I burst into tears when I saw Steven Gerrard at the end of the match. I lost count of how many times this man made me cried. Seriously, Gerrard, how can I not love you?
24 years.
24 effin years just waiting for a chance to be back on where we were, where we should be, top of the league, closer to the Premier League title. I didn't know that I could be this patient. Didn't realise that it was Liverpool factor until last night. I couldn't help myself, I couldn't hold the tears, I cried. Tears of joy. Tangis itu pecah mana kala menyaksikan Legenda Liverpool menitikkan air mata sesaat setelah wasit meniup peluit tanda pertandingan berakhir. Yes... It's been too long, for me, for us fans, for Liverpool, for the man himself... Steven Gerrard. No one deserves the Premier League title more than him.
I've been supporting this magnificent football club since 1998 and my love has grown stronger than ever. No one understands this emotional bond I have with Liverpool (well, only if you're a fan too like me), termasuk reaksi haru biru yg begitu natural semalam. Being a Liverpool fan is not easy. It's a full-time job. Once a Red, you'll be forever a Red. Well, at least, that's what goes in me. As a 90s generation, I've been riding the Liverpool roller coaster and I was not a good rider at some moments. That moment when my First Liverpool Love, Michael Owen, left the club... I was so sad. As if my sadness wasn't enough, he returned home as a Manutd player. I was brokenhearted. Rasanya seperti dikhianati orang yg paling kita cintai. Hancur.
Gerrard was always be the one who could cheer me up. He was always be there for us fans. How do I spell 'loyalty'? It's G-E-R-R-A-R-D. His loyalty to Liverpool was beyond superb. Ini bukan perkara bias karena saya seorang fan Liverpool. Well, di mata pemain lain pun Gerrard adalah sosok yg disegani. Beberapa mengamini bahwa Gerrard lebih berhak mendapatkan Premier League Title lebih dari siapapun di liga ini. Alam semesta seolah berkonspirasi. Semalam, di Anfield, tangan Tuhan bekerja dengan indahnya. Witnessed by the Famous Kopites and 96 Angels in heaven, Liverpool won 3-2 after a dramatic match vs Manchester City. Aura magis Anfield terasa hingga ke Rolling Stone Cafe Jakarta Selatan, tempat dimana saya dan ratusan pecinta Liverpool menyaksikan momen istimewa tersebut. Moment of Silence untuk 96 saudara merah yg tak sempat menjadi saksi bagaimana Gerrard begitu emosional. Kemenangan yg tak bisa dibilang mudah itu seolah menjadi tangga harapan Liverpool menuju surga dunia, Juara Liga Premier Inggris.
Saya seolah deja vu dengan apa yg Gerrard lakukan semalam. This man is born leader. For so many times I was amazed by his charisma. The way he put his feet back on the ground after the winning, tried to be in control and calmed the lads down. Perjalanan belum berakhir. Masih ada 4 pertandingan menanti. Konsistensi. Tahan diri. Hindari tinggi hati. Then I realised that I've been watching this decent attitude since I was kid. He never changed. He's the same old Steven Gerrard.
Saat Tuhan mengirimkan manusia bernama Brendan Rodgers ke Liverpool, saya tak langsung menerima agendaNya. Siapa sih Brendan Rodgers? Sehebat apa dia sampai menggantikan King Kenny saya? I was in total doubt. Still in my own denial cause I didn't want anyone to replace King Kenny. When he was sacked, I cried. Rani Tearjerky. He was good in Swansea, so? Liverpool ain't Swansea.
Mulut ini kerap mengeluh bahkan mengumpat dengan semua hal yg Ia lakukan. Mulai dari belanja pemain hingga taktik di lapangan. Saya bukan pandit seperti beberapa rekan di BIGREDS, tapi saya tidak sebodoh itu tentang sepakbola. I cared so much about this club. Ya of course I knew my voice wasn't loud enough to be heard. I only remembered that I once said a comment when Liverpool released Rodgers' first ever photo in Anfield. I said that the way he held the scarf... I saw Our Great Shank's gesture in a glance. But that was it. I didn't remember other good thing I said about him. I was so mean, I know.
When we finished at the 7th place in the league, I wasn't satisfied. It was just a place higher than King Kenny's. Again, I was still that mean. Saya bukan orang yg gampang terkesima dan yakin dengan orang baru. Sama seperti slogan kampanye sosial Liverpool, "seeing is believing" that's how people should impress me. Saat tur pramusim lalu, saya tidak berkesempatan untuk bertemu langsung dengan Rodgers. Saya hanya mendengar cerita dari teman-teman yg bertemu dengannya, melihat foto-foto bersama mereka, ya hanya sekedar cerita.
Musim 2013-2014 dimulai dan perlahan kejutekan saya terhadap Rodgers mulai luntur berganti dengan simpati. I began to respect this man because he has a vision. He's a visionary manager. He'd lead the team in Liverpool philosophy. I started to think that he's got the spirit of Shankly. Setiap saya melihat foto-foto latihan sehari-hari tim di Melwood, bagaimana pemain berinteraksi dengannya, dan rona wajah yg tak dibuat-buat... hingga detik sekarang, saya akui saya salah. Agenda Tuhan memang selalu tepat. Ia yg paling tahu dan saya berterimakasih atas manusia utusan bernama Brendan Rodgers itu. I do respect you, Manager. Kereta ekspres dari Merseyside yg berwujud anjing Chihuahua itu kini melaju dengan kencang. Jangan injak remnya. Kita hampir sampai tujuan.
Now that we're a little closer to the end, I wish nothing but what we truly deserve... Premier League Title. Saya yakin Rodgers, seluruh tim, dan 96 malaikat di atas sana ingin Liverpool memenangkan gelar itu untuk Gerrard. Saya ingin melihat simbol kesetiaan itu menangis lagi di akhir musim. Dan ketika Ia menangis, Ia sedang memeluk dan mencium cawan perak raksasa (sambil menunjuk langit agar saudaranya bisa melihat hadiah dari Gerrard untuknya) yg sudah kita rindukan kepulangannya ke Anfield. I want you to be the happy, Captain. All of us want you to be the happiest person on earth at the end of this season. Yeah, maybe it's true that you're happy with your life... that you're living the dream, to be the Liverpool Captain since you're a big fan (England as well), that you have a beautiful wife and 3 sweet daughters... but in our deepest heart, in our prayers, we want Liverpool to complete your set of happiness. We dare to dream, the wildest dream... WE'RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE. We're gonna win the league for the 96. WE'RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE.
