It’s a bit of a surreal feeling trying to write my article
in the middle of July. I should’ve found some time to sit down just as the
season ended, while my feelings were raw, but the truth is I’ve had a relentless
few months, and this is the first bit of time I’ve had to gather my thoughts
and put pen to paper. Even now, to turn black and white into colour, I’m
currently sat 37,000 feet in the air on an Emirates a380 plane, somewhere
between Dubai and Bangkok, heading to see my Dad. Free time is a rare thing
with two young children, and with my youngest asleep next to me, I had to grab
the opportunity with both hands to reminisce about that colossal season and to look forward and speculate as to how we
remotely attempt to follow up both 100 points and treble-winning seasons.
I’ll talk about summer first, because as incredible as last
season really was, it didn’t half take a hit on me, for many reasons. For the
first time in my life, I have been glad of the summer break, and the past
couple of months have been a breath of fresh air. We’ve enjoyed great amounts
of family time together. We went on our annual holiday to Cornwall, and spent
two weeks there building sandcastles, swimming in the sea, watching remarkable
sunsets, eating fresh fish, drinking wine and beer and making memories for
life. We got really lucky with the weather too, as we went mid May and all bar
one day was wall-to-wall, glorious sunshine. It seemed that the majority of
June was a complete and utter washout, so I’m relieved it didn’t rain on our
parade.
But, despite the summer months not quite living up to the
standard set weather-wise last summer, we’ve had a truly wonderful time
together. My eldest, Vincent, has now finished nursery for good and is starting
school in September, with my youngest, Noel, looking to start nursery at a
similar time. It’ll be a huge period of change for us, so I’m just trying to
make the most of the time we have together and savour it as much as possible,
because once they start school, that’s it. I chose to have these early years
with them both, I felt like I’d only live to regret it if I didn’t and I can’t
imagine how bad a feeling that would be, as they already grow up far too
quickly anyway without having looked back once it was too late at the what ifs.
It’s also an exciting time for me, as it means that I can look at my options
too and see which direction I’d like to go in once I’m ready to go back to
work. We live our lives to live, and I really feel like we’ve squeezed the
juice and are raising two very happy, sociable, smart little boys. I couldn’t
be prouder: as much as I love City, of course they’re my priority and always
will be.
So we’ve just enjoyed a couple of days in Dubai and are off
to Thailand to spend a week in the sun with my Dad and his wife out there. He
has a few different bases in the Far East: Shenzhen, Xiamen and Bangkok, the
Chinese bases are for work and the Thai apartment is more for relaxation. The
plan is to have a couple of nights in Bangkok, then head for the beach to soak
up some rays and ride some jet-skis. Our youngest is with us, while my eldest
is on his annual holiday with his Dad. I am lucky to enjoy a very amicable
relationship with my ex, one thing I’m grateful for, and he sends me photos and
regular updates during the one time a year he enjoys time away with his boy.
These nuclear families are becoming more of the norm nowadays than the
traditional ‘married with kids’ of past years, although it goes without saying
that I wish they were just as common.
So far, I’ve really enjoyed the switch off from football
and, apart from the transfer news I can honestly say the detox has done me the
world of good. Time in the sun, having sand between my toes, the waves soaking
my skin and the sound of my childrens’ laughter filling my ears has been
exactly the kind of break that I didn’t really know how badly I needed it until
it came around. I almost feel bad admitting it, I usually hate summers with no
football. How brilliant was last summer with the World Cup?! But this season
left me with a very different feeling, and I’m sure I’m not alone in it and I
have no shame either in admitting it. I’ve needed the space to reset and clear
my head after the stress that came with the run-in last season, but it won’t be
long now before we’re getting ready to do it all again.
WE ARE LIVERPOOL.
THIS MEANS MORE
Let’s go straight to the end and try and get to the root of
explaining just why last season left me so shook. A Carabao Cup final win against Chelsea, an
FA Cup final mauling of Watford and a neck and neck Premier League-winning
campaign meant that our beloved blues enjoyed a historic domestic treble win.
