Stealing a kiss from Stevie G among precious memories for Thai fans
Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers will want to quickly forget Monday's 2-0 defeat at Anfield to West Bromwich Albion, but for 16 Reds fans from Thailand memories of the day will last a lifetime.
The Thai Kopites were on the same AP Honda-sponsored trip as their 20 Manchester United-supporting counterparts who watched a 2-0 home victory over Everton on Sunday, but none had any complaints about what they experienced at the Merseyside club’s atmospheric ground.
Rather than disappointment at the Reds’ failure to avenge their 3-0 loss at the Hawthorns on the opening day of the season, all 16 left the stadium pumped with renewed enthusiasm from their visit to the famed Anfield on a bitterly cold night.
The result dropped Liverpool to ninth in the EPL standings, but the Thais had good reason to be on a high. The day started with an opportunity Liverpool fans around the world would give their right arm for – AP Honda arranged a meet & greet with Reds captain Steven Gerrard at the club’s Melwood training ground.
Their Red Devils counterparts may have met 11 Manchester United first-team players, but none are symbolically representative of their whole club in the same way as Gerrard.
Each fan savoured every second of their brief time with Stevie G, who lifted the club’s fifth European Cup in Istanbul eight years ago following a miraculous comeback from 3-0 down at half-time that saw them beat AC Milan on penalties.
A female Liverpool fan from Sukhothai made the most of the opportunity by kissing Gerrard on the cheek as the England skipper was about to autograph a shirt she presented him.
A few hours later, the smiles gave way to goose bumps as the Anfield crowd struck up a stirring chorus of “You’ll never walk alone” before kick-off.
One player the Thai group was eager to see was new signing Coutinho, set to make his debut after joining Liverpool from Inter Milan during the January transfer window.
The Brazilian midfielder seemed to have brought good fortune as he arrived on the scene as a second-half substitute, with the referee awarding the home side a penalty.
But Gerrard missed the 77th-minute spot-kick and the visitors took the lead soon after when Gareth McAuley headed home a corner. The goal infuriated sections of the home crowd, with one fan directing his anger at Rodgers by shouting “you sent them wrong”, in reference to the manager’s substitutions.
Romelu Lukaku’s late strike was the cue for home fans to head for the exit, accompanied by sarcastic farewell waves from the visiting supporters. Kopites who chose to stay to the end greeted the final whistle with loud boos.
“I was really impressed with the atmosphere at the stadium, it was amazing,” said Trang resident Pornchai Angsuviriya, one of the winners of AP Honda’s tickets for the trip. “The dream came true for me today even though it didn’t end as we hoped.
“Coming here is one of the things I wanted to do before I die. I’m absolutely delighted that I did it today. I waited more than 30 years for the chance to visit the stadium of the club I support.”
Suchart Arunsaengroj, the AP Honda general manager for sales, promised a bigger treat for Thai supporters during the third year of the company’s “Big Fan Big Fun” campaign as part of its partnership with the two English clubs.
“We saw how much the England trip meant to the fans. We’re delighted that we could hand them the opportunity to realise their dream. Having just extended our contract with both clubs by a year, we hope to give fans an even bigger experience in our third year of partnership.”
