Lin Hai Ting Tao
Chapter 1247 They All Live in the Past (Second Update Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The next day, the pro-Liverpool Football Club media were touting Liverpool's seven-game winning streak against their city rivals—since Chen Hero joined Liverpool in the 2011-2012 season, Liverpool and Everton had played each other seven times, with a record of...seven wins!
The pro-Everton media remained silent—they really had nothing to say. Arguing back would only expose their lack of evidence and invite further humiliation. So, they simply followed the example of those Everton fans at Goodison Park yesterday, turning a blind eye and pretending they hadn't seen the mockery...
For Everton, a team with nine top-flight English league titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups, and one Cup Winners' Cup, to have fallen to this state was truly lamentable.
Not just in Liverpool, but throughout England, no one really talked much about the game. Liverpool's strength had already been clearly demonstrated in their previous matches.
Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea had all fallen before them. The stronger the team, the more brutal the defeat. Because Liverpool treated them with exceptional seriousness, and when they were serious, their combat power could only be described as "terrifying."
Although Martin O'Neill didn't admit it, everyone was well aware. Liverpool was now replacing Manchester United as the Premier League's overlords, gradually reclaiming what they had lost.
One day, Liverpool would become a behemoth, and everyone would hate them as they hated Manchester United.
Perhaps in every game to come, neutral fans would cheer for their opponents, and anyone who could defeat them would be hailed as a hero.
Everyone wanted to see Liverpool lose, and if Liverpool lost, no one but their own fans would be sad.
Such a Liverpool would be invincible, but also a loner.
But perhaps that was what Liverpool wanted? After the Hillsborough disaster, they gained countless sympathies, and even their city rivals, Everton, would wear black armbands to mourn the dead.
Countless fans around the world also became their fans because of the tragic aura surrounding Liverpool.
But Liverpool Football Club certainly didn't want that. They would rather not attract so many neutral fans.
Manchester United had also been draped in a cloak of tragedy after the Munich air disaster. But they didn't wallow in the tragedy, indulging in self-pity. Instead, they fought tenaciously against fate, winning the European Cup under Sir Busby, becoming the first English team to lift the trophy.
They created their dynasty, and now they are one of the most successful clubs in the world, the overlords of the Premier League. Although few people sympathize with them anymore, and many have forgotten the Munich air disaster, they have become the strongest team in England, winning championships effortlessly.
If Liverpool had a choice, would they prefer to be well-liked but struggle to win championships? Or would they rather be hated, despised, and cursed by everyone, but win championships effortlessly?
There shouldn't be any suspense; they would definitely choose the latter. The hatred, contempt, and curses of others can't really harm Liverpool Football Club in the slightest, while championship trophies and honors are the real deal.
Liverpool had been unable to escape the influence of the Hillsborough disaster for so many years, perhaps because they were always immersed in the tragic past.
But after Chen Hero, who had a score to settle with the past, arrived, Liverpool was finally able to shake off the burden and move forward with light steps.
When Chen Hero was at Napoli, Napoli was also unable to break free from their obsession with the past, constantly wallowing in beautiful memories, just like addicts.
After Chen Hero went there, he declared that he would move Maradona to the museum. Although it angered the Napoli fans, he also used his actions to tell everyone that dwelling on the past was useless and didn't help the present. Although "forgetting history is tantamount to betrayal," one shouldn't be so immersed in it that they can't extricate themselves, right?
Liverpool and Napoli were in the same situation. Whether it was beautiful memories or painful nightmares, they were both shackles, binding their legs, preventing them from having the courage to move forward. Because they lacked courage, they mistakenly believed that they had no strength left. In fact, they were full of energy, but they were trapped in a fog, their hearts and eyes blinded.
Chen Hero successfully led the entire city of Naples out of the beautiful memories of the past. Although the methods were a bit drastic, they were effective.
This time in Liverpool, he was doing the same thing as in Naples, but the methods were gentler and not as direct. You should know that in Liverpool, if he dared to bring up the Hillsborough disaster, he probably wouldn't be able to stay with the team for a full season, let alone have the opportunity to use his abilities to lead Liverpool out of the fog.
He couldn't simply and crudely demand that all Liverpool fans forget the Hillsborough disaster, using a knife to cut away the scars left in their hearts—that would only create deeper and more painful scars.
He had to express his respect and awe for the Hillsborough disaster, express his understanding and respect for the pain that the team had experienced, and at the same time, use constant goals and victories to fill the hearts of Liverpool fans who were suffering because of the tragedy.
A person's heart is only so big. When you are filled with pain, you naturally can't fit anything else in. Conversely, when more and more happiness and hope pour in, the pain and sorrow will be driven out.