I will be there to witness our glory once again, I will definitely cry Niagara tears, I will. Until then, let me dream a little bit more. Wake me up when you lift the cup.
Still buzzing about last night winning against manyoo... woohoo~
I went to the Rolling Stone Cafe which some BIGREDS members believed that it's got some jinx because every time they held LFC live match, the result would be either lose or draw... pokoknya menurut para Sesepuh, aura tempat itu kurang bagus buat pertandingan LFC.
Anfield, September 1st, 2013.
Commemorating Bill Shankly's legacy and his 100th birthday, also, Daniel Sturridge's birthday. Anfield was beyond awesome. The supporters were making Bill's famous hand gestures mosaic. I got goosebumps when they did it during the YNWA song. Bill must be so happy up there. I know you were, Bill. :')
It was the Skipper's corner kick. Daniel Agger got up to head the corner kick toward goal and the other Daniel, Sturridge, reacted quickest to Agger's headed flick off a corner kick in the 4th minute (whaaa...t? yes, exactly. 4th minute!). Provided the final touch with a glancing header from inside... my heart skipped a beat for a few seconds. Selewat, gol semata wayang LFC itu seperti diciptakan oleh Agger, tapi setelah dilihat lagi melalui slowmo... it was Sturridge who sealed it ke gawang Sun Go Kong. Eat that donut, De Gea! I mean, ball.
Saya nggak akan menganalisa pertandingan sedetil seorang pandit sepakbola since I am not one. I would rather stick to my sotoy opinions and keep doing so :)
Daniel Sturridge is a natural goalscorer as Rodgers said after the match. He's got all the talent in the world and not to mention, he's still young. Di chelski, Daniel kurang banyak diturunkan dalam pertandingan. Di LFC, Rodgers memberikan kepercayaan penuh padanya (bukan selama absennya Suarez saja) to show what he's got on the pitch. Kepercayaan itu dibayar Sturridge dengan performa yang selama ini bisa kita lihat. Saya pikir dulu Sturridge itu tengilnya minta ampun, like "will he fit us here in LFC?" or "bisa cepet mingle sama team nggak nih bocah?" But then again, semua kekhawatiran saya ternyata terbukti salah pake banget. I don't know about you but I think it's the Liverpool Way kayaknya yang bikin Sturridge jadi versi baru begini. Selain itu, Daniel juga mengakui bahwa fans, pendukung, apalah sebutannya itu, adalah salah satu alasan 'payback' dia ke klub. Dia bermain bukan hanya untuk dirinya sendiri dan klub, akan tetapi untuk para pemain ke-12 yang tanpa lelah mengumandangkan chants, meneriakkan namanya di setiap pertandingan. Daniel Sturridge sadar Liverpool FC itu bukan sekedar klub. Liverpool FC itu keluarga. Keluarga yang besar, besaaar sekali. :')
Begitu tandukan Sturridge merangsek ke jaring Sun Go Kong, sontak Ia berlari dengan ekspresi muka khasnya yang supeeeeeeeer tengil! Di belakangnya ada Skrtel yang berusaha mengejar dan memeluk but Sturridge ran and raaan to the bench. He stopped for a while to give a little glance to the supporters then the whole lads (except Mignolet, of course) hugged him like mad!
Oh, those happy faces... I would love to repeat that moment over and over again. What made my eyes bergelas-gelas-kaca-katakan-padaku-siapa-diriku was the moment when Sturridge approached Rodgers and hugged him. Oh, Danny Boy... :')
Seriously though, siapa yang nggak moved lihat scene seperti ini? Setelah foto Daniel berpelukan sama Coutinho minggu lalu, sepertinya ini another best photo deh... chemistrynya kuat banget. Rodgers is a very influential man, indeed... :')
HACEP!
Rolling Stone Cafe pecah seketika kalo anak gaul sekarang bilang. Jama'ah Liverpooliyah yang nonton sambil duduk bersila langsung berdiri sorak-sorak bergembira. Screamed! Shouted! Screamed! Shouted! HUGS! Yeah, Man... we're THAT happy. Buat saya, kami pendukung LFC, match ini bukan sekedar match biasa. Ya entah ini sudah menjadi tradisi yang diturunkan oleh Tetua kami sebelumnya atau memang otomatis mendarah daging di hari pertama kami ditahbiskan menjadi Merah... this match was THAT significant. Prestige, dignity, pride, reputation, honor, you name it... semuanya seolah dipertaruhkan di match ini. I myself couldn't stop crossing my fingers during the 90+ mins. That was intense. I really mean THAT intense since it's in Anfield, our shrine, our home. We lost both games against manyoo last season so this home winning was a good start. I do hope we could keep the positive trend til the end of this season. Nggak muluk-muluk sih harapannya, semoga winning formula semakin solid dan sedikit sentuhan keberuntungan menyertai LFC. Amen to that.
The whole team work was paid. Iya sih 'cuma' 1-0. Tapi 1-0 semalam merupakan kado terbaik yang bisa diberikan LFC kepada Bill Shankly, dan yang ngasih kado si Birthday Boy pula. What a pleasant feeling! I think the 2nd half itu babak yang menguras emosi, energi, dan kinerja jantung sekaligus. Lost count of how many times I shouted, "OH MY GOD!" or "NOOO!" and "MIGNOLET!!!" Yep, our Belgian Goalie. He was stunning. Sempat dibuat ketar ketir dengan aksi a la Pepe Reinanya, tapi Mignolet melakukan beberapa penyelamatan yang sekaligus menyelamatkan jantung saya... TIMING DIA SELALU TEPAT! OK, saya memang berniat beli jersey goalkeeper untuk yang pertama kalinya. Awalnya sih simpel aja karena warnanya ungu, warna favorit saya. Dan sekarang saya punya alasan lain untuk membelinya sekaligus menambahkan nameset Mignolet plus angka 22 di punggung. Hehehe. At first, I believe most of us didn't trust Rodgers that much. You know... sukses di Swansea belum tentu sukses juga di LFC. But Rome wasn't built in a day. Last season we only finished at 7th and decided to choose fans over the Europa League (which made me love LFC even more). I was one of those. Bitching and nagging about Rodgers' tactical plans, yada yada blah blah blah. Emang orang kayak kita-kita ini bisanya apa lagi sih selain concern sama keadaan klub? Ya okay maybe we could do something more, much more than that, tapi dalam skala dan kapasitasnya, nggak semua dari kita capable untuk itu kan? So, the closest one was to worry about the club. Y'all should check what Rodgers said after the match. :)
Oh well, let's leave it all behind and support Rodgers instead. Away match di Old Trafford kalo mau nonton bareng lagi di Rolling Stone Cafe, I don't mind. Jinx? What jinx? :) YNWA.
