That Was Anfield!!!!

WOW!!! What a day. Today will go down as one of the most spectacular days of my life. I absolutely loved every minute of the experience. I don't have the energy to write now, so I will just post a few pics and follow up with the game report later.

Painting of Bill Shankly in the museum. Shankly was one of Britain's most successful and respected managers. "Liverpool was made for me - and I was made for Liverpool".

"Old Big Ears". This is the European Cup won by Liverpool over AC Milan in 2005. It was Liverpool's fifth time winning the trophy so the original rests forever in the Anfield Museum.

Game Ball from Istanbul!!!

My jersey waiting for me in the away dressing room.

Standing in front of the famous "This is Anfield" sign.

The world famous Kop end, as seen from the center spot!!

Anfield Road End, as seen from the center spot.

Centenary Stand from just outside the players tunnel.

How about this for an inspirational story!!!

Um, it's 3:47 AM.... should I be awake???

Well, this is the trouble with travel to far off lands, sometimes you wake up at the most unusual hours. As I am checking email and typing I am trying not to panic as my games kicks off in just under 6.5 hours. Anyone have any sleeping pills????

Just Over 12 Hours to Kick-Off

The constant sirens of downtown Liverpool are just enough to keep me from drifting off to sleep. My journey has been a long one. Having said that, I slept pretty good on the plane thanks to my first class pod seat....so sweet.

My arrival in England was better then expected. The customs officer actually thought that I was coming to play for Liverpool... How poor is that dudes judgement and ability to read people? No wonder the terrorists "slip in".

I took my time with the drive and made a few stops along the way. I pulled into Liverpool around dinner time. I thought it would be wrong if I didn't take a swing by the stadium on the eve before the match, so here are a few pics.

It doesn't look like much from the street, but this is Anfield. Hmm there are normally hundreds of fans hanging out looking for tickets for the big matches....weird.

This is a statue of Legendary manager Bill Shankly. He has one of the all time greatest football qoutes: "Football is not a matter of life or death, no no, it's much more important than that".

By the time all of you roll into work, the match will be over......

Ok kids, that's it. My next match will be the post game match!!!

The Last Days Before the Match

Kickoff is less then 36 hours away! I am presently sitting in Air Canada's International Maple Leaf Lounge in Toronto awaiting my flight to London.

It's been sometime since I last posted on LiverDog's Anfield Dream. The days and weeks since my last post have been an absolute blur. Two weeks of the time was spent on vacation in Japan which was documented in the blog http://thefroginthewell-japan.blogspot.com/

When I last posted I had just found out the date for the game. At that time I started to panic. My commitment to fitness for the match had been random at best. The month prior to our Japan trip I really buckled down and made a concerted effort to be active doing something 5-6 days a week. It was hard, but I had dig deep on days to find the motivation to do something. Over that month I was a regular at yoga and used our Room Hog (the elyptical) to work on cardio.

The Japan trip actually threw a wrench into my progress....however, with my picky eating habits, barfing up sushi and the monster daily walks, I managed to drop 7 lbs.....sweet.

When we returned from Japan I started back at yoga and set up some one on one training sessions with Chris Haygarov, a former professional soccer player from Bulgaria. My sessions with Chris were fantastic, the first half hour was spent on cardio and footy related movement, and the remaining time was spent with the ball. We worked on various scenarios (defender at your back when you have the ball and scenarios where you have the ball and are attacking the defender). I learned a tonne an loved every session. What a treat it was to have that one on one time with someone of Chris's caliber.

The Wolves have had two friendlies over the last few weeks, so I have at least had a chance to get some touches on the ball in a game situation. I also joined my friend Anne's floor hockey team, I have only played two games, but it has been a blast. All in all my fitness level has improved dramatically and I think I am ready for the match!!

