Losers, Triers, and Dreamers

I started supporting Liverpool in 2009 in a glorious victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The feeling of winning as an underdog while playing beautiful football, at the time, was the closest I know to happiness. I remember calling myself a Liverpool fan that night, not knowing what it really meant.

I came because we won.

After 2009, Liverpool’s situation worsened every season. Key players started to leave, we were no longer a title contender, and we couldn’t qualify for Champions League football. I started following tennis to distract myself from the devastating state of the club I love. Supporting Liverpool meant knowing we won’t be winning anything for a while.

In 2013-2014, Liverpool started charging for the title out of absolutely nothing. We came back to our playing style in 2009, attacking and heart-wrecking. I returned to following football week in, week out.

The campaign of that season was called “Make Us Dream”.

The dream was to win the Premier League after more than 20 years of coming close. Yet, with Gerrard’s heartbreaking slip, the Premier League remained a dream for another 6 years.

But that was the season I swore to be a die-hard Koptie (Liverpool supporter). Liverpool 13-14 gave me something much greater than victory, they gave me the right to dream.

That season, I decided to stay in spite of our loss. I stayed for the right to dream.

The right to dream is different from a dream. Anyone can dream. A dream is cheap. But the right to dream is a dream with some realistic expectations of victory. These expectations grow as you put in more effort and small wins come as a result. The right to dream entails observable progress.

First win ⇒ Group stage ⇒ Quarter-final ⇒ Semi-final ⇒ Final…

Liverpool just lost 2 major trophies in a span of 1 week. But the club and its supporters took it just as I thought we would: we moved on and celebrated our “small” wins. Haters laughed at our dream of winning it all. But I am proud that we earned our right to dream it.

“The world is not full of winners. It is full of triers who try to win.” - Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s manager.

A tournament is interesting, not only because of the winner, but usually because of the losers who fought so hard to win.

I think the same applies to life: You may not always win in life. The question for an interesting life is: Will you have faith and aspiration to try, lose, and try again?

Thinking back, I didn’t stay a Liverpool fan “in spite of” our loss, I stayed “because of” our loss. Dream on!