super storm

Chapter 744 Liverpool Spirit

Every year on April [-]th, Anfield Stadium will hold a commemoration of the Hillsborough tragedy.

It's not even about one club in Liverpool, it's about the entire city of Liverpool.

But this year is a little bit different because it's the [-]th anniversary.

The whole city of Liverpool attaches great importance to this and organized a series of preparatory activities as early as a few days ago.

After shocking the world last night by reversing Chelsea in London, Liverpool returned overnight and celebrated for two or three hours at the St Thomas Hotel.

In order to reward the players, the training on the morning of the [-]th was canceled, but in order to participate in the memorial activities in the afternoon, the training session in the afternoon was arranged in the afternoon, just some simple recovery and adjustment training.

At fourteen o'clock, the team got on the bus and arrived at Anfield Stadium with the support of hundreds of fans.

……

When the team arrived at Anfield, the team song "You Never Walk Alone" was playing repeatedly on the stadium radio. According to Gerrard, this is a Liverpool tradition, and this song will be repeated throughout the day.

When he heard this song before, Yang Yang still felt more passionate, but today, he felt some sad tone, as if this song was also a memorial service.

Many people participated in the commemoration of the Hillsborough tragedy. In addition to Liverpool's first-team players, coaching staff, and club administrators and staff, there were also Liverpool legends and political and business celebrities in Liverpool.

For example, Mayor Rotheram of Liverpool came to Anfield with important officials of the city government, and Treve Hicks, chairman of the Support Association for the Families of the Hillsborough Victims, also brought the families of the victims and core members of the support association to the scene.

Unlike in the past, today's Anfield stadium is full of tragedy.

The ceremony started promptly at fourteen thirty.

Mayor Rotheram and the chairman of the support club, Treve Hicks, and others successively took the stage to deliver speeches, mainly to remind everyone that they should never forget the tragedy 20 years ago.

"People often say that time heals everything, but that's not the case. Time just helps us learn to deal with pain. We have gone from naked pain to treatment to being able to resist the attack of pain, but the pain still leaves scars in our hearts that will never be erased." The gray-haired Hicks said excitedly.

He was at the Sheffield United ground when the Hillsborough disaster happened, and he just turned around to buy a coffee, and he lost two teenage daughters as a result.

Not long after the tragedy, he and his wife divorced because of this tragedy.

Hicks recounted his life in the past 20 years with tears in his eyes. He said that he yelled at God countless times, asking him why he took his two daughters away?Why can't one stay?
He said that he had lost his faith, but he still hoped for heaven, because he hoped that one day he would go to heaven after his death and be able to see his two daughters again.

After the divorce, he and his wife would sit on the graves of their children every Christmas and every year on their children's birthdays, and talk to them about what happened during the year.

"April 39th would be Sarah's [-]th birthday, if she was alive."

Hicks said that he and his ex-wife often talk on the phone. They will fantasize about their daughter graduating from college, fantasizing about them getting a boyfriend, fantasizing about them getting married and having children, and he even fantasizes about taking his grandson to Anfield Stadium to watch the game.

"We think about many, many beautiful things, but when we wake up, it's another tragedy."

"The trauma caused by the tragedy cannot be healed in 20 years. All Liverpool people will always remember this special day!"

……

Yang Yang has never been a weak person, but at this moment, standing in the Anfield Stadium, listening to the testimonials of the parties involved, watching a 63-year-old man crying in front of him and telling his past tragedies, he was really moved.

So that later, when he, captain Gerrard and vice-captain Carragher were selected as representatives of Liverpool to present the [Honorary Citizen] certificates issued by the Liverpool City Government to the families of the 96 victims, he sincerely comforted them from the bottom of his heart.

Hicks grudgingly cheered up and thanked Yang Yang for his comfort, saying that he was strong because he had more meaningful things to do, which was to find justice for the Hillsborough tragedy that year.

There has been more and more evidence that the police were indeed suspected of covering up the truth back then, and also guilty of ineffective rescue.

What the families of the victims headed by Hicks hope most is to get an open investigation so that the 96 victims will not walk alone!
"According to British statistics, it takes an average of 26 years for an unjust case to be cleared up. This is a protracted battle."

Hicks' tone was so firm that Yang Yang felt that this might be the meaning of his active life.