Of course, the latter as we all well know, was much more of an endurance test.
In fact it got to the point where my enjoyment was being replaced by an emotion
I wasn’t really familiar with following my football team – dread.
The title race between us and Liverpool turned a bit into
the stuff of nightmares for both sets of fans of the teams involved. A thriller
for the neural undoubtedly, but as the weeks headed towards the business end of
the season, we were constantly leapfrogging each other in the League. The
battle became stressful, toxic and tedious.
Ever since the bus incident last season, when Liverpool fans
battered the City team coach with bottles and bricks as it headed to Anfield
for the Champions League quarter-final – our relationship with Liverpool fans
on the whole has deteriorated significantly. Jibes on social media quickly turn
into nasty and bitter arguments, with both sides trying to gain the upper hand
with petty point-scoring and entirely unnecessary insults, which often turn
personal. When the title race really heated up, so did the rivalry. Growing up
I was used to watching the United – Liverpool rivalry from a safe distance, but
with United favouring a sixth-place finish these days, it’s City that are
embroiled with Klopp’s Reds in the bitterest of battles for top honours. City
were pitted as the only team that could save everybody from a fate worse than
death – Liverpool winning the Premier League for the first time ever. The
celebrations would go on for eternity, they’d never let it be forgotten –
nobody in the history of mankind could possibly let this happen. Could you
imagine? Do you even want to contemplate what it would be like?
I should’ve loved every second season of last season.
Watching Pep’s usual brand of brilliant, ingenuiative, ground-breaking football
is always exhilarating, but towards the end I was just wishing it was over. I
know how bad things have been with United over the years, but I don’t remember
it being that toxic with them during the 2011/12 title run-in. I also don’t
remember it being anywhere near as bad with Liverpool during the 2013/14 ‘Gerrard
slip’ battle. For this season, most Liverpool fans did what all football fans
would’ve never thought remotely possible – they became even more unbearable.
Let’s also give a mention to that ridiculous slogan of
theirs – we are Liverpool, this means more. How on earth does anything mean
more to you? What gives you the brass neck and audacity to say that your
football club’s achievements mean more to you than mine? I will tell you for an
absolute fact that they don’t. It’s yet more vitriolic bile from an arrogant
club who actually believe that their accomplishments in football mean they’re
better than any other team. Let me tell you something – they don’t. Even by
winning the Champions League, they thought that was a bigger achievement than
winning the domestic treble – it isn’t. I’m no fan of the Champions League: I
think the fact two teams made the final , that haven’t been Champions in their
own domestic League for many, many years makes a mockery of the whole value of
the contest. It’s a UEFA corrupt cash cow and I have no personal desire as a
fan to win the thing, although I’m well aware next season, it’ll probably have
to be Pep’s main focus, seeing as it’s the only silverware to now allude him
during his time at City.
I even saw a couple of Liverpool fans wildly suggest that
their second place tally of 97 points was worthy of them being awarded a
special trophy in itself. Let’s make this abundantly clear in the slim event of
any doubt – in the words of ABBA, the winner takes it all. There are no prizes
for second place, no matter how desperate you were to triumph. A point
difference still equates to a point – and don’t forget, if you think you came
close, United missed out back in 2011/12 on goal
difference. So take it the way us City fans would’ve had to, on the chin,
it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but by acting up and spitting dummies out, it
only serves to make you look a bit of a, well, a dickhead.
With the upcoming season’s curtain-raising Community Shield
being against them, I fear somehow the battle may have only just begun. We were
both light years ahead of the rest of the Premier League last year, and I
personally don’t believe any other team has done enough to convince me over the
course of the summer through signings that the gap will be closed by anybody
else. But, with VAR being introduced next season, it will be interesting to see
how that affects all teams – particularly Liverpool, who some might say got
more than their fair rub of the green last season when it came to penalty
decisions going their way. Even with VAR – and we all know the drama that
brings with it (Spurs and Raheem
Sterling, anyone?), I still think Liverpool will be there or thereabouts –
but I think we will be better, more so than last season, particularly as
prayers have finally been answered and we have Fernandinho’s rotation
partner/successor, Rodri.