When sunlight shines into a room, the haze naturally disappears.
So the best way, and the only way, to get Liverpool out of their painful memories of the past is to constantly bring them hope and joy, so that they don't have time to think about the past. Even if they occasionally remember it, their hearts will be filled with strength.
Just like winning the league title last season, when the families of the Hillsborough disaster victims gathered at the Hillsborough disaster memorial, they mourned their lost relatives and brought good news to comfort their spirits in heaven. Even if tears welled up in their eyes, their hearts were filled with hope and the strength to continue moving forward and start a new life.
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Time returns to that night of the Merseyside Derby.
When the game ended, the stands at Goodison Park were already quite empty, and many Everton fans had left the stadium early.
Liverpool fans sang Liverpool's anthem in the stands, celebrating the victory in this city derby. Although Everton fans no longer regarded this game as a derby, Liverpool fans, driven by the rivalrous sentiment of "your unhappiness is my happiness," still went all out.
They were showing off to Everton.
They continued their revelry for half an hour, and after the players had been in the locker room for a long time, they moved their position from the stands to the exit outside the stadium, where they gathered to see Liverpool off.
Meanwhile, the cleaners at Goodison Park went up to the stands to clean up.
A fierce game inevitably leaves a mess.
A lot of trash was thrown on the stands.
I remember someone saying that foreigners are of high quality, and they gave an example, saying that when they finish watching a sports game, they will throw the garbage into a plastic bag, and then take it with them when they leave, so the stands are clean. Later, as people's horizons widened and they saw more and more, they realized that this was all a lie. In fact, foreigners are not necessarily much better quality than Chinese people. When it's time to throw garbage on the ground, they will never be ambiguous.
If foreigners were all of such high quality, there would be no such profession as cleaner abroad.
A lot of things were thrown on the stands at Goodison Park, most of which were torn-up ticket stubs. This must have been the product of Everton fans venting their anger.
There was also some food packaging.
The banners used to cheer for the players were also abandoned in the stands after their historical mission was over.
In addition, there were coins, pens, and even cell phones. All of these were dropped on the stands because the fans were too excited, and the owners didn't realize it.
The cleaners would collect these things and hand them over to the stadium management, who would then handle lost and found. If the owners found that they had lost something, they could come here tomorrow, or some time later, to claim their belongings.
As for the other things, they were swept into the dustpan, then poured into the trash can, and transported away by the garbage truck to a special waste treatment plant for sorting and disposal.
A ticket with a format different from today's game also lay quietly on the stands, mixed with other pieces of paper and debris, and was not noticeable.
A large broom swept over, sweeping it and other papers into the dustpan.
Then the dustpan was lifted, and due to gravity, the dustpan naturally drooped, the lid closed, and it fell into darkness.
When it saw the light again, it was being poured into a trash can.
Then the trash can was lifted by a pair of robotic arms and turned over, and the ticket rolled into the garbage truck compartment along with the other garbage.
In this process, the ticket was like a butterfly, fluttering in the air due to the disturbance of the airflow. It seemed to want to escape from here.
But it was too late, the garbage truck's door closed quickly. Just as it was about to fly out, the door closed. It almost succeeded; now half of it was outside the door, and half of it was caught in the crack.
As the garbage truck drove and shook, its thin and fragile body trembled, as if unwilling to be imprisoned like this, and wanting to break free at any moment.
The speed of the car became faster and faster, and it shook more and more violently.
The surrounding scenery gradually changed from bustling to desolate. The garbage truck had driven from the city to the suburbs.
While making a sharp turn, the car shook violently. There was a loud noise, probably because the road was uneven and it ran over a pothole.
But because of this shake, the cabin door loosened, and the ticket, which had been flapping its wings all along, took the opportunity to escape.
In the night sky, it was like a butterfly, dancing in the wind. Carried by the sea breeze blowing from afar, it flew towards the city of Liverpool.
The lights of the distant city were like the stars in the night sky, making people wonder whether it was flying towards the city of Liverpool, or straight to the sky beyond the nine heavens.
Finally, it saw a trace of light. Although it was not the bright lights of the city, it was still a sign of human habitation.
But the power of the sea breeze finally began to weaken here.
The "butterfly" also flew lower and lower.
Finally, it couldn't even fly over a tree. It plunged into a dense thicket, entangled by branches and leaves, unable to move.
Its corners trembled slightly, as if it still wanted to break free.
But after trying for a long time, it was still trapped in place. It finally calmed down.
It seemed like a long time passed before it trembled slightly again. This time, however, it was not to set sail again, but a drop of water hit its corner.
The raindrops gradually became denser, making a crackling sound as they hit the leaves.
The "butterfly" huddled under the leaves, shivering.
It was raining.