Talk the talk, Pool fans
NORWICH v LIVERPOOL
(Tonight, 7pm, SingTel mio TV Ch 102 & StarHub TV Ch 227)
Let's start by saying that Liverpool fans are a pessimistic lot.
Give them a two-point lead and they worry that the Reds will blow it by eventually losing to Chelsea at Anfield.
Even if you hand them an unassailable advantage now, some will still fear that the club may have points deducted from their final tally because Raheem Sterling and Jon Flanagan are not of legal age to join the professional workforce.
It's known as the "Liverpool defence mechanism" - if you can't touch it, it's not real.
It's why every Liverpool fan says take it one game at a time.
It's why they say Norwich tonight will be tricky.
Tricky? Well, tricky my aorta.
There is nothing tricky about a team struggling to steer clear of the dreaded drop zone.
Tricky is when you suddenly realise that there is no toilet paper in the cubicle.
But you know why we are behaving like a bunch of pimply teenage girls on the day of the prom?
Because we hardly even get invited to the usual school excursions.
For 24 years, Liverpool have gone big-game hunting with the rest.
Manchester United returned with a herd of elephants.
Chelsea came back with some lions.
Arsenal had a few leopards and plenty of donkeys.
GREAT CHANCE
Liverpool brought back nothing more than a bag of unfinished picnic ham.
All of a sudden, we must grapple with the fact that our beloved club are now favourites to land a league title that has eluded them since 1990.
It's an uneasy feeling. It's almost like we don't know how to behave.
What's the etiquette for fans at the top?
Is it rude to shake the hands of opponents and tell them politely that there's always next time?
Should we go all negative and say, almost hypocritically, that Liverpool are still the outsiders?
Or do we just sneak in a "YNWA" and a smiley face (hopefully not) at the end of every Facebook post and e-mail?
Just don't, for a moment, think it's easy for Liverpool fans.
Norwich don't give anyone an easy time at Carrow Road. Fact.
Relegation-threatened teams at this late stage of the campaign give it as good as they've got and sometimes turn in spectacular performances, just like Sunderland did at Etihad Stadium. Fact.
Rafael Benitez lost the mind games with Fergie and then the title in the 2008/09 season when he stated too many facts. Fact.
But Liverpool are a far better team than Norwich, that's also a fact.So, if you are a Liverpool fan and someone comes up to you at the pub tonight and asks you what you think of Liverpool's chances, don't go all jelly-like and whimper something to the effect of "I hope for world peace".Say what you really think, even if it's world peace.And if you end up eating your words, then just eat them.
But show some confidence in a team who have exceeded our expectations in every imaginable way.They are walking the walk.
Let's learn to talk the talk.
Emotive prose wins it for Liverpool fan
Her words include: "When you're in love, your emotions are intertwined with your object of affection."
No, Shermaine Wong, 28, was not referring to her loved one.
That statement is part of her declaration of love for English Premier League leaders Liverpool, which won her a signed team jersey and $100 worth of shopping vouchers.
When The New Paper spoke to her, she squealed with delight the moment she heard about the shirt.
"What a way to start the weekend," she exclaimed.
TNP asked readers to say why they love Liverpool and received a huge response (see contest details below).
The replies ranged from the short and sweet - "because they're not Man Utd" - to poems of sacrifice and glory.
But Wong hit all the right notes about what it is to follow the Reds.
She was introduced to football 10 years ago by her father and brother, who are Arsenal and Manchester United fans respectively.
She decided to support another team to maintain a healthy rivalry in her family.
But why Liverpool?
"I thought they were good - and passionate - like Michael Owen. Even now, there is Steven Gerrard."
Her Liverpool moment is their incredible Champions League final in 2005 when Liverpool came back from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties.
Second prize winner, NUS student Eugene Tan, won by turning his answer into an entertaining acronym that spelt LIVERPOOL FC ROCKS YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE.
The 25-year-old said he has been a Liverpool fan since primary school.
When he watched his first match on television, the Reds lost to Chelsea 2-0. But he is confident Liverpool will beat the Blues come April 27.
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