To My Valentine,
I don’t know where I would be without you.
I fell in love with you as a child, when you were at your best,
perched high in the Premier League and spreading your wings across Europe. Life was simple, life was good.
But under the spotlight, as the world watched, you buckled under the pressure and dropped like a stone. We found ourselves in the wilderness of second tier mediocrity. Your heroes, departed. Your flair, faded.
I thought about leaving you. I was young, I craved the excitement of the premier league and Europe.
I struggled as you struggled. We took some time apart.
After a few years I saw you again, at Anfield. I sat across the stadium from you. You looked well. You had found yourself again. It broke my heart as Baros, Garcia and Cisse scored against you..
I realised how much I had missed you, and that you were my true love.
I came back to you. You struggled again, your trip back to the glamour of the Premier League had taken everything from you. I wept as you crumpled down to the third tier.
I stayed.
I looked forward to the first game of the season, to see recapture yourself. You lost 7-1.
I stayed.
But at your lowest point you found yourself again. Your soared your way from the bottom of League One to the middle of the Premier League in the blink of an eye. Life was full of joy and excitement.
And now we bounce between the exhilaration of promotion and the agony of relegation until we find our home back in the Premier League. Together.
I love you with all my heart, and I always will.
OTBC