Even the Reds in heaven are kicking themselves: Liverpool fans reeling

COMMENT

My dad never explained why he loved Liverpool, and he never explained why he loved Orlando Pirates either. Two teams, two continents, two shades of passion stitched into his heart.

Maybe that was just Big Joe — full of love that spread across the globe: Anfield’s roar on one side of the world, the black-and-white pride of Soweto on the other. And by default, I inherited both. Liverpool in the veins. Pirates in the bones. A strange, beautiful dual citizenship of football.

Saturday, though … Liverpool tested that inheritance.

Their 3–0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest was more than a bad day at the office. It was a collapse: six defeats in seven games, the joint-heaviest home defeat of the Premier League-era, and the kind of performance that makes every fan stare at the screen in disbelief, whispering, “How?” Or more likely, “No, man … Liverpool!!”

I imagined my dad watching it from wherever he is now in heaven — perhaps in some VIP seats in the clouds, perhaps next to the legends he spent his life admiring, perhaps next to me, because wel l… we never walk (or watch the game) alone.

And I know Big Joe would’ve been upset.

Liverpool were undone by the basics. Forest’s first goal exposed the chaos: despite Liverpool crowding the six-yard box, the visitors found space and time to execute their routine perfectly. Miscommunication, lost markers, and disorganisation left Forest players unchallenged in dangerous areas.

It wasn’t the Liverpool my dad raised me to love. It wasn’t even the Liverpool of last season. And yet, while Liverpool were crumbling, the ghost of Big Joe was probably smiling.

Why?

Because his other team — the Orlando Pirates — are flying.

Seven wins in 10 league games. A solid second-place finish last season.

A freshly polished MTN8 trophy, and a possible Carling Knockout titles on the the horizon, because Pirates know how to deliver when the moment calls.

They’re organised. Hungry. Sharp. They’re playing with the kind of confidence Liverpool fans can only dream of right now. And I like to think my father would’ve leaned back after the Liverpool loss, sighed heavily … then said something like: “At least the Buccaneers are keeping hope alive.”

So, maybe that’s the story: Liverpool gave us heartbreak this weekend. Pirates will offer the balance in the coming weeks.

One team dragging us into frustration, the other lifting us back into hope.

That was how Big Joe helped me understand the beautiful game — it has always been a blend of disappointment and joy, sorrow and swagger, heartbreak and pride. And mostly about loyalty — because once a Pirate, always a Pirate (and a Red, for that matter, too).

Fans don’t walk alone in their heartache, but joy will soon follow — sometimes with Liverpool, sometimes with Pirates, sometimes with both. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the legacy my dad left me: to feel the sting of defeat deeply … but to know it can all turn around in a heartbeat.