Boss finally granted my wish to dismiss office today. Couldn't be happier than that. So, first thing to do that morning was... texting my senior, Nana to go to Mulia together. We planned to give cookies to Gerrard, Lucas, and me, of course, to Martin Kelly. She made the cookies a day before. It was my idea to give such presents to the players. I mean, normally they got pre-season diet, yes. But a bite or two wouldn't be a problem. Heheh.
So... we got a cab, off to Mulia at 10-ish am. When we arrived, there were groups of people waiting for the whole players. It's like watching a band, there was this fence about a meter or so that the hotel put there to make us moved back. NOT GOOD. LFC closed training were scheduled 2 times a day, 10 am and 6 pm. It's getting crowd as a larger group also waited outside where the bus parked. Suddenly an Official told the hotel security that there wouldn't be any training that morning and the players wouldn't go anywhere too. SOBS.
I went up to a room of Nana's friends, apparently they booked one. Couldn't bear with their stories about coincidences! if you know what I mean, THAT coincidences: accidentally met random LFC players IN THE ELEVATOR and took some pics with them. YES. THAT COINCIDENCES. It's day 3 and I didn't get ANYTHING! Frustrated!
It was until someone checked the timeline when another someone updated a pic of him with MARTIN KELLY. Martin Kelly was downstairs at the reception! with John Flanagan. I didn't know what they did down there but I was MORE THAN JUST FRUSTRATED. I WAS ULTRA FRUSTRATED! So I went down.
Nothing left about Martin Kelly and John Flano existence. Just a bunch of people talked about it.
MY GOD...
"where the fuck is Martin Kelly!?"
I met Wafina again, this time she was with her friends, waiting for rooms to book. Phew...
I told her about the hunting plan. Once she finished the business with the reception, we started to hunt. I came up with the idea to play the elevator. As Wafina's room was on the 29th floor so logically we could stalk the 23rd and 24th floor where the team stayed. Ok, so 24th floor. Door opened, SECURITY. Ok, closed. Then 23rd, we saw Jordon Ibe walked away. Oh kay... last destination: 5th floor, the lounge, the gym, the pool. Door opened. MARTIN SKRTEL, Mother Father!!! Couldn't help but addressed him spontaneously.
"Martin..."
He turned his sight to me.
Just when I took my camera off my bag, these girls ruined everything. They mobbed him like maniacs. I, on the contrary, didn't get anything but a pic of Skrtel's head. Yes, his head. ONLY.
Not only Martin Skrtel, there was Raheem Sterling, whom some people called snob. He's not. He stopped to give autographs and some pics. I never fancy him so... skipped. The last player there was Iago Aspas, the new lad. He was super nice. I got a pic with him, a close-up one. And oh, he's got gorgeous eyes and smile also. FINALLY, a pic on day 3!
Done with Iago, I went to the lobby and had a chit chat with Andhika Suksmana. He told me that the 4 players who'd be at FX for meet and greet... *drum roll* MARTIN KELLY, Jordan Henderson, and the ink brothers, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. YES. IT'S HIM. I didn't want to go to FX at first. I knew the crowd would go crazy. Until David texted me, convinced me to go there. Ok, FX, coming through!
As predicted. THE CROWD WAS INSANE. Too many fans there. I hurried, joined Dan and Jason. They told me about the mystery guest, which I knew earlier. Hahaha. I showed them my cookies. Dan took a pic of me holding the box and immediately posted it on Liverpool Echo's Twitter. Jeez... my hair!
I couldn't stop jumping and squeezing Dan's arm. Jason was there to calm me down, and I was like "HOW COULD?" Martin Kelly! it's Martin Kelly! My Man! Don't tell me to calm down because I can't. As we waited anxiously outside (well, Dan and Jase weren't anxious, it's just me), FALSE ALARM, again! The lads were already inside. Probably they took the same way like God last night. Jeez!
Dan, Jase, and I ran inside the mall. Thanks to Jase, I came inside as his working partner. Heehee! When I got there, Skrtel-Agger-Hendo-AND MARTIN KELLY were already sit on the stage.
MY KNEES WERE NO LONGER BONES, THEY TURNED INTO JELLY. MOMMY, HELP ME! IT'S MARTIN KELLY AND RIGHT NOW I'M STANDING IN FRONT OF HIM. HELP. HELP.
Okay, so here's the situation: I LOST MY MIND. Didn't know what to do, like totally blank. Seriously last time I got this syndrome was when Hyde sang Forbidden Lover on stage. I swear to God I needed my Mom so much. Jase was busy photographing while Dan was recording some videos with his iPad. Nobody's there to catch me if I fainted!
I made it to the front line, so I could make sure that Martin Kelly noticed me. My to-do list:
1. Look at him, don't lose sight, maintain eye contact.
2. When he notice, tell him "I love you" as many as I could. Don't stop til he react.
3. Give him the cookies
4. Ask him to sign the jersey.
5. Take a pic.
I looked at Martin Kelly. I smiled from ear to ear, I was like looking at my future husband :D When Kelly noticed me, I started to say this nonstop line of
"I love you, Kelly. I love you. I love you so much!"
lost count on how many times I said that but his reaction was beyond godlike! HE NODDED, THEN SMILED, AND OUR EYES WERE LOCKED FOR A FEW SECONDS. My Fowler, that was intense!!!