The crazy thing about this trip has been the timing of it. As luck would have it, we had the first part of our corporate strategy meetings in Omaha this week. I flew out to Omaha on Monday and today fly Omaha-Chicago-Toronto-London....sweet. Fortunately my request for an upgrade from Toronto to London was successful!

I am scheduled to arrive in London at 8:35 Thursday morning. After a quick shower at the AC arrivals lounge I am going to scoop up my rental car and head for Liverpool.

One of the recent developments for the game was the silent auction for the right to wear the captains armband. Unfortunately for me and my team, I won the auction. I am only half kidding... It is going to be a huge honour for me to lead my team out on to the pitch on Friday morning.

The next post will be from Liverpool!!!

Cheers,

Dog

The Date of the Match

Well, I just checked the Football Aid website.... GAME ON!!! the date of "the Match" is May 7, 2010. No time to write, I have to go throw up my dinner....

The Olympics & 3DMagic

It seems like ages since my last post. I have been meaning to get to it, but somehow the time slides by. Every time I say to myself "tonight's the night", somehow the night vanishes, and I find myself exhausted and dragging my ass up to bed.

I was hoping with the big break in between posts that I would be able to report how great I have been doing with my fitness.... Well, i've got nothing. Some weeks I do great, and others I am terrible.

But really, I shouldn't be surprised. This is a problem that I have struggled with for a long time. Making the time for regular fitness is something I have done a poor job of over the years. When I am in the heart of soccer season I am in pretty decent shape. But once soccer is over, everything falls apart. There are weeks were I get some good momentum going (say 4 days of yoga and a couple of soccer of scrimmages), but sadly those weeks are few and far between. Where things seem to get derailed is when my travel schedule kicks in. I have NEVER been good about bringing workout gear with me on the road. It all comes down to priorities and I have never made it a priority.

Luckily for me, the 2010 Olympics have come at a perfect time.

I have always been a sucker for the Olympics. I find it so inspirational to watch athletes that have chosen to dedicate their lives to being the best they can be in their sport. What I love is that everyone of them has a story. Everyone of them has had to fight through some form of adversity to get where they are, be it injuries, personal loss, depression, financial issues, there is always something. So if they can fight through these things to become Olympian's, why can't dudes like me find a way to get a 45 minute workout in 5 times a week?

What is it that these Olympians have that the rest of us don't? Sure they are amazing athletes, thats a given. But all of us know people who are fantastic athletes. What stopped them from athletic glory? Personally, I think all of these Olympian's possess what I am going to "3D Magic".

To practice 3D Magic you must have the following:

1. a Dream

2. Desire

3. Determination.

In 3D Magic you dream of the possibility, those dreams lead to a desire to turn that dream into reality, and we all know that to get what you really want you need a lot of determination and hard work. I heard a great quote last week during the Olympics, Alexandre Bilodeau the Freestyle skier who became the first Canadian to win an Olympic Gold Medal on Canadian soil said "I trained for four years for a :23 second race". He had a dream, he desired to achieve it, and his determination over the last 4 years put him in a great position to achieve his goal. I think he was working a little 3D Magic. Without 3D Magic how could he find his way to compete in the Olympics games?

You don't have to dream of being an Olympian to practice 3DMagic. You just need a dream, a desire to achieve it and some determination.

CANADA VS RUSSIA OLYMPIC HOCKEY

On February 24, 2010 I was fortunate to be able to scratch another item off of my "Master Dream List". I went to Vancouver with 3 buddy's to watch team Canada's Mens Hockey team play in the Olympic Quarter Finals agains the Russians. Canada won 7-3 in spectacular fashion. The first period was one of the most exciting periods of hockey that I have ever watched. Here's hoping they go on to win the Gold.

Some form of Canadian Super Hero outside the arena before the game

The Competition fuelling up before the big match.

Corn, Robbie, Dog and Fish

Minutes from puck drop!

Canada celebrating one of their goals in that amazing first period.

Well, that's if for now. It's time that I began working at little 3D Magic of my own...

