Since my last blog post I’ve started the next one countless times and felt muddled with what to write.
There have been many different things that have happened and gone through my mind over the course of the past two months or so. I’ve had my phone stolen off me in the street, I’ve been to some ace gigs, I’ve had physio on my injured knee, I’ve got a new full time job, I've stood with Manchester a year on after the horrible terrorist attack that claimed 22 lives, and Iron Maiden have started their latest tour. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. One thing that has got under my skin over the past couple of days is the Champions League Final, and the circumstances surrounding Real Madrid’s victory over Liverpool.
I don’t know how many people will read my thoughts on this matter, but here goes…
I’m presuming that the clutch of people that read this will know the score and I’m not ‘spoiling’ the final.
Liverpool lost the Champions League Final 3-1 to Real Madrid. They lost the final largely due to the mistakes of their young (24) German goalkeeper, Loris Karius.
Admittedly, the mistakes he made cost Liverpool the game and as a professional in his field, he should be held accountable for not doing his job properly. Like any professional organisation, not carrying out your job properly would be dealt with by the manager privately; however when you have a global audience of millions of people, there is going to be a public inquest.
In the wake of Loris Karius’ contribution to Liverpool’s defeat he was understandably in tears. He had cost the club the glory of winning another Champions League title, the pride associated with Liverpool, and the financial riches that come with winning such a prestigious game.
His tears were greeted with a wide array of reactions. Rival fans have laughed at his misfortune, others felt sorry for him, opposition players consoled him, people tweeted their reactions and memes were created. What also happened was a hideous backlash of death threats and names called referring to Germany’s political past.
A couple of things have irked me in the aftermath of the game. The first was a tweet by Telegraph football columnist, Sam Wallace. The second was a comment from former Manchester United player, Paul Scholes.
Sam Wallace immediately tweeted regarding mental health, and the effect such blunders could have on the young goalkeeper. He immediately equated it to the tragic death of Robert Enke, another German goalkeeper who took his own life in 2009. For me, Sam Wallace made it sound like you just caught depression in the same way you catch a cold. You don’t catch depression on the back of one thing.
My problems with mental health are still making sense to me around 18 months after I held my hands up, and the events that contributed to my state of mind were years in the making.
Robert Enke’s problems were also built up and centred around many incidents and he eventually took his own life by stepping in front of a train. To suggest this in the same sentence as Loris Karius’ mistakes I feel is wrong.
What is right about Sam Wallace’s tweet is his want to talk about mental health and how these things can affect people. I’m sure his intentions were good and people with a platform speaking out about mental health are good, but it was the comparison that bothered me.
Every case of depression is different. Friends I have spoken to about depression and their own struggles are all unique. I sincerely hope that Loris Karius has the chance to talk to people about what happened and I hope he comes back stronger, and better. At 24, he is very young as far as a goalkeeper’s career goes. The day after the final, he offered his apology via Twitter which again sparked many contrasting responses, but as the dust was settling, many people offered messages of consolation and support. Neville Southall, ex-Everton goalkeeper and Welsh international, tweeted a message of support. Southall is a campaigner for mental health amongst other things; he is of the mould of an old fashioned footballer - someone you would not traditionally expect to be outspoken on these kids of issues. Simon Mignolet, Loris Karius' team mate in the goalkeeping ranks at Liverpool, also offered support.
Whilst Sam Wallace tweeted about mental health and warning of the perils of such mistakes on a person’s mental health, Paul Scholes spoke honestly of what players crying meant to him. He was quoted as saying after Karius letting his third goal in, "I can understand Karius, I suppose, he's devastated at what's happened but injuries are part of the game," he added. "If you go back years and you saw somebody crying on the pitch, they'd have had a whole load of stick for it.” Now it's a different game, players are sensitive and they get upset easily."
The latter part of this comment refers to the injury that Liverpool’s Egyptian talisman, Mohamed Salah, received. Paul Scholes is right; injuries are a part of the game.
This injury was in the biggest club game on earth, and there is a World Cup in the next month – perhaps he was upset at the thought of not representing his club at the tournament – perhaps he was upset at the feeling of not being able to help his club after a record breaking season personally. Perhaps, in 2018, seeing a man crying is ok and they shouldn’t be chastised for showing their emotions.
You can read the whole article here.
If I ever feel like crying, which is rare at the moment, it’s usually a good thing for me as the tablets I take for my mental health suppress many emotions and feelings so when tears want to break through, I feel normal and shows me that I’m still there!
I’ve cried at football before. I was 6 when Gazza got that second booking against West Germany in Turin in 1990; I cried more than him that night and I was told 'it’s only a game' at a young age.
Paul Gascoigne has led a troubled, public life. He was a teenager when that incident happened to him in the World Cup. Who knows the amount of pressure he was under as a young man and the mental struggles he has had to deal with from being in the spotlight ever since. When Paul Gascoigne got that booking, which would have ruled him out of the World Cup Final, he made the headlines because of his tears. It wasn't even his performance that led to England losing; Chris Waddle and Stuart Pearce were the ones that missed penalties in the shoot out. Current England manager, Gareth Southgate suffered the same penalty fate in 1996 when he missed a critical penalty against Germany.
Whilst the stigma is being reduced, in 1990, a man crying in public and sharing his feelings would have been met with ridicule.
Perhaps that’s why I was never a ruthless winner in sport; it was only a game and I was crying at 6. If being a ruthless winner means you’re soft for crying…I’m glad I dodged that one.
Billions of fans are passionate about their football club. I’m one of them. I love football; always have, and always will. I support Bolton Wanderers Football Club and this month, they played with my emotions that had me in complete despair, before utter euphoria. The ups and downs of football are why, I feel, people love the game.
Bolton crowned a new cult hero in Aaron Wilbraham when he scored a winning goal for us. He had spent the season being booed and mocked by the fans. He ended up being a hero. Hopefully, Loris Karius will restart his fledgling career and become a great goalkeeper that is remembered for far more than letting a couple of goals in in a final.
Mental health is being talked about more and more. Normalising it is what is needed, so people feel that they can say that they are not ok. People make mistakes. Even on the biggest stages. It is our duty as a seemingly (when we feel like it) more accepting society, to help those in need, whatever their stature.
Why I chose these songs:
Liverpool Football Club claim that You'll Never Walk Alone. This Pink Floyd song is a brilliantly mellow song, but also features a chorus of You'll Never Walk Alone at the end. I felt it was apt.
Fearless also described the choirs I heard sing in Manchester this week, especially the Manchester Survivors Choir. They sang for the first time in front of a huge audience on the anniversary of the Manchester attack. They have a charity single available which can be bought here. Watch their amazing performance here.
World In Motion is still the best football song for me! It reminds of the 1990 World Cup which made me fall in love with football. It's also by New Order who have been a big part of this weeks musical landscape in Manchester after remembering all the people tragically affected by last years terrorist attack at Manchester Arena.
Side A - Pink Floyd - Fearless
Side B - New Order - World In Motion