I type this with smile on my face fyi, hahahaha. I think my cheeks are red now. Liverpool red, yes. Okay, where were we? Oh, yeah. That I love you thingy. Actually I jumped to the number 4 first. I took my jersey out of my bag and showed it to him. I said,
"Kelly, please sign this for me. Please, please."
The fact that I didn't bring any marker made me borrowed one from someone who's got his turn first. Thanks to you, Man in Glasses! ☺
Typical Indonesian security, annoyed me with his insignificant warning. "No autograph, just photo." Unfortunately, Martin Kelly disagreed. He's angry at the security and told him,
"no, I want to sign hers. Let me."
I got the picture showed how angry he was. Most romantic scene ever! :')
I was warned at the 1st day that Martin acted snob. Well, it was all wrong! He was sweet, indeed... :')
Next thing to do, handed him the cookies. At the photo session, I jumped on the stage together with BIGREDS members hahaha. I was probably the only one who didn't wear any LFC related outfit. So I made it to the stage... NEVER BEEN THAT CLOSE TO MARTIN KELLY. MY HEART SKIPPED A BEAT FOR A SEC. I adore this man so much you could tell by the way I look on this picture (I found it on Propaganda-Photo, thanks Jase!), hahaha, I'm a total hopeless romantic!
As you can see, he got the cookies already. That, my friend, was the box. Inside it, my friend, the cookies. :') I made Martin Kelly brought a cookie box with him. HAPPINESS! When I handed him the box, I told him
"this is for you..."
he said,
"thank you"
in a husky voice then looked at it quickly. MY GOD... could you please look at me instead??? (Well, it's true that he's a shy guy. Ah, my Taurean... ♥) I must thank Dan for recording a short yet priceless video of me gave Martin Kelly cookies, he even uploaded it on Youtube. Thanks, Dan!
I made it. I made all the to-do list. I'm happy that although my legs were turned into jelly that moment, I could manage myself not to faint. Phewww... You know, I learned a lot from day 3. Don't stop, don't lose hope cause the beginning is always the hardest. I thought I'd never met Martin Kelly but I made it. I made all the to-do list. Thank God!
THIS. IS. PROBABLY. MY. MOST. PRECIOUS. TREASURE.
I LOVE YOU, MARTIN RONALD KELLY. I HOPE YOU STAY IN LIVERPOOL IN A VERY LOOONG LOOONG TIME. YOU MUST. ♥
I had a great week. Ever. Like the best week. Wasn't able to blog since I got busy with few things regarding the LFC Tour in Jakarta. So, I'm gonna sum up what I've been doing recently.
Thursday, July 18 2013.
I was working at my office, no focus at all. Like AT ALL. I mean, how could I? I was in the same city with Liverpool FC ffs and I haven't seen them. Not even their bus! Frustrating!
12:00pm.
I left my office to pick Hanifa up at Sarinah. We went to my dorm first to get ready for Supporters Club Night. It was raining a bit and we're getting prepared. As the TJ took us to FX, we're sooo excited. We talked about what should we do to get autographs and photos, it's a fangirling thing. But the fact that we weren't able to come to Mulia and rushed to FX instead, made us even more frustrated. Well, FX was so Liverpool as I could see the Shankly's gate at the main entrance as well as the gigantic LFC team billboard.
3:00pm. This Supporters Club Night we had was organized by BIGREDS. We invited the members to meet the 3 Legendary Players: Ian Rush, Robbie 'God' Fowler, and Didi Hamann. I personally have met Ian Rush in KL 2 years ago. This was my first time to see God and Didi. I like Didi. :) The night before, I was at Goedkoop for a final meeting about this event (which never happened actually, I was waiting for more than 2 hrs there when the rest were at Mulia with the LFC team. OH!). So the preparation was not that smooth tbh. 4:30pm Things gone manic. Members started to fill The Cone. I myself helped Hanifa and Wafina on the merchs booth. People deffo shopped! Well, this LFC Tour was the 1st time ever so I didn't surprise at all. So... while we were waiting for God and his lads, I met David, Jason, and later, Dan. They worked for Liverpool Echo and Propaganda Photo. On the first session, we had Jane Kavanagh from LFC to explain about the Tour and tonight's agenda. She's a bit confused with our wacko MCs. :D
06:00pm Went down to grab myself a cup of iced peach tea then Jason and David came along so we had a chit chat. We were talking for a few moments then we realised that God and his lads weren't coming through the main entrance. I rang Andre at the Cone just to make sure that they're already upstairs and YES, THEY WERE. I brought my DSLR camera to photograph them when they're coming BUT they didn't appear. So up to the Cone we rushed! I apologized to David, Jason, and Dan. I didn't know, at all. Fortunately, I was forgiven. Thanks, Guys. 07:00pm the 4 of us ran like crazy to the crowd at The Cone. Luckily we didn't lost the best moments. When we arrived, God led all members to sing YNWA. Oh my Fowler, that was intense.
I took every picture I as quick as I could. Goosebumps all around. This was just a small gathering but still, it's YNWA they were singing. The night was almost over as Iyan (@fagan1892) the designer of LFC Batik and The Kopiah were getting ready to present them to God and the lads. I must say that these Legendary Players were TOO CUTE in batik shirts. Like seriously, have you ever seen them put some shirts on plus the kopiah in front of you? NO. And this was the first time. Me likey!
My favorite, I must say, again, was Didi Hamann. Oh my Fowler he's TOO CUTE! I took some pic of him struggled to wear the shirt. Hahaha.
Look at his tummy. Hahaha, Didiii you're just too cute! He's got the same smile just like the old days. Pity I couldn't take a pic with him. :( 8:00pm. After the whole crowded hours, God and Rush moved to the next room where they had meet and greet session with few listed members. I didn't see Didi around (where was he actually?) I was gonna ask him to take a pic or two but in vain. Didi's gone already. 9:00pm. The meet and greet session turned out to be a little quicker than the original plan. God and Rush didn't want any photo session with fans, didn't know why. I looked at some people and they were disappointed a little bit. Anyway, it went well as God and Rush were in the good mood. Jane handed me and friends LFC membership vouchers. WE WERE HAPPY TO RECEIVE THEM. Thanks a bunch, Jane!
and Jane's surprise presents were the end of LFC Tour Day 2. HAPPY. :)
Finally... Liverpool FC is in Jakarta, Indonesia. For real. This is beyond awesomeness. I've been waiting for this moment since 15 yrs ago and it's happening NOW! LIVERPOOL FC THE MIGHTY RED MEN ARE IN TOWN, MOTHER FATHER BROTHER AND SISTER!
