The year 1990 was a year of change. New technologies were being introduced, the world was entering the digital age and countries were gaining independence.
It was the end of an era and the starting of a new one, similar to the events taking place in the English top flight where giants Liverpool were winning their first title of the new decade and the last one of the next two and a half decades
The turn of the millennium has come and gone and 16 years have passed since. Next season may well be Liverpool’s season like it has for the past 26 seasons. Jokes aside, it has been a long drought for a club that prides itself on being one of the English top flight’s top clubs, having won 18 league titles.
The Premier League era has not been kind to Liverpool. The closest they have come to winning the title was in the 2013/2014 season, where they lost the League by two points to Manchester City on the back of that infamous slip by Steven Gerrard.
That slip has prompted a slide down the table for Liverpool; they have finished outside the Champions League spots since.
Liverpool have watched arch rivals Manchester United dominate the Premier League while they have slowly slipped into mediocrity over the years. The difference in class between the Liverpool of old and the current version is evident, as they were a club used to winning titles but are now in 8th position in the League, behind West Ham.
It must be said that Liverpool fans are an ever optimistic bunch, always positive that that the next season would be their season and they will break their title drought stretching all the way back to 1990. It has now been over a quarter of a century, more than 9500 days since Liverpool last won the English top-flight.
Things were different back in 1990 and this is what the world was like during that time.
The English elite played in the “Football First Division”; Manchester United finished 13th and had not won the title for almost 9000 days
It was a different era, with a completely different world out there when Liverpool when the Kopites last sang “Champions of England”. This was a time when Manchester United finished 13th in the league, under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson which was unheard of after the 1990 season.
The Premier League was not formed then and the first division was still known as the Football First Division. Manchester United had not won the league since 1967, almost 9000 days, something which is unheard of for the Manchester club these days.
Nelson Mandela released from prison after 27 years
Anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Prize winner, Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years of imprisonment. He went on to become the President of South Africa after abolishing apartheid.
Liverpool’s title drought, like Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment will go into the 27th year next season. Maybe the Merseysider’s are after all, destined to win the title next season. You never know, next season could finally be their year.
Germany was reunified
The year 1990 was a revolutionary year in many ways. It helped shaped the world we live in now, with the invention of the internet, the release of Nelson Mandela and other events listed here. Following this revolutionary chain of events, good sense prevailed in Germany and the Berlin wall was broken down, reuniting the East and West Germany.
The wall had stood since 1961. It took almost thirty years for the wall to be broken, reinforcing the fact that good things come to those who wait. Have patience you Scousers, your time will come soon, maybe.
Namibia, Latvia and Belarus become independent
The African country of Namibia became independent in 1990, while Latvia and Belarus managed to get themselves out of the Soviet Union, gaining independence of Russia. The fall of the Red Star of Russia has coincided with the inglorious decline of the Reds.
The first Gulf War was being fought
Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 which resulted in the USA, under George H.W. Bush, sending their army to the Middle East to defend Saudi Arabia and its oil assets.
Since then, however, they have pulled out their troops from the area, and invaded the gulf again under the presidency of George H.W. Bush’s son George.W. Bush in 2003 and pulled out again.
The Simpsons released their first season
Long running satirical comedy series, “The Simpsons” was first aired on television in the year 1990. The series is in its 27th season now, showing no signs of stopping. With Liverpool showing signs of life under manager Jurgen Klopp, can the same be said about Liverpool’s Premier League drought?
The World Wide Web was just being launched
European inventor, Tim Berners-Lee launched the first webpage ever, giving birth to the World Wide Web, a forum we now take for granted. To put Liverpool’s achievement in perspective, the size of the Internet now is around 45 billion pages. The web has grown 45 billion times since Liverpool last managed a league title.
The Global Positioning system and Hubble Space Telescope were launched
Akin to Liverpool’s trophy drought, the Global Positioning System and the Hubble Space telescope are taken for granted these days. The GPS is of great utility to everyone from delivery boys to corporates and pilots.
The Hubble Space Telescope has given us glorious pictures of the universe, as Liverpool have gone on to become picture-perfect representations of the slip-up.
Mr. Bean made his television debut
Rowan Atkinson comedy series, “Mr. Bean” was released in 1990. The comedy series was a hit across the world and ran for five years before ending in 1995. Atkinson then starred in a couple of movies portraying the famous character as well.
J.K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter series
British author J.K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter series in 1990. The first book was published in 1995 and the series ended with the Deathly Hallows in 2007. An entire generation born in the nineties grew up on the series, evolving as the books and characters evolved.
A generation on Merseyside has grown up in a different way, on stories of past successes without watching their club triumph in England and will be hoping for some wizardry or dark arts for their club to finally win the top flight.