PARTING IS SUCH SWEET
SORROW
Something else that happened last season that took away from
my enjoyment of it all was the news of Vincent Kompany’s departure from the club.
I know it wasn’t necessarily a surprise for most concerned, but the news,
coming on the morning after the FA Cup win that sealed our treble triumph, took
me from flying to forlorn in a nanosecond. I think it’s affected me more than
it should and I’ve spent the time since his announcement trying to rationalise
why that could be.
I tried to put this into words on one of Ian Cheeseman’s
Forever Blue podcasts and it left me very emotional. Like most people, City
have always served to be the one constant in my life. No matter what I’m going
through, I have always relied on City as a distraction or even to a certain
extent, a purpose in life. City have always provided me with a sense of
belonging, even when I’ve felt unsure and lost about which direction to turn,
decisions to make or what to do. When Kompany joined City back in August 2008,
I was still at university studying my degree in Sport Journalism. Throughout
his time at the club I have: graduated, got engaged, travelled around the
world, got my dream job, found out it really wasn’t my dream job, split up with
my fiancé, got pregnant, been a single Mum, met somebody new, been with him for
almost five years and had a second child. That’s without mentioning every
single phenomenal moment that I’ve been through with City: all the trips to
Wembley, the Aguero moment, the 100 point season, THAT Kompany goal.
Not only have City been my constant through all of those
indescribable moments, but so has Kompany. I’ve put the Belgian on a pedestal
pretty much ever since his arrival at the Club. I’ve had faith in him even when
the vast majority wrote him off and told him to call it a day, ‘if he would’ve
been a horse he would’ve been shot by now.’ I’ve fought his corner time and
time again: I’ve believed in his abilities, his vision and backed his
determination because he’s been there in my life at a time where I was low too.
He’s led City to some of their biggest triumphs and been a figurehead and role
model for many throughout that. It isn’t just because I named my eldest after
him! Without even knowing about it, Kompany’s qualities and moral compass has
inspired me to be a better person when times were hard and I needed a sense of
direction. What would Vinnie do? He’d never give up, never give in, that’s what
he’d do. So neither will I.
I almost feel like it’s a real coming of age moment for me,
despite already being 37 and middle-aged. I’ve settled down with my partner, we
have two beautiful children and we continue to support City together and
encourage our children to follow suit. Without really knowing it, I feel like
Kompany was my stabilisers in life and now it’s time for me to close a certain
chapter and look forward to what the future may hold in a different aspect and
new chapter of my life. A lot of life can be psychological and we often bottle
up how we feel about certain things and put on a brave face. I feel like I can
now finally let go of certain elements of my past and move forward in earnest.
Although initially I couldn’t really imagine a City without Kompany: as a
captain, he’s been there through some of the club’s most pivotal moments. He’s
led us to victories through grit, guts and determination and dragged us through
important wins. I know that no one player is bigger than the club – I am a huge
advocate of that. But as a captain and human being, he’s utterly irreplaceable.
But he still has plenty of personal ambition and dreams yet
to fulfil and I commend and admire him for that. He couldn’t have left on a
bigger high. Our loss is Anderlecht’s gain and I’m sure every blue will be
following his progress with a vested interest. Now David Silva has announced
that this will be his last season at City and we all know who will be next…Mr
93:20™. All good things must come to an end: it’s the changing of the old guard
and the beginning of another exciting era at City, we have to be nothing but
grateful and thankful for the part these players have played in the history of
our beloved club and the imprint on its history they’ve left. It’s just this
one, Vincent Kompany, played a part in a way in a way I never thought possible,
and the testimonial game – well, I’ll probably need a full box of tissues to
even stand a chance of coping.