Football Aid

Well, I have been getting a lot of questions about this "game". There are many curious folks wondering how I have managed to talk my way on to the sacred ground. I wish that I had a really cool story to tell, like: I was hanging out in a pub after a match and a few of the players walked in.... Or that Rafa saw me kicking the ball about in the park and asked me to come for a try out. But sadly I don't.

It all comes down to a charity in England called "Football Aid". For 10 years this organization has been making dreams come true for dudes just like me. Dudes that love the game of football, and have a passion for a particular club. There are two ways to play in the game, it's pretty much like ebay: If you like a certain position, you can "buy it now", or you can take your chances and "bid" on a position. The money raised from "Football Aid" goes into research for diabetes.

I have been wanting to play in one of these games for a few years now. Of course my timing has never been great. Every time I would think about bidding/buying a position, all of the spots would be taken. Out of sheer luck, back in August I was checking my seldom used email account and saw that positions were open for the 2010 games. I thought about it for about a minute, then I called Stacey to tell her my plan. As usual, she was very supportive. I will get back to that....

So, the match is set up like this: Liverpool Home strip v Liverpool Away strip. Each team will have 2 Liverpool legends either playing or managing. I will be playing in a 90 minute striker role for the Liverpool Away team (which I am totally cool with as this year they have a wicked Black away jersey). As luck would have it, the jersey number allocated to my position is #11, the number that I have worn with the Wolves since I joined them.

On match day I will arrive at Anfield and enter the stadium through the players entrance, at which point I will make my way to the dressing room where my jersey will be hanging up with my name and number on it. How cool is that? I will get a chance to go around the room and meet my teammates for the day. These will presumably be guys just like me (hopefully from all over the world) that are there to have an experience of a life time.

The walk out the tunnel to the pitch at Anfield is one of the legendary experiences of the ground. Above the stairs that lead down to the pitch hangs this sign.

THIS IS ANFIELD

The purpose of the sign is to both intimidate the opposition and also remind them of where they are (as if the noise of the KOP isn't enough). Legend has it that those that touch the sign will have good luck. Countless footballing legends, both Liverpool players and others, have touched that sign as they have walk down to the pitch. So watch closely next time you are watching the start of a Liverpool game, you will see all of the Liverpool players touching that sign.

There will be an official photographer taking action shots, and the game will also be recorded (so I will get a chance to relive my waisted opportunities over and over again).

At the end of the match they will select a "Man of the Match" for each side, and "Moment of the Match".

As of today I do not know that exact date of the game. I am guessing that it will be sometime in late May.

As promised, back to my understanding wife. At the end of the day, Stacey doesn't care one way or another about football, but she knows that I do. This is what separates her from the rest of the pack. The example I always give is the 2008 Champions League semi final v Chelsea (I will write about it in a future post). When Liverpool advanced to the semi's I was very excited. When I came home and told Stacey, her response wasn't "Ya, so...", it was an astonishing response that only a truly understanding wife would make. Her response was a very sincere "Are you going to go?" Without that kind of understanding none of the stuff I have written about or will write about would exist.

Euro 2004 Portugal

Football, heat and Port..... what a combo!

Port house boats floating on the Douro River in Porto.

I have mentioned my "Master Dream List" before. Basically if you have seen the movie "The Bucket List", you get the idea. This is your personal list of everything you want to do before you "check out".

One of the items on my "Master Dream List" is to see England play in a major competition. In 2004 the European Championships were held in Portugal. Well, I hadn't been to Portugal, and I hadn't seen England play yet, so it only seemed reasonable that I try and get tickets!!

The thing is, with a major trip like this, you have to tread lightly on the home front. So more then two full years before the tournament, whenever we were out with the ladies, my brother-in-law Wayne and I started joking around about going to the tourney. About a year before the tourney we had to submit our requests for the ticket lottery. "It's a lottery. What are the chances?". "Think of the millions of Europeans that will want to go see their country play, we have no chance". The girls laughed it off (we crossed our fingers).

