Forces that seem diametrically opposed to each other come to rely on one another. There would be no light were it not for the darkness. The balance between what is considered yin and yang in the world may be a fine one, but remains an important one nevertheless. On a very basic level, Liverpool Football Club would not exist were it not for Everton. The purpose they serve right now - as we do for them - is to keep the other going. In the same sense that sibling rivalry will push both to their limits.
Pride is a powerful emotion, and one most often associated with football. Every week fans across the country and all around the globe are proud to display their colours or show their support for their team. The players themselves have pride in both their abilities and those around them. It is the foundation upon which a derby is built. Beating a rival that had no substance means very little in the long term. It is the fact that a victory for either side actually means something that is a credit to the stature of both teams. Winning the Merseyside derby is about more than just simply bragging rights because of how important both teams are to the fabric of football.
No team will ever be defined by their rivals - for it is up to them to define themselves - but they do reflect upon them. Having a rival that has been as successful as either Liverpool or Everton have been mean that there is no room for either to become stagnant. It's that healthy competition that makes it so that neither side will be able to fall to the wayside completely, because the strength of their opponents will not allow it.
They are clubs that have between them won twenty seven league titles. A quarter of a century in the history of English football, dominated by the city of Liverpool. It's a rivalry that at one time encapsulated the country as the two premier sides who would be looking to oust one another and emerge as the best. To this day, an encounter between the two sides is one that the entire world wants to watch.
Households around the country aren't always of one colour. The gap between two sets of rival clubs can be - and often is - bridged by a single family. Part of the identity of both Liverpool Football Club and Everton is that they grew up together, surrounded by one another at all times. It's for that very reason that both sets of supporters drive each other so crazy so often. Familiarity breeds contempt and all. When it really mattered however - when Liverpool suffered it's greatest loss - they were right there by our side, ready to shoulder the grief.
In the aftermath of Hillsborough, a chain of scarfs from both clubs was stretched between both grounds. The journey that takes you between Anfield and Goodison is less than a kilometre and though the two clubs had been trying to topple one another on the pitch, became closer than ever off it. Almost as if fated, Goodison Park was the venue of Liverpool's first competitive game following Hillsborough. Likewise the two teams would meet again in the Cup Final that year and once again the city united to pay tribute to those that had been lost by taking over Wembley and playing out one of the greatest FA Cup finals.
What happened on April 15th 1989 was not a footballing issue but a human one. The loss of ninety six people is a harrowing one in any context, let alone in the process of going to a football match. Many of the flowers and tributes laid down to pay tribute contained messages from Everton fans. They were suffering too, having lost friends and brothers alike. Those that died on that fateful day were not just supporters of a football club but also part of a wider community, one that came under attack. In all the years that followed, both reds and blues alike unified in the fight for justice, including the boycott of the Sun newspaper whose vicious lies tried to shame a proud city.
As the revelations of the Hillsborough panel continued to resonate over the weekend, fans from all over the world showed their support. Across the Premier League, there were banners heralding the need for justice and moments of reflection that were splendidly observed. This wasn't confined to just England however as over the last few days Celtic and even Napoli have paid their respects. It was however, much closer to home that the biggest gesture came.
Yesterday, Everton Football Club once again showed their solidarity by having two mascots - one wearing a Liverpool kit, the other their own - with the numbers nine and six on them. Their ball boys also had the number ninety-six printed on their jackets. Everton - both the club and their fans - have shown themselves to be a truly class act. The journey to get to this point has been a long and emotionally draining one and they have been right there every step of the way. From the bottom of our hearts; thank you.
One city. Two clubs. Justice for the ninety six.
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