A LITTLE RESPECT
I realise that it probably sounds ludicrous to have such a
negative tone to an article that essentially should be all about celebrating
City’s historic domestic treble (the club
can call them Fourmidables™ all they want, but does anybody really count the
Community Shield?) It’s not only been the battle with Liverpool fans that
has been tiresome, but the media too. Hell-bent on tarnishing City by any means
possible, they have done all they can to try and discredit the Blues’
achievements.
It’s nothing new; it’s been going on for seasons now.
Thankfully, Raheem Sterling had the intelligence and guile to call the media
out for the part they’ve played in constantly harassing and bullying him with
their ridiculous non-stories of him shopping in Primark or Poundland, but it’s
the tip of the iceberg. Last season, it was constant articles claiming
‘exclusives’ about City’s apparent FFP wrong-doings and foul play – which,
depressingly, didn’t even stop after our 6-1 FA Cup victory.
I shouldn’t take the bait anymore. I am slowly becoming
immune to it after becoming accustomed to the obligatory negative media takes
after something positive happens to City – it’s as predictable as Liverpool
fans are unbearable. But it’s time to take a stand. Everybody wondered how City
could possibly follow on from that truly remarkable 100 point season – how
could we top a campaign where we were head and shoulders in front of the rest
of the teams in the Premier League? Where records tumbled and teams were swept
aside by a Pep side so majestic, so delightful, with a brand of football that
could only possibly be admired and adored?
We topped it by retaining our League title and completing a
domestic treble – the first ever club to do so. By winning the Carabao Cup, the
FA Cup and the Premier League, we became history makers and record breakers yet
again. But for me, it was the manner in which we won the League that should
truly be applauded and demands nothing by the utmost respect for anybody worth
their salt who understands and watches sport.
For a team to win the last 14 games of a season in a row, to
still be competing in all competitions as seriously as possible by using
positive squad rotation (and not
sacrificing a Cup like Fergie used to do) until our Champions League
quarter final VAR knock-out, is nothing short of astounding. To deal with that
level of pressure and to be aware that the finest of margins in any situation
or alternation during every 90 minute battle could result in possible defeat
and the advantage being given to Liverpool, is something only the finest of
sportsmen with the strongest of mentalities can cope with. How I’d love to pull
up the minority of City fans who actually threw the title towel in during
December – try keeping the faith eh boys and girls?
The title race became a bare knuckle brawl, with the final
few games, be it Liverpool or City playing, all nerve-shredding and massively
anxiety-inducing. I’ve never hoped for an opponent to at least take a point off
a team before, just to try and alleviate the pressure even a tiny bit. It became
suffocating and stressful. Eventually you realise that it’s best to just try
and focus solely on what your team are doing – after the 1-0 win against
Liverpool at the Etihad stadium, the title was always ours to lose. But to have
the focus, resilience and determination to win every single point available to
us throughout those 14 games is what has impressed me by far the most out of
anything we achieved last season. If that was any other team, the media and
critics would be fawning at the outcome. A slip, a mistimed tackle, a shot off
target instead of on – as displayed with the John Stones goal-line clearance
against Liverpool and the Sergio Aguero goal against Burnley – it was a title
race of the finest margins – but to come out on top after being placed under
such immense tension and to hold their collective nerves – makes me proud
beyond belief.
It took a while for our triumphs to sink in, probably
because the final few weeks of the season were so busy for me. BBC Radio Five
Live kept asking me to go in the studio to discuss the title run-in, more often
than not opposite a Liverpool fan, to try and invoke some form of ‘radio
banter’ between us. But, as it happened, Lizzi Doyle turns out to be in the
minority of being an unquestionably and thoroughly decent Liverpool fan, so it
was hard to be pitted as a rival in her company, when all we could do is
respect each other and say just how badly we both wanted the Premier League
title win. I understand that they’re yet to win it, but just because we have -
doesn’t make it any less special.
