! To me personally, largely based on their recent successes, United is the much bigger rival at present, although these things often change over time. Also, the Everton fan is almost guaranteed to be related to a Liverpool supporter and I’m therefore saving fellow Reds from the personal heartache of losing a loved one.’
Very many thanks and respect to Gavin and the Vital Liverpool team.
Liverpool: The View From The Etihad
UPCOMING DATES FOR YOUR FILOFAX:
all times East Manchester BST unless stated
Su 13Apr 13h37, Liverpool, Anfield, PL
We 16Apr 19h45, Sunderland, The Etihad, PL
Mo 21Apr 20h00, West Brom, The Etihad, PL
Su 27Apr 16h10, Crystal Palace, Selhurst Park, PL
Sa 03May 15h00, Everton, Goodison Park, PL
We 07May 19h45, Aston Villa, The Etihad, PL
Su 11May 15h00, West Ham, The Etihad, PL
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