Apparently the Europeans weren't that interested in going to Portugal. We were allocated two tickets to 2 quarter final games, the 2 semi's and the final!! By the time we were allocated the tickets the ladies had been brainwashed, and had accepted the fact that Wayne and I would be spending two amazing weeks in Portugal in late June 2004.

The great news, England made it to the quarter finals! The not so great news, we didn't have tickets for that game. I ended up landing in London the day of England's quarter final match v the hosts Portugal. I caught the match with some friends in a pub. It was a cracker of a match with Portugal going through on penalties.

I am a pretty easy going dude, and I gotta tell you, I heard comments in that pub that shocked even me. Mainly because there were young families in there as well. I am sure in the heat of the moment I have said more then my fair share of inappropriate things. But I can't imagine wanting anybody to do anything to a goat....well, at least I wouldn't scream it at the top of my lungs in a pub.

We ended up seeing the last 6 games of the tournament.

QF-France v Greece: Crazy thing about this game, we were walking up the steps to enter the stadium and we bumped into Lindsay the goalie from our footy team the Wolves. Freaky! Greece through 1-0.

A friendly reminder of what you can't bring in the stadium.....

QF-Sweden v Holland: We bought the tickets for this game outside the stadium from David Letterman's Dutch doppelganger. If you like attractive blonde women, you would probably have liked this game. Dutch through on penalties.

40 degree celsius, no hats, bring on the coke cups!

photo by David Van Letterman

QF-Czech Republic v Denmark: Class team of the tourney Czech Republic wins 3-0. If you thought the Swede and Dutch birds were hot....

Game of human foosball outside the stadium

SF-Portugal v Holland: This was an amazing game which was won by the hosts 2-1. Portugal was headed to their first major tournament final. After the game we caught the train to central Lisbon to join in on the celebration. Here are some of my pics.

This is a great shot. There was a Portuguese flag tied to a vent blowing in the air. Just as I stood in front of it for Wayne to take my picture, these Portuguese kids jumped in the photo.

SF-Czech Republic v Greece: The Greeks were a super defensive side in this tournament. They realized that the only way that they could compete was to defend with all 11 guys, and try to poach a goal on a set play. The did it again in this semi final beating the Czech's 1-0.

We snuck out a few mins early to catch the train, this a great shot of Dragao Stadium in Porto.

The Final Portugal v Greece: Who would have thought that Greece would make it to the final? Surely the tourney was Portugal's for the taking.

Wayne had to leave for a family trip that he was going on to Brazil, so I was on my own for the final. One last bit of business was to get rid of Wayne's ticket. We decided the best thing was for me to sell it outside the ground on game day.

I am not the best when it comes to flogging tickets, so I nervously walked around with a ticket in my hand hoping someone would ask if I was selling. We thought that this was a great strategy because every other game we had been at, if you had a ticket in your hand, someone asked if you were selling it. Maybe it was my over active imagination, but I am sure every third person outside of the stadium was a cop, and it felt like they were all looking at me!

Finally the Chinese Elvis came up to me and asked if I was selling. Next thing you know I was surrounded by buyers. "how much?? how much??". I had already shown CE a price, so I gave him first dibs. We ended up getting a decent price for the ticket, but had I done a bit of research into where exactly our seats were, we probably could have got triple what we did! Second level, 3rd row, center field.....

As it turns out it was heartbreak for the locals, the Greeks put on another stellar performance and won the European Championships 1-0.

So that's the story on Portugal. Wayne and I were very fortunate to get to spend almost two weeks together watching some amazing football, seeing an incredible country and experiencing in person an event that is one of the most watched sporting events in the world.

Even though I couldn't scratch the England game off of my "Master Dream List", I came home with a fresh outlook and mind full of memories to last a life time.