They got a special plane customised by Garuda Indonesia, which I personally think it's so cool. The family crest is painted along with YNWA. Jeez, thanks Garuda for the special Livery!
The Garuda Livery landed on Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta at 1-ish pm. Sea of Reds. That was the view of Halim Perdanakusuma that afternoon. More than a thousand Indonesian Reds gathered to greet their heroes. TRES MAGNIFIQUE!
It was also reported that they caused traffic jam around Halim LOL. Good job, Lads! Pity I couldn't be with them at that moment. Office life ffs. :(
Chants, scarfs, jerseys, banners, hats, you name it... all in red. Even though it's Ramadhan and most of them were fasting, no biggy. The louder, the better. After all, we're the loudest supporters in the world. That explained a lot about yesterday. :)
I myself haven't got the chance to see them in person but I will do it SOON. My mission is to take a picture with the beloved Martin Ronald Kelly. I do hope he's ok with it and I really need the whole universe to help me! Mother Gaia, I need you! So yeah, here are some pics yesterday. Hope I could post my own here soon. A picture of me and Martin Kelly. *FINGERSCROSSED*
It's been a while since my last post about football thingy. This time I want to congratulate some new signings.
Youngsters, I may say, as their ages are particularly young. I begin to think that LFC is the new Arsenal, no?
The first one, Kolo Toure. Came to LFC with free transfer from Manchester City after his contract expired on June 30, 2013. A replacement for Jamie Carragher? We'll see...
The second signing, Luis Alberto Romero. He's only 20 and brought from Sevilla for 6.8 mio pounds. I was thinking that THIS Luis might replace THAT Luis but I quickly put myself in a grip... in a big big hope it's not gonna happen. Amen.
I don't understand about this double home kit in one photo. I just don't understand.
But I have my favorite here, Luis with Indonesian flag. So, I'll see you later Luis. :)
Next is Iago Aspas Juncal. A 25 y.o striker from Celta Vigo and worth 7 mio pounds. This bad boy-like player is probably gonna threat the opponent team as I myself can see it through his facial expression. Haha. Sorry, Iago.
My club already got one bad boy and added this bad boy-like so practically there will be double Luis in the front line. Interesting. Hope they can get along very quick, well at least they share the same mother tongue.
The third signing, is a goalkeeper. As Gulacsi moved, only two goalies left. Meet Simon Mignolet, a 24 y.o Belgian goalie. Previously played for Sunderland. He's worth 11 mio pounds (more or less). He was pretty fine with The Black Cats, several clean sheets. I do really think that LFC need a young goalie and when they got him, well, pleasant.
I'm not a pundit or sth like that so I'm not gonna act like miss know-it-all, just like the title up there, I only greet these newcomers. Welcome to the home of football, the Shrine, Anfield.
Apakah kamu termasuk salah satu diantara sekian ratus juta penduduk di dunia yang menggemari olahraga sepakbola? Apakah kamu perempuan? Jika jawabnya YA, lalu... Apa yang menjadi alasan utama kamu dalam menggemari olahraga sepakbola? Klub? Pemain? Keluarga? Pasangan? Apapun alasan dibalik kegemaranmu terhadap olahraga sepakbola, kita sama. Perempuan yang menggemari sepakbola. Lalu, mengapa saya menanyakan hal tersebut di awal postingan ini? Sekedar ingin tahu saja, sih, kira-kira apa yang menjadi alasan kebanyakan dari kita kaum perempuan dalam menggemari sepakbola? More and more of us, girls, nowadays are getting attached to this masculine sport. Sadly, most guys (most, not all of them) think that what we do is just another type of fangirling. You know, THOSE GOOD LOOKING PLAYERS! OMG! OMG! :| I'm not really into this saying, "love at the first sight," but it happened when I first saw my beloved football club, Liverpool played back then. Still remember how Michael Owen mesmerized me with his gorgeous look AND beautiful skills. Okay, sekarang kita mulai menempatkan posisi sebagai penggemar sepakbola dan menanggalkan apa yang diberikan society kepada kita, gender. Me, personally belajar apa itu alien bernama sepakbola pertama kali dari guru olahraga waktu SD. Basic sekali, ya karena teori mengenai olahraga diujikan dan harus belajar, dong! Kemudian saat mengenal klub Merah yang ASDSKJDFKJSHDF ini, semakin memperbesar rasa keingintahuan saya mengenai olahraga sepakbola. Sejarah klub dan prestasinya ya sudah pasti masuk daftar belajar, akan menjadi nggak lucu kalau sekedar jadi penonton aja tanpa tahu kenapa si Wasit tiba-tiba meniup peluit lalu mengeluarkan kartu dari dalam sakunya. Tanpa bermaksud menggurui, I'd like to share some essential points about this sport. Paling tidak sejauh inilah yang saya ketahui dan paling sering nongol aja. Maafkeun sebelumnya kalau ada yang kurang, tapi paling tidak bisa menjadi manual kita dalam memahami sepakbola. Most importantly, nggak dianggap sekedar fangirling lagi sama cowok-cowok, hehehe. Istilah-istilah dalam pertandingan sepakbola in alphabetical order: 1. Added Time aaaaartinya perpanjangan waktu. Dikenal juga dengan istilah injury time. Waktu spesial ini ada di ujung babak, berkisar dari 1-4 menit, tergantung juga sih berapa lama (kalau Ferguson ya bisa lebih dari 4 bahkan 2 kali lipatnya). Kok bisa sih ada waktu tambahan? Jika dalam tiap babak pertandingan terjadi hal yang dapat menghentikan jalannya pertandingan (seperti insiden antar pemain atau interupsi lainnya), akan ada waktu yang ditambahkan oleh wasit di akhir babak. Begitu... 2. Adu penalti Adu penalti adalah tendangan penalti yang dilakukan setelah pertandingan berakhir imbang dan telah melalui babak extra time, biasanya dilakukan oleh 5 orang penendang dari masing-masing tim. Ingat final UCL 2005 di Istanbul? Itu dia adu penalti yang mungkin nggak akan bisa dilupakan oleh kita-kita pendukung Liverpool. :) 3. Assist Masih ingat kemenangan setengah lusin LFC vs Newcastle United kemarin? Saat Philippe Coutinho menggiring bola dari lapangan tengah ke lini depan, melewati beberapa pemain lawan lalu bola tersebut diteruskan ke Daniel Sturridge dan berbuah gol? Nah, secara singkat begitulah yang dinamakan assist alias umpan matang yang menghasilkan gol. Untuk lebih jelasnya, berikut video mengenai assist Coutinho...
