Guest blog'I was in a pub in the Highlands when we won the Champions League - I was going nuts'
Growing up in the remote Scottish Highlands wasn't exactly an obvious route to becoming a massive Liverpool fan, but when my Stevie G-obsessed cousin Ed made me watch a few games with him whilst visiting them down south as a kid, I was locked in straight away and haven't looked back.
The club was going through a difficult few seasons when I first got involved. I initially had to take a few history lessons to realise we were one of the biggest and most successful clubs on the planet, plus learning how strong the Scottish connection was at the club with so many legends like Sir Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and now Andy Robertson. That pulled me in even deeper.
I remember how inconsolable I was when we were denied a Premier League title on the last day of the season when Brendan Rodgers was head coach and Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling were ripping it up.
Fast forward a few years and we're winning the Premier League and the Champions League with Jürgen Klopp at the helm and everything just clicked into place. I was in our tiny little local pub in my village in the Highlands (Achiltibuie) with a couple of mates when we won the Champions League and I was going so nuts while the other three people in there were just trying to quietly enjoy a dram.
I've been to lots of Liverpool matches all round the UK, even a pre-season match at Murrayfield in Edinburgh (where I now live) against Napoli a few years ago, but my one regret as a fan so far is that I haven't been to Anfield yet! I've had tickets twice but we had to do last-minute shows that meant I couldn't go. I'm determined to make it happen early next season. I don't think you can call yourself a diehard until you’ve belted out You'll Never Walk Alone in the Kop. Don't worry, I'm working on it!
We've played some amazing shows in Liverpool and the crowd is always on fire. I would liken it to a Scottish crowd - always up for it and ready to get the party started. Our live show has big energy from the start and Liverpool always answers the call. We played the Olympia last year and it was an away day at Stamford Bridge for the team, so I dragged the band into the centre of town and we did a bit of a pub crawl through all the amazing supporter bars, making about 400 new friends along the way. Absolute scenes.
I'm really excited for next season. The past one obviously hasn't quite gone our way but we've got so much quality in the team that with a couple smart additions and some bedding-in time under our belts, I think we’ll be challenging for the league again. It's where we belong!
Dominik Szoboszlai was a beast this past season and I'd love to see a midfield that was built around his energy, to really harness that fighting spirit that we always have. Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike have been so unlucky with injuries, not to mention Rio Ngumoha coming into his own and gaining experience on top of his already frightening skillset and physicality for a teenager. Special mention to Mohamed Salah for all that he's given to the club. For me, he has to go into the top-five Liverpool legends list.
Next time me and the band pass through Liverpool, I'll be making sure it is on a matchday and I'll be making sure we're in that stadium with all of you lot that are reading this.