Emotions will be running high when Craig Johnston watches Sunday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Johnston was part of the Liverpool team of the 1980s - one of the greatest soccer sides in history.
He also has a close association with Tottenham and supported them as a boy.
Johnston grew up in Speers Point and now lives in Newcastle, after many years living overseas.
"My emotions are all over the place with this game for a few reasons," Johnston said.
In 1984, Johnston played in the Liverpool team that beat Roma to win the European Cup, now known as the Champions League.
He was offered a ticket for Sunday's match, which is in Madrid, but decided against travelling. The match will be watched by thousands of football fans in the Hunter.
The match will be watched by thousands of football fans in the Hunter.
Many of them became Liverpool fans when Johnston joined the club. Many more became followers when he scored the winner in Liverpool's 3-1 FA Cup final victory over Everton in 1986.
Johnston's links to Tottenham also run deep. He was engaged to Vivienne Lewis for 18 years. Her dad, billionaire Joe Lewis, owns Tottenham. They lived between homes in London, Orlando and The Bahamas.
"We had a place in London and would go to most of Tottenham's home games at White Hart Lane," he said.
"Vivienne was a big Liverpool fan, as was her brother Charlie, long before the family bought Spurs. The funny thing is, Vivienne even applied for a job in the office at Anfield. On the other hand, I was an old Spurs fan before I joined Liverpool. That's probably why we all got on so well."
Johnston credited Mr Lewis with returning Tottenham "to the top tier".
"I was there when he bought the club. I have seen him apply the same laser focus as he does to his trading and catering empires and other business activities.
"Joe doesn't get the credit he deserves for Tottenham's revival as a European giant. And don't forget there has been a complete stadium rebuild in the background. This kind of major upheaval has crippled other teams.
"Joe has a unique way of looking critically at things. He is obsessed with detail and quality."
Johnston said it was "fascinating living with the Lewis's for almost 20 years".
"I could write a book about it," he said.
Johnston had a soft spot for Spurs, but said "I 100 per cent want Liverpool to win".
"They so deserve to win something after such a magnificent season and their loss in the Champions League final last year."
He said Spurs do have "a romance about them".
The fact that two English clubs were contesting a European final meant psychology would play a big part.
"Liverpool is in my blood because I lived in that fabulously unique city for 10 years. But this is not a done deal by any stretch. Beware the underdogs from North London. The team that gets the mindset right will win."
He said Tottenham were one of "the big guns" when he was a youngster.
"Growing up, we all loved the way Spurs played attractive attacking football, especially in the eras of Jimmy Greaves, Glen Hoddle and Osvaldo Ardiles."
The Liverpool team of the 1980s included many big names such as Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Bruce Grobbelaar and Johnston.
He said the Liverpool team of today holds the same qualities that were crucial to the success of his 1980s team.
"The way they are playing sometimes reminds me of the good old days when we were simply unbeatable.
"The big difference right now is they are busting a gut to support other players on and off the ball - a bit like Leicester did so successfully a few years back to win the league."
The modern-day rise of Liverpool and Tottenham holds many lessons for Newcastle's Jets and Knights.
"At the top end, you must have very solid ownership and administrators," Johnston said.
"They have to choose very studious and dedicated managers and players that are all about hard work and teamwork."
Johnston had seen "some great advances in the way that Phil Gardner and his team have been running the Knights".
"The Jets, however, have struggled with ownership and finance for many years and need to sort that out. It hurts me to say that Australian soccer is going backwards and something needs to be done about it in a hurry. It is in desperate need of leadership and vision."
