Die-hard fans Lee and Thamilselvan believe the title's
round the corner
IT WAS back in the days of black and white television, when Simon
Lee was just a little boy, that he first glimpsed Liverpool and
fell in love with the club.
Now 44, names of opponents and details of the scores have dimmed,
but Lee will never forget the pomp of the club and the roar of the
Kop at the time, as the club lifted one trophy after another during
the glory days of the 1970s and '80s. Back then, current Liverpool
players like Pepe Reina and Daniel Agger were toddlers.
Among the sea of young faces, die-hards Lee and G Thamilselvan
talked to the goalkeeper and defender at Carlsberg's Meet the
Liverpool FC Players session at Jurong Point on Friday. Both
believe that along with the likes of star striker Fernando Torres
and captain Steven Gerrard, the current team under Rafa Benitez
have it in them to bring back the glory days.
"I've been supporting them a long time, and they're a good football
team ... they've been improving a lot and came close to the league
title last season," said Lee, who was among a group of 200 lucky
fans selected to meet Reina and Agger.
Thamilselvan, 34, has been a Liverpool faithful for 23 years and he
said: "It was love at first sight when I saw them in 1986. They
used to play a beautiful, free-passing game in the 1980s. After
Brazil, they were the best team to watch. Right now, Benitez is one
of the best managers in the business and while the team is not like
the ones in the '80s, they're getting there and I expect them to
win the title this season or the next."
Reina and Agger strolled into Jurong Point to chants of When the
Reds Go Marching In from more than 600 fans hoping to catch a
glimpse of the duo. The pair were at ease despite the crush,
signing autographs and posing for photographs.
Reina fielded a question from a fan on whether he was confident of
replacing Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas as Spain's No 1. "Of
course," said the 26-year-old Spaniard, whose big aim for the
upcoming season is to win the English Premiership, a trophy the
club have not won since 1990.
Liverpool's four-day stay here will climax with a friendly against
Singapore at the National Stadium on Sunday, and Reina predicted a
narrow 1-0 win for the Reds, while Dane Agger said 2-0. An hour
later, the duo marched out to the strains of the Reds' anthem and
Reina said: "Thank you for coming, you'll never walk alone."
The day didn't end for Thamilselvan and his wife, Darshini, because
true to die-hard form, they headed for the National Stadium, and
Liverpool's training session.