In fact, this season’s win is right up there for me with
being the sweetest title win yet. The Aguero moment stands alone in Premier League
history for being quite possibly the biggest adrenaline rush I’ve had in my
life (giving birth is a very different
feeling, a different kind of adrenaline, so don’t come at me for that!),
and I’m not sure that will ever be beaten – although the Kompany goal against
Leicester probably comes second to that. At the time I’ll admit, the rush I
felt did feel 93:20-esque, that dizzying euphoric,
taking-you-to-the-strastosphere hysteria that can only come when a hugely
important goal is scored. When the ball hit the net for that goal, and
everybody in the stadium realised a) what they’d just had the privilege of
witnessing and b) what an important goal it was in our push for the title, the
roof came off the place. Let’s not get me started on Komps again, I can’t. But
- what a goal.
The phone calls continued and I found myself on BBC Radio
Five Live – to my complete surprise I might add – quite regularly. My poor Mum
was coming round at 6am on a Monday morning to mind the boys, who were both
still snoring, while I was jumping in my car at the crack of dawn to beat the
traffic to Salford Quays to go live on air. Then BBC Radio Manchester started
to ask for me too and, by the end of the season, I was on BBC Radio One too. It
became really busy and really crazy and completely unexpected too might I add.
I was doing this alongside Ian Cheeseman’s Forever Blue podcast too. The final
day climax was the day after we’d won the League: I did Five Live, Radio Manchester
- then back down a floor to Five Live for the rest of the show. This was all
with the worst hangover I have had in a long, long time. The decision to watch
the City-Brighton game at City Square in the sunshine with a load of mates and
far too much beer seemed a good one at the time – although I’m sure I only
drank that much to try and calm my nerves. It had definitely been that kind of
a season.
The work didn’t stop there. We have our annual holiday to
Cornwall every year at the same time in May – which meant missing the FA Cup
final. We watched it down there of course, and celebrated with the boys on the
beach afterwards, but the media requests kept coming in. I managed to do phone
interviews while I was down there, I even did one for BBC Radio One while sat
on Fistral beach, which was quite surreal. The last one I did, for BBC Radio
Manchester, involved me jumping out of the car the day after the parade, to
talk about what made me proud of Manchester. Of course, it was City and their
incredible achievements. I’m at a point in my life now where I am starting to
think about what I might do with my life once my children start school and
nursery respectively, and it’s given me food for thought. I never thought in my
wildest dreams that I’d ever be able to go back to my media career after having
children: I’m not sure why, maybe it’s a confidence thing. But, since doing
podcasting for the past couple of years, this has given me a bit more
self-belief when it comes to whether I’m good enough to put myself out there
and speak passionately about the team, and sport, I love. It felt quite
ridiculous, little old me, sat opposite Nicky Campbell and Rachel Burden,
discussing City. Needless to say, it made my parents very proud!
But because I was so, so busy during those weeks, then away
on holiday, then the FA Cup final, Kompany’s revelation and the parade, it
honestly took a while for me to digest the magnitude of City’s triumphs. I
almost needed to take a big step back from everything, from life, to just sit
and take a few moments, to process it all. It was hugely overwhelming. The
stress of the run-in had taken over in a big way, I’d even been struggling to
sleep (I’m sure I’m not the only one)
with it all, so for it to all reach a dramatic conclusion and be resolved in
such a remarkable way, it did take a while to come back down to earth again.
But it’s been nice to be able to enjoy much less stressful weekends: drives out
to the seaside, where doses of Vitamin D make your endorphins dance and sleep
is welcomed back like a baby lying on fresh sheets. It’s been the most perfect,
blissful summer. I’m just not sure if I’m ready to do it all again just yet…
As usual, the only person I’m trying to kid here is myself.
I’ll be there with bells on ready to do it all over again. But let’s take a
second to think about what life would be like if it would’ve gone the other
way…
Do they even have internet in Timbuktu?
Emily Brobyn
@kippaxgirlemily
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