4. Attacking Midfielder Attacking midfielder adalah salah satu dari tiga midfielder. Posisinya berada di depan midfielder yang lain agar dapat memberikan assist, namun nggak menutup kemungkinan untuk mencetak gol juga. Tipe midfielder satu ini besar pengaruhnya dalam tim dan membutuhkan kemampuan menggiring, mengumpan dan menendang bola dengan baik. 5. Away Pada saat klub yang kita dukung bertandang ke stadion lawan, itulah yang dinamakan pertandingan away. Biasanya sih, pertandingan seperti ini memiliki tingkat kesulitan yang lebih daripada bertanding di kandang. Faktor pemain ke-12 atau suporter adalah salah satunya. 6. Back Heel Pernah melihat pemain menendang bola menggunakan tumitnya untuk mengelabui lawan? Nah, itu yang namanya back heel. 7. Back Pass Back pass artinya pemain mengoper bola ke belakang (kiper) untuk mengamankan pertahanan. Biasanya nih, Pepe Reina suka bikin ketar-ketir karena santai kayak di pantai kalau dikasih model begini... :| 8. Ball Possession Ini istilah untuk penguasaan bola, biasanya diukur menggunakan persentase. Penguasaan bola itu apa ya? yang termasuk dalam penguasaan bola disini adalah berapa lama waktu bola jatuh ke kaki total seluruh pemain dalam tim. Kalau pas siaran langsung, ball possession ini nongol di sudut atas layar televisi. Klub kita tercinta ini sering banget tinggi ball possessionnya tapi nggak jadi-jadi juga golnya.......................................... *geleng geleng* 9. Banana Kick Banana kick adalah tendangan ke udara yang melengkung seperti pisang. Biasanya dilakukan saat corner kick atau sepak pojok. 10. Bench aaaaaadalah bangku cadangan. Tempat duduk pemain-pemain ganteng yang nantinya akan menggantikan rekannya apabila diperlukan. 11. Bicycle Kick Tendangan model begini agak-agak sulit dijabarkan dengan kata-kata. Secara teoritis, bicycle kick adalah tendangan akrobatik (mirip salto) ke gawang lawan untuk menyambut umpan silang dengan cara melompat membelakangi gawang sambil menendang bola. Pusing? Mendingan lihat videonya aja ya... ini kiper kita, Pepe Reina lagi latihan eeeh dia berbicycle kick.
12. Blunder Kalau pernah melihat Pepe Reina gagal menangkap bola dengan sempurna sehingga mengakibatkan gawangnya kebobolan, kesalahan kiper inilah yang disebut blunder. Endingnya sedih yang tak berkesudahan............ (kecuali kalau bisa membalik keadaan -___-) 13. Booking Istilah untuk pemain yang dikenai kartu kuning oleh wasit. 14. Box Dikenal juga dengan kotak penalti, itu loooh... kotak yang ada di depan gawang. 15. Box-to-box Midfielder Siapa yang nggak tahu Lucas Leiva??? Suami dari Ariana dan bapak dari Pedro (masih nggak tahu juga artinya kebangetan nih). Ini dia contoh box-to-box midfielder. Sering lihat Lucas bergerak kesana kemari dari tengah-depan-tengah-belakang dengan lincahnya? Pemain dengan tipe ini nggak gampang lho... butuh seseorang berstamina tinggi, gerakan passing yang dinamis, kemampuan tackling handal dan finishing oke. 16. Center Back Alias pemain bertahan tengah. Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Sebastian Coates adalah contohnya. Tugasnya tentu saja menjaga pertahanan di area tengah. Caranya antara lain melalui tackling dan heading bola saat berada di zona berbahaya. Pemain ini boleh melakukan zonal marking ('menjaga' seorang pemain lawan dalam area tertentu) dan man marking ('menjaga' pemain lawan yang dianggap berbahaya). 17. Clean Sheet aaaaadalah hal yang paling membahagiakan bagi para penjaga gawang, tapi nggak begitu membahagiakan juga kalau hasilnya seperti derby Merseyside 5 Mei 2013 kemarin :( Dikatakan clean sheet apabila tidak ada bola yang bersarang di gawang, dengan kata lain tim berhasil menjaga pertahanan dengan baik. 18. Corner Kick Dikenal juga dengan tendangan penjuru. Corner kick didapatkan ketika pemain lawan dengan sengaja atau tidak, membuang bola ke garis pertahanannya sehingga mendapatkan tendangan dari pojok (corner)... kemudian kita berharap terjadi gol... *berdoa* 19. Counterattack Pernah melihat tim yang sepanjang pertandingan bertahaaan terus apapun yang terjadi? Tak peduli betapa dahsyatnya serangan dari pihak lawan, bertubi-tubi dari segala sisi... (oke ini lebay zzz). Dalam sepakbola, ada istilah yang namanya counter attack atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai serangan balik. Counter Attack tersebut selalu dilakukan oleh tim yang menerapkan strategi atau gaya bermain bertahan.
