Bill Shankly once said that football is much more serious than a
matter of life and death and I never understand that phrase. Come on,
football is beautiful and all that, but more serious than a matter of
death? Hyperbole at its maximum. Well, that’s my understanding before I
found this book.
In “44 Years With the Same Bird”, Brian Reade, a journalist and a
born and breed Liverpool fan, will take you time traveling throughout
his time as a Liverpool supporter. It started when his father took him
and his brother to a game and it hasn’t ended ever since. Reade himself
practically live through the glory and the dark days of one of the
biggest club in the world.
What makes it more interesting is that Reade has such an amazing
personality which eventually lead him to an extraordinary life. Once,
he even met Shankly by pretending to be a school journalist. And as a
passionate and obssessed fan, Reade is one of the fortunates who’ve met
many legends (Shankly, Paisley, Dalglish, Souness) and been in so many
important games (5 champions league finals and more). Reading his life,
at one moment I was filled with envious feeling so I muttered the words
“I want to live his life”
The book itself is also a beautiful testament of how football connects Reade with people that are close to him; his mother, brother, father, friends, and in the end, his son. Many Reade’s personal moments are written here so we can imagine what it feels like to live and breathe football 24/7.
The book itself is also a beautiful testament of how football connects Reade with people that are close to him; his mother, brother, father, friends, and in the end, his son. Many Reade’s personal moments are written here so we can imagine what it feels like to live and breathe football 24/7.
From a Liverpool supporter point of view, Reade’s book teach me the
immensity of Liverpool football club for the people of Liverpool.
Of how football can be so meaningful on a level I’ve never imagine
before. And no, I’m not talking about the trophies (though I can’t deny
that’s one crucial factor). For me, the part which makes Liverpool in
such tight binding with its grass root fans, is that the club had
survived three different periods of darkness: Thatcher’s regime,
Heysel, and Hillsborough. Each events had changed the culture and the
way Liverpool fans distinguished them self from others. With his
engaging writing style, Brian Reade capture those moments perfectly and
let me learn the history of this club.
I know most of the time I’m guilty of purple prose on my writing,
but I just can’t have enough praises for this book. Its emotional
riding made me shed an actual tear at one moment and wore a huge grin
at the other. It’s passionate, it’s obsessive, it’s breath taking, it’s
heart breaking, it’s funny, and it’s everything!
I definitely recommend this book. Not only for Liverpool fans who
wants to know their club much deeper, but also for those of you who’s
been asking why many fanatical football supporters got that vicious
look on their face when you said “it’s just football, ffs”
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