If Friday’s announcement was like hearing news of a loved one passing, Sachin Nakrani’s article was the reading at the funeral (Hope, optimism, belief and defiance … Jürgen Klopp gave Liverpool fans it all, 27 January). And now I’m grieving both Jürgen Klopp and a decade of my own life.
There were plenty of similarities between Sachin’s article and my own experience of following Klopp’s Reds as they conquered the bloody world. He was spot-on about the connection between club, city and supporters. But what I’ll miss most is the feeling of reassurance and inspiration that Klopp gave to my own life. I turn 40 this year. In the nine(ish) years since I first saw him take charge at Anfield v Rubin Kazan (a totally unremarkable game), I’ve become a parent, supported a parent through cancer, moved home, started new jobs, and said goodbye to loved ones.
All this while following the Reds on their countless title charges and hunts for silverware. Whatever life threw my way, I knew Klopp’s team would be there to distract and inspire me, anchoring me and keeping me grounded to something shared, something bigger. Every game under Klopp has been a wonderful comfort blanket – and I don’t know where I’d be without it.
So, as we enter this emotionally charged period of early mourning, I’ll try to savour every moment before I say goodbye to Jürgen, and my 30s, and try my best to look forward. I’ll miss the mad bastard.
Alex Peers
London
• As a 54-year-old man and a lifelong Liverpool supporter, I’ve tried to put Friday’s announcement into perspective. After all, there are plenty of bigger problems in today’s world. With this in mind, I remember as a boy being castigated by my late mother for getting upset over what she called “a lot of millionaires kicking a ball around a field”.
But I did feel a sense of shock when I heard the news. Why? Because Jürgen Klopp perfectly expressed how supporting a team could bring out the high emotions that represent life’s ups and downs. He perfectly captured the beauty of football’s place in people’s hearts when he repeated the words of Pope John Paul II: “Out of all the unimportant things, football is the most important.”
Dave Murphy
Cork, Ireland
• How to express my joy with a heavy heart? Jürgen Klopp has brought pride, self-belief and unity to a club that few others have managed. Much more than that, his decency and compassion extends beyond tribal lines and the confines of sport to show a humanity now so often lacking. I’ve loved every minute of his time as my team’s manager; how I wish he could now lead my country, outside the sporting arena. Vielen Dank, Jürgen!
Ashok Desai
Birmingham
• Could this government not learn something about integrity and humility in public service from the example set by Jürgen Klopp and his admission that he no longer has the energy and appetite necessary to continue to do his job to the standard it demands?
Christopher Binding
Bristol
• Is it true that one end of Anfield is going to be renamed “the Klopp”?
Ritchie Farrell
Truro, Cornwall
• Klopp’s horse to be offered a post advertising Clipper Tea?
David Feintuck
Lewes, East Sussex
• Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