Biasanya tim yang menerapkan strategi tersebut adalah tim yang menganggap lawannya jauh lebih kuat sehingga mereka lebih memilih untuk bertahan dan mengandalkan serangan balik. Caranya simpel saja, begitu lawan asyik menyerang (kan pemainnya pada maju ke depan tuh), colongan deh pas mereka sibuk sendiri... Tanpa mengecilkan klub manapun, tapi biasanya klub-klub yang 'biasa' aja justru sering membuat klub-klub papan atas kerepotan dengan strategi ini. 20. Cross Teknik ini salah satu kesukaan saya, melihat pemain memberikan umpan silang kepada teman setim untuk mencetak gol ke gawang lawan adalah pemandangan yang keren. Hahaha... nggak tahu kenapa sih, suka aja. :D 21. Crossbar aaaaadalah mistar gawang yang posisinya horisontal dengan panjang 24 kaki. Paling pahit kalau bola yang ditendang kena crossbar... dan Liverpool pernah punya rekor buruk dengan crossbar musim lalu. *sigh* 22. Defender
Defender adalah pemain bertahan alias bek, itu loh yang posisinya di depan kiper. Badan tinggi dan besar, berotot lagipula gahar... tipikal pemain seperti ini nih yang kita lihat dari defender. Biasanya ada 3, 4, atau 5 defender di depan kiper tergantung formasi apa yang dipakai. Defender ada bermacam-macam:
- Center Back (lihat no. 16), - Left/Right Wing Back gampang saja, area kiri atau kanan, lebih bebas karena pakai sayap. Apa sih!? -___- dan mereka juga marking winger lawan sesuai areanya. - Libero/Sweeper Bek ini lebih multifungsi daripada Center Back; bisa berada di kanan, kiri, atau tengah sehingga diharapkan jadi motor serangan balik. Kemampuan menguasai dan mengumpan bola harus oke nih. Biasanya posisi doi lebih maju daripada bek lain, jadi bebas mendistribusikan bola dan memotong umpan lawan. Sekarang nggak banyak pemain jenis ini. - Full Back. Tugasnya dalam pertahanan cukup luas, yang utama adalah mencegah lawan melancarkan crossing ke area penalti. Full back bertanggung jawab dalam menahan pemain sayap lawan, terus dia juga harus punya disiplin tinggi supaya mencegah teman-teman beknya keluar dari garis pertahanan. Bek yang begini paling rajin teriak-teriak... "Woy, di situ aja jangan kemana-mana! Iya! Situ! Agak maju dikit!" -___-
Tahu kan kalau defender LFC itu keren-keren? Tahu kan saya mau membicarakan siapa? ya MARTIN KELLY laaah... hahahaha. Kalau kesayangan saya itu biasa berada di kanan namun bisa juga di tengah. Udah ganteng, serba bisa... aduh... (mulai lebay) 23. Deflection Bola ditendang kemudian mengenai bagian tubuh pemain, nah pantulan bola ini disebut defelection. Entah kemana arah si bola akan menuju... hanya dia dan Tuhan yang tahu. Kalau gol, alhamdulillah, kalau own goal, innalillahi... -___- 24. Derby Bukan Romero. Ini adalah pertandingan antara 2 klub yang secara geografis berada dalam 1 wilayah. Merseyside Derby pasti tahu kaaan? 25. Disallowed Goal Alias gol yang dianulir atau dianggap tidak sah oleh wasit. Loh kenapa kok bisa begitu? bisa jadi karena ada foul atau saat prosesnya termasuk offside (INI JEBAKAN! INI JE-BA-KAN!!! -___-). 26. Dive(-ing) Hmmm... kalau mau menjelaskan hal yang 1 ini kok tiba-tiba hati merasa lebih sensitif ya? Oke, yang dimaksud dengan dive(-ing) ini bukan menyelam di rumput lapangan, namun seorang pemain yang sengaja menjatuhkan diri, seolah-olah dilanggar oleh pemain lawan, dengan harapan akan mendapat pelanggaran berupa seperti tendangan bebas atau penalti. 27. Dribble Dribble adalah teknik menggiring bola. 28. Dummy (run) Kena deh! ini adalah tipuan. Biasanya pemain berlari dengan maksud memancing lawan keluar dari daerah pertahanannya agar membuka ruang bagi rekan setim untuk menyerang.
29. Extra Time Apabila skor akhir full time adalah draw alias seri, maka extra time akan diberikan oleh wasit. Sebanyak 15 menit pertama akan diberikan, kalau masih belum ada yang unggul juga, dimainkan 15 menit yang ke-2. Masih belum juga??? ya sudah, adu penalti. 30. Forward aka Striker aka Attacker. Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Fabio Borini, Andy Carroll. 31. Four Five One (4-5-1) Formasi tim yang terdiri dari 4 bek, 5 midfielder, dan 1 striker 32. Four Three Three (4-3-3) Formasi tim yang terdiri dari 4 bek, 3 midfielder, dan 3 striker. 33. Four Four Two (4-4-2) Formasi tim yang terdiri dari 4 bek, 4 midfielder, dan 2 striker. 34. Four Two Three One (4-2-3-1) Formasi tim yang terdiri dari 4 bek, 2 defensive midfielder, 3 midfielder, 1 striker. 35. Free Kick Artinya tendangan bebas, dilakukan ketika terjadi pelanggaran tapi bukan pelanggaran khusus seperti penalti. 36. Goal Posts
Tiang gawang vertikal yang menopang crossbar. Ini juga amit-amit kalau gagal gol gara-gara kena goal posts. 37. Half-Time Ngaso tiiime... 15 menit sebelum 45 menit ke-2. 38. Half-Volley Menendang bola (goal shot) setelah si bola memantul terlebih ke rumput terlebih dulu. 39. Hand Ball Bisa diterjemahkan sebagai sentuhan bola terhadap tangan, sebenarnya hand ball tidak hanya melibatkan tangan dan pergelangannya, tapi sampai dengan batas lengan atas. Kadang dianggap pelanggaran, kadang tidak disebut pelanggaran jika tangan yang dikenai bola tidak dalam posisi aktif. 40. Hat-trick aaaaadalah 3 gol yang diciptakan oleh seorang pemain dalam sebuah pertandingan. 41. Header Ada bola di udara nih, terus disundul oleh kepala pemain. Ini dia header. 