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With ratings declining, it was inevitable ties needed to be severed without commissioning a new season of a cherished Liverpudlian mainstay. This is what happens when things get tired, they can never replicate what they were in their prime. It is no great shame to have such a long run, collect plenty of awards on the way and finally realise the industry has moved on and there is nothing fresh you can bring to compete with the elite rivals. Plenty of drama and joy was provided, testing the boundaries of what was possible and changing a nation in the process by challenging the establishment. But in the end, time caught up with Brookside and it had to go.
Mohamed Salah is following a similar path and has pre-announced that his time on Merseyside is coming to an end. “Leaving is never easy. You gave me the best time of my life. I will be always one of you,” he sniffed. “This club will always be my home to me and to my family. Thank you for everything. Because of all of you, I will never walk alone.” It allows everyone time to plan tributes and for scriptwriters to pen a fitting finale. It has been a painful final series for the Egyptian, with plenty of tumultuous episodes and endings Arne Slot did not see coming, even if viewers could. Where previously Salah has been the hero, recently plotlines have turned him into a villain. His improvised Jimmy Corkhill-esque state-of-the-nation monologue at the Elland Road stage door caused much distress and upset – though being “thrown under the bus” was a bit too cliched even for one of the finest soap operas.
