THERE are a number of Wordsmiths that write on this website. I am not a Wordsmith by any stretch of the imagination, but I’d be intrigued to see if any of them could describe the people who are filling our ground with negativity with a better word than ‘Divvies’.
I’m not talking about people who’ll sit there and photograph opposition players while they’re taking a corner, or need to ask where the Kop is, or try and bring a shopping trolley full of food in to the ground (I’ve never seen this happen, but I’ve been reliably informed by someone who’d know that it has). They are divvies mind, but that really isn’t the point of this.
Take Saturday afternoon for example. We hosted Wolves, we readily cantered in to a 2-0 lead before the break, and for the forty six minutes all was good, an early goal was followed by a Suarez finish that had everyone in the ground waiting for the referee to blow the final whistle so we could all go home with our three points.
Except it didn’t happen like that, did it? .
What did happen is, Wolves got a goal back after half time, and all of a sudden the World ended and a load of miserable bastards, somewhere in the region of thirty thousand of them, decided that the goal wasn’t just a goal, it was the footballing version a Priest reading us the Last Rites.
It wasn’t, we merely had forty minutes where we had to make sure Wolves didn’t score more goals then ourselves. At Anfield.
We achieved this, and whilst it wasn’t as comfortable as we’d liked I don’t really remember any ‘Oh shit, they’re gonna score here’ moments. In the meantime, we made their goalkeeper make a brilliant save from Suarez, Andy Carroll hit the post, Downing fluffed a one on one and Andy Carroll decided to do so form of Line Dancing deep in to injury time.
Regardless, we won. It wasn’t pretty second half, and it wasn’t as good a performance as the Stoke one, but we ground out a result. Which over the course of the last few years people have never tired of saying is the hallmark of a good side.
The real problem I had today, other than Jamie Carragher trying to organise a defensive line so far away from the half way line it was almost somewhere in the Norris Green area (I’m sure the lads will discuss that on TAW#8), came when the substitution of Jordan Henderson took place.
This is a 21 year old lad, 2 months younger than Martin Kelly by the way, who has played seven games for the club. Seven. We’ve played in as many European Cup Finals as he’s had games for Liverpool. What came once the numbers ’14’ and ‘18’ were displayed was disgusting. Henderson was jeered from the field by his fans, and made to feel about 3 feet tall.
Now let’s be honest here, since he came in you can’t argue that he’s looked like the player his price tag seems to demand that he is.
BOOOOOOOOO
However, after the jeering had died down a discussion developed a couple of rows behind me, the conclusion by one season ticket holder in his mid-to-late fifties was that ‘Henderson isn’t good enough and he never will be’. I’m sure he isn’t the only one who has had the good grace to give him an incredible 544 minutes in a Liverpool shirt before they deem him not up to the job.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you Jordan Henderson has been brilliant because that would be a lie, but from what I’ve seen there’s a footballer in there, he looks a bit nervous and lacking in confidence but given time to adjust and get used to his surroundings he’ll be a player for us.
If he does this and he’s in our side for the next 10 years, no one will mention the price tag. How on earth can any rational human being deduce that he isn’t good enough when his biggest crime thus far, one on one at Stoke excepted, is being anonymous? He hasn’t been bad, he hasn’t been good, and he’s looked like a young player learning. Oh wait, that’s what he is. Funny that.
More broadly though, why are people so keen to get angry while they’re watching us? Moan moan and fucking moan, ‘this isn’t right, that isn’t right, why’s that happening? Why’s this happening? Why aren’t we 6-0 up? blah blah blah. You pay £800 for a season ticket and whinge. You spend hours on a phoneline, or sat in front of a computer spending £45 to go somewhere and whinge. These divvies are utterly pointless. We may as well lash the lot of them in the away end for all the encouragement they’re giving the lads on the pitch.
These are the same Divvies who booed when we went top of the league after a 0-0 draw with West Ham in December 2008. The same ones who booed Lucas on to the pitch in a game against Sunderland later that season. What exactly are they hoping to achieve through this?
This negativity permeated Anfield throughout the whole 2008/2009 season, if we weren’t winning after twenty minutes nervousness gradually crept down from the stands and seeped through to the players. Every misplaced pass was greeted as if we’d just given the opposition a goal, players were barracked for having the temerity to accidently do something wrong. “If it’s not perfection, it’s not good enough, Booooo, Lucas you useless cunt!” would make a good tagline for the Anfield crowd that season.
It’s getting to the stage where sections of our famous support is becoming a hindrance as opposed to the advantage it’s been through the years. It’s hard enough to break down a stubborn defence without getting on the backs of the players and making them afraid of getting thousands of voices pelting them with abuse if they so much as breathe the wrong way.
Anfield is best when it’s noisy, when there’s encouragement, when everyone is together. No one likes it when things aren’t going our way, I don;t, we all get frustrated. What on earth are people hoping to achieve by slagging players off though, apart from impressing their dickhead mates?
If you really think shouting ‘Oi, that’s fucking shite that lad’ is in the slightest bit productive then I’ll be honest, this is directed at you, and I, Philip Blundell, think you are a bona-fide , 100%, cast iron Divvy. If you fancy venting your frustrations, there’s a referee, two linesman and 18 players wearing the opposition shirt, scream at