42. Kickoff Permulaan pertandingan dimana bola mulai ditendang dari titik tengah lapangan. Kalau sudah terjadi goal, mulai lagi dari titik tengah ini juga. 43. Linesman Asisten wasit ini berjumlah 2 orang. Tugasnya membantu wasit dalam melihat posisi bola dan pemain. Menentukan offside, throw in, dan membantu wasit dalam mengambil keputusan. Senjatanya adalah bendera kecil. 44. Midfielder Nama Indonesianya gelandang. Aslinya sih beroperasi di lapangan tengah, tapi bisa dibilang kerjanya serabutan. Kok? Iya, karena pemain ini harus bisa dan siap menggantikan posisi striker apabila diperlukan. Kalau pernah lihat Kapten kita sibuk hilir mudik kesana kemari sampai kadang mencetak gol, yah... begitulah job description dari gelandang. Seperti Bek, Gelandang juga ada bermacam-macam: - Defensive Midfielder Gelandang bertahan. Posisi doi unik soalnya ada di antara garis tengah dan belakang, tugas dia menyeimbangkan keduanya. Kalau pertahanan mulai diserang, dia yang menahan bola sebelum bola sampai ke bek dan sekaligus merusak skema serangan lawan. Kadang-kadang bisa juga menjadi playmaker dadakan. Playmaker ni apa lagi sih? -___- playmaker itu bisa dibilang pengatur serangan. - Central Midfielder Gelandang tengah, bisa 2 sampai 3 orang tergantung formasi yang dipakai. Pemain ini bisa juga disulap jadi box-to-box midfielder (lihat no. 15)
- Winger Gelandang ini menyisir sisi kanan/kiri lapangan. Doi bertugas memberi umpang silang ke striker, tapi nggak menutup kemungkinan juga membuat gol karena doi bebas bergerak karena pakai sayap (zzzzzzzzzz banget). - Attacking Midfielder Gelandang serang posisinya ada di garis tengah dan depan. Tugas utamanya menyuplai bola ke striker, kadang-kadang kalau posisi dia memungkinkan bisa juga langsung mencetak gol karena disulap jadi trequartista (opo iki???) atau pemain yang bermain di 3/4 bagian lapangan di sisi penyerangan. Jadi dia posisinya lebih maju ke depan. 45. Nutmeg aaaaadalah operan bola yang melewati kedua belah kaki dari lawan. Luis Suarez jago banget nih yang beginian. 46. Offside Dikit-dikit kok offside, dikit-dikit kok offside. Offside kok dikit-dikit? Sebenernya apa sih offside itu? Banyak orang yang belum memahami konsep dari offside. Biasanya orang menganggap bahwa pemain yang mendahului pemain lawan semuanya dianggap offside, tapi offside nggak sesederhana itu. Peraturan offside dibuat sedemikian rupa sehingga (in sha Allah) tidak ada yang dirugikan. Offside mulai dihitung ketika pengumpan (ingat ya, pengumpan) menyentuh bola untuk terakhir kalinya, disitulah ditetapkan apakah penyerang lebih mendahului penyerang lawan atau tidak. Kalau masih sejajar atau lebih di belakang maka tidak dianggap sebagai offside. Jadi offside tidak dihitung ketika penyerang mendapatkan bola tapi ketika pengumpan menyentuh bola untuk terakhir kali. Begitu kira-kira... 47. Overlap (run) Terjadi ketika seorang pemain (biasanya bek sayap) keluar dari daerah pertahanan dan menggiring bola hingga mendekati ujung pertahanan lawan. Pemain berani mati. Hahahaha. 48. Own Goal GOL BUNUH DIRI. Sekian. 49. Pass (-ing) Mengoper bola... tentu saja ke teman 1 tim ya -____- 50. Penalty Tendangan yang dilakukan dari titik penalti di dalam box atau kotak penalti. Jaraknya 11 meter dari gawang. Tendangan ini terjadi karena ada pemain yang dilanggar di kotak penalti. Tahu kaaan klub Penalty FC??? Begitulah. 51. Red Card Kartu merah, dipakai wasit untuk memberi tahu kepada pemain dan timnya, bahwa yang bersangkutan diusir keluar lapangan. Bisa jadi akumulasi kartu kuning (2x kartu kuning=1 kartu merah). Pemain itu tidak boleh digantikan pemain lainnya. Pemain penerima kartu merah dalam sebuah liga juga nggak boleh ikut pertandingan berikutnya. 52. Skipper aaaaadalah sebutan lain untuk Kapten tim. 53. Sliding Tackle Teknik mencuri bola dari pemain lawan dengan cara agak-agak memlesetkan diri ke rumput. Errr... begitulah. 54. Striker Yaitu penyerang, berada di garis depan. Tugasnya apa? Tentu saja mencetak gol sebanyak-banyaknya dong. Eh tapi striker juga boleh kok membantu lini tengah atau pertahanan. Striker HARUS bisa lari cepaaaaaaat dan tendangan kedua kaki sama kencang dan sama akuratnya. Biasanya striker nggak perlu tinggi-tinggi banget. Ada juga second striker alias penyerang bayangan, tugasnya membantu striker utama lebih rumit karena biasanya posisi doi pas di belakang striker utama. Striker ke-2 ini harus menerima umpan dari belakang lalu diteruskan ke depan. Biasanya teknik para second striker ini kewren-kewren. Kalau ingat Dirk Kuyt... hmmm... kewren kan Meneer satu itu? 55. Throw In aaaaadalah lemparan kedalam. Diberikan kepada pemain yang lawannya membuang bola ke samping lapangan. Teknik lemparan harus benar yaitu dengan kedua tangan diayunkan diatas kepala, terus pada saat melempar, kedua kaki tetap menapak ke tanah. Ingat ya, sekesal apapun tidak boleh melempar bola ke wajah pemain lawan. -___- 56. Yellow Card Kartu kuning, diberikan oleh wasit sebagai peringatan kepada pemain dan timnya jika pemain yang bersangkutan melakukan pelanggaran. OKELAH KALAU BEGITU... kayaknya segitu aja yang saya tahu. Selebihnya tanya aja ke mas-mas yang suka jadi analis sepakbola... hahaha. Penting nggak penting jadinya penting juga sih kalau sudah terlanjur kecemplung dalam dunia maskulin ini. Paling tidak, nggak blah bloh kalau nonton pertandingan. Hehehe... Akhir kata, YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE! :D Cap bibir merah, Rani. x
.jpg)