I never want TV shows to end….Right now, you might be saying to yourself “Where is Simon going with this? And what sort of medicine is he on while he’s in the hospital?”… Just hold on a second…I have to repeat myself…I never want TV shows to end.
While everyone in America is being saddened by watching the ending of Young Sheldon…the demise of this series was written a long time ago in the original series. It was to be expected so there was cushion there. Viewers knew it was coming and when it was coming.
I’m a fan of Doc Martin. Martin Clunes plays that character perfectly. The show ended in 2022 but I had been a faithful watcher since day one- 2004. Every week I invited Doctor Martin Ellingham into my house via the TV screen. Once a week, the fictional town of Portwenn had me dreaming of one day retiring in Cornwall and living out my days in a peaceful way with no big city Los Angeles problems.
What the hell does this have to do with football? Right now I have a tube sticking out of my back…I’m the one that should be ornery….just hold on second…when have you ever known me to take the short way home?
I hate it when actors say “it’s time to put this character to bed” or when writers’ of shows say “We ran out of story for these characters”.
F**k You! (fire the writers and hire new ones!)
For decades you were blasted into TV rooms and became a member of the family. We all know people who talk about fictional TV characters like they were real. Viewers watched the characters get old and go through life’s ups and downs. In the case of Doc Martin, viewers saw the entire landscape of the town change. People came and went- The BBC had to find new actors to replace them and make them likeable enough to fall in love with them.
So why can’t you keep the TV show going forever? They do it with Law and Order.
(continued)
A letter from Jurgen Klopp to the fans…
Before I came to Liverpool I had never written a letter to a newspaper in my life. Now I am writing my second letter to the Liverpool Echo which probably tells you a few things.
The first is I am probably now at ‘that age’. The second is that this is a newspaper that plays a big role in this city. The third is that it is a great way for me to speak to as many people who live here as possible.
The most important reason, though, is that it is time for me to say Goodbye. I know that this is no longer news but it is important that I say it to you.
For me, Liverpool is the city of open arms. A place that welcomes you like a son and does not care where you come from. It just wants you to be part of it and I could not be prouder that you allowed me to have that incredible privilege.
A city that gives this kind of welcome deserves at the very least a proper farewell.
There is so much I could say right now and there are so many special moments I could talk about. On and off the pitch we have created memories between us that will live with me for ever.
But when I think of this city and its wonderful people, the biggest lesson I will take with me is that giving up is definitely not in the Scouse dictionary If you are from here, the chances are that you are not just ready to fight, you actually want to fight. Not only that, the way you stand together, in all kinds of circumstances, means that even when the odds are against you it is still possible to win.
I love this more than I could ever say.
This is why one of my proudest moments was being given the freedom of Liverpool. To receive that honour on a night when the leaders of the city spoke of me, a boy from the Black Forest, as if I was one of their own is one of the greatest privileges of my life.
The same goes for the homecoming parades. Wow.
Sharing moments of success with the people could only ever be special no matter what club you are at but the way that Liverpool does it takes it to a whole new level. That is even like this the day after a big disappointment – as happened in 2022 – makes it even more extraordinary.
On top of this, I have loved that this is a city of football. No matter where you go in Liverpool and no matter who you speak to, the people want to talk about football. Not just chat either. Every single word comes with a passion and a love for the game.
Of course, I am of the Red side and always will be now but I know from experience that the same is absolutely true of the Blue side. Living close to the River Mersey clearly has this effect on people.
Tomorrow will be the last time that I manage Liverpool FC and it will be an occasion when we will once again look to do our supporters proud but it will also be an opportunity to remember the times that we have had together.
For me, all of those memories will come with love and with thanks for the time I have had here. Liverpool is a city that we lived in and worked in but it is also a place that we fell in love with. We owe it so much.
All that remains for me now is to wish all of you the very best for the future. Liverpool deserves that. YOU deserve that.
Thank you.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you Luv.
(Continued)
We were expecting a day where Klopp wouldn’t be in charge at Anfield. No manager lasts forever but we were hoping he would.
Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool FC is etched in football lore as a saga of revitalization and glory. Arriving in 2015, he inherited a team longing for past glories. With infectious charisma and tactical brilliance, Klopp instilled a relentless, high-pressing style that reinvigorated the Anfield faithful.
The watershed moment came with the Champions League triumph in 2019, followed by a historic Premier League title in 2020 after a 30-year drought. Beyond trophies, Klopp’s legacy is defined by unity, belief, and his emotional connection with fans. He forged not just a team, but a family, leaving an indelible mark on Liverpool’s rich history.
Do you remember David N’Gog. He was Liverpool’s striker from 2008 to 2011. I remember sitting in a Pub in New York watching Liverpool and the supporters were yelling his name. Not sure why this flashback came to me…maybe because I thought that…signing N’Gog was not very Liverpool. And Liverpool had fantastic managers since the halcyon days of the 1980’s. They won trophies….but they never won the Prem and they never won over the hearts and minds like Klopp did.
Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley won thirty trophies between them. Joe Fagan won 9 trophies. Klopp comes in at 8 trophies which includes that Premier League trophy…that alone casts him as a legend.
More importantly…at least to me…Klopp was the fans’ manager. He loved everything about the City and the Club….and every week…he would be broadcast into my TV room (yeah I have a TV room!) after the match talking about the match and the league and the fans. The normal one was presented as your friend from Liverpool (via Stuttgart , Germany) who loved the club just as much as you did. He hugged the players after the match the same way any Liverpool fan would at that very moment. He would criticize VAR the same way your friends would at the local. His persona was genuine and when he said he would not ever manage another club in England after his tenure with Liverpool- you believed it.
So I am under doctor’s supervision and all I’ve been doing is watching football and communicating with folks. Grown men have told me they were sobbing and one of my friend’s toddlers spent the day crying because Klopp wasn’t returning next season.
Football isn’t cinema or television. That’s what makes it great. We were told that this would be Klopp’s final season much like people were told that MASH would end or that Tony Soprano would not come back after the screen went blank. This may be the pain killers talking but “that sucks!” Much like the Doctor who said “I don’t want to go” I don’t want Klopp to leave Anfield. Klopp leaving has hit supporters like a death in the family and amidst the celebrations the realization that you wont be seeing Klopp is hitting a few of them. There is no cushy job as a Director of Football or Club Ambassador or some other made up bullshizzle that MLS clubs come up with to give their friends a crony-job handed to him…it’s a clean break.
But I doubt this is full time for Klopp…it’s half time for sure.
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