Klopp ends 30 years of hurt for long suffering faithful

There are some people who don't understand Irish people's fascination with English football, I don't understand it myself.

There is no explaining love, the heart wants what the heart wants and last Thursday night mine almost burst with joy as Liverpool were confirmed Premier League champions after an agonising 30 year spell off their perch.

Back in 2002, with Liverpool clear of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the league race, the United boss was asked about his greatest triumph to which he responded - ‘knocking Liverpool right off their f*****g perch’.

As a Liverpool fan that stung, it hurt hard and only served to swell the animosity towards 'that lot'. However Ferguson was right, Liverpool had been dislodged from the throne, they were no longer the kings of English football and their powers had waned considerably in Europe too.

For Ferguson it was mission complete. At that stage Liverpool were 12 years without a title, no one could have envisaged that. As Kenny Dalglish said on Sky Sports last Thursday night, if someone suggested in 1990 that it would be three years before Liverpool would win another league they would be sectioned, never mind 30 years.

As a kid it was easy for me to start following Liverpool. The league win in 1979 solidified my choice, I wasn't pressured by a football-mad Dad or a die-hard relation, the choice was my own and the first 11 years proved to be heaven.

Eight championships followed in the next 11 years, add in two FA Cups, four League Cups, two European Cups, seven Community Shields and a European Super Cup in that same period and it seemed like it was Liverpool's God-given right to be laden with silverware.

Then Man United started to chip away at the perch. They were 11 titles behind Liverpool at that stage, they would never be catch up, right? However, but then one season became two, two became five, five beecame a decade, a decade became a generation.

In 2009 United equalled Liverpool's tally of 18 league crowns and Ferguson fulfilled his dream in 2011 of knocking the Scousers off their perch. Number 20 for United arrived in 2013, but now, seven years later, it is their perch that is under threat again.

Liverpool are back where their supporters believe they belong and after two seasons of the most incredible consistency they have finally reclaimed the Holy Grail.

I'll be the first to admit I had a lump in my throat when Willian scored the penalty that saw Chelsea beat Man City and gift wrap Liverpool the title with seven games remaining, the earliest any team has ever won the Premier League. Liverpool supporters have had to put up with some nonsense about never winning the Premier League, as if football was only invented by Sky in 1992, and it stung.

There were many close calls. None closer than last season when for about nine minutes on the final day of the season they topped the table before City struck to claim the expected win over Brighton and snatch the title from the grasp of Merseyside.

The pain of losing the league last year was tempered by winning the Champions League and it was the cup successes since 1990 that have sustained my belief in Liverpool.

The FA Cup in 1992 came so soon after the last league title that hopes of continued domination remained. Even the League Cup success in '95 and a fourth place finish in the league satisfied the thirst, but it was becoming increasingly clear Liverpool's were on the wane - and fast.

Fourth in '97, third in '98, fourth in 2000, third in 2001 (along with the remarkable haul of FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and the Charity Shield) and second in 2002 all hinted Liverpool weren't a million miles away, but in reality it felt like they were.

Rafa Benitez's European Cup success in 2005 was the night of all nights, an unbelievable occasion.

I travelled to Liverpool with two mates to watch that Champions League final and it is a night that will live with me forever.

At half-time of that final against AC Milan, I swore I'd never ask for anything from Liverpool again if they could comeback and win. They held up their end of that bargain, I didn't - the league is the bread and butter.

A top three finish followed in 2006 and '07, but Rafa was too pragmatic. After finishing second in '09, Liverpool slumped to an unacceptable seventh and Benitez was shown the door.

Roy Hodgson came in for six or seven months before he too was cast aside with Dalglish returning to finish the season in sixth. The legend of King Kenny couldn't inspire Liverpool to higher than eighth and at the end of the 2011/12 season he was ushered back upstairs with Brendan Rodgers coming in.

Rodgers went closer than anyone else in 23 years to winning the league. After a seventh place finish in his first attempt he looked to be leading Liverpool to the title on his second attempt, but then the season finished in calamity with Steven Gerrard's slip up against Chelsea and the humiliating draw with Crystal Palace after being 3-0 up.

The following season Liverpool failed to build on that promise.....again. They were eliminated from the Champions League after drawing against Basel in their final group match, dropping into the Europa League where they were knocked out in the round of 32 after losing 4–5 on penalties to Turkish side Beşiktaş.

The season petered out with an FA Cup semi-final loss to Aston Villa and a 6-1 loss away to Stoke... STOKE. All of which meant Rodgers became the first Liverpool manager since the 1950s not to win a trophy after three seasons in charge.

The Northern Ireland man was given another chance, but when Liverpool threw away a 1-0 lead and had to settle for a 1-1 draw for the fifth time in six games in the Merseyside derby on the 4th October 2015 Rodgers was shown the door with Liverpool 10th in the league after eight games.

Then came Jurgen. In his first press conference he boldly stated that he would be sitting there in four years time after winning the league, it was quite prophetic from the German.

Liverpool are European Cup champions, Super Cup winners, Club World Cup champions and perhaps best of all, champions of the Premier League.

I won't lie, I shed a tear last Thursday night and thought yet again of my great pal who partied with me in Liverpool on that glorious night in May 2005. Sadly CK is no longer with us, but no doubt he his celebrating away up on high - just like the rest of us.

Even in their time of greatest celebration Liverpool FC CEO Peter Moores took the opportunity to thank and remember the fans, including Dunboyne man Sean Cox whose story has become interwoven with the history of the club.

At the end of the storm there's a golden sky.