……

At 2:20, when the tragedy happened, Liverpool, Sheffield and Nottingham, the three cities directly related to the Hillsborough tragedy, kept silent for [-] minutes at the same time to pay tribute to the tragedy [-] years ago.

The entire Anfield stadium was silent, as if even the air had condensed.

Two minutes later, the cathedrals in the three cities will ring 2 bells at the same time to commemorate the 96 fans who died that year.

Subsequently, Liverpool Mayor Rotheram paid tribute to 96 families on behalf of the government, and at the same time read a letter of sympathy from the Queen of England and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"We will never forget the 96 people who tragically lost their lives, the families who lost loved ones in the disaster, who had the support of all decent people across the country."

"I think that's the most important thing, it makes people understand that Liverpool fans are helping each other and their behavior is noble."

"We all know Liverpool people, they help each other in difficult times, that's the Liverpool spirit!"

……

At the scene, Yang Yang was deeply moved.

From the Queen of England to the Prime Minister, and then to the Liverpool City Government, almost everyone is supporting Liverpool and the families of the victims, believing that justice should come soon.

But his mood was always unhappy, a little heavy.

He has never experienced such things and scenes before, but now, he feels why the Liverpool team is so different, because it is not just a football team, not just a club, but also a spiritual symbol.

Gerrard also had relatives who died in the Hillsborough tragedy. It is said that he was the youngest of the 96 victims. That was his cousin and his best friend. So when he plays football now, he is always very desperate, because he is not only playing for himself, but also for his dead cousin.

The reason why he rejected Chelsea back then was because he, like Trevor Hicks and others, was sticking to it and waiting for that belated justice.

……

"This event brought back some really bad memories."

After the twentieth anniversary commemorative event, Liverpool's celebrities and players gathered at Anfield. The legendary striker Ian Rush looked a little lonely, shaking his head and sighing.

He was a witness to the disaster that year, and in the past 20 years, almost every year on the anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, he will come to Anfield Stadium to commemorate the tragedy that year.

"It made me believe that the fight for justice must continue and that justice should be done for the families who suffer."

Speaking of this, Ian Rush looked up at Yang Yang, Gerrard, Carragher, Harvey Alonso and other Liverpool players. The former legendary star forced a smile.

"I believe that today's commemorative event will give you spurs and strength. We have been too long, too long, to forget that we were once the top team in European football, and the regrets that we failed to achieve back then are likely to be realized in your hands this year."

Even in the most tyrannical period, when Liverpool swept European football, they were not able to advance on four fronts at the same time like the current Liverpool. This is an unprecedented feat in Liverpool's history.

The league is basically in the bag, leaving only the Champions League and the FA Cup.

At the commemorative event just now, Dalglish was a little emotional and talked a lot, because when the tragedy happened, his two children were also in the stadium, but fortunately, they both escaped unharmed, but the Liverpool King was the head coach of Liverpool when the tragedy happened, and he was a witness to the tragedy.

After his emotions calmed down, he also raised expectations for Yang Yang, Gerrard and others, hoping that they could gain strength from the commemorative activities, make persistent efforts, and show better and more outstanding performances to comfort the victims and their families.

"This is the spirit of our Liverpool!" Dalglish said, looking at Yang Yang.

Yang Yang nodded heavily, he felt it.

This is a great spirit, including the remembrance of the victims of those years, the mourning for the tragedy, the resistance to the government at that time, the unyielding under the false reports of the Sun, and the 20-year-long persistence...

It is really impossible to experience this kind of complex emotion without personally experiencing it on the spot.

But now Yang Yang finally felt something, even though it was only superficial, but he was deeply infected and was willing to fight for it!

It was also at this moment that he really felt why Liverpool, from the team to the players to the fans, this team is so different.

Perhaps, just like Liverpool's team song, this team will never walk alone, because it will always carry too much heavy history on its shoulders. This is a burden that is pressure, but it is also motivation.

"Don't worry, I will do my best!" Yang Yang solemnly promised.

He can't guarantee that the team will win, and he can't guarantee that the team will be able to meet the expectations of fans and celebrities, because the football field is always full of unpredictable changes.

But he can promise one thing, that is, as long as he is here, he will do his best to strive for better results for the team.

He believes that not only himself, but everyone else on the team including Harvey Alonso and Kevin Dirk, must also have the same determination as him.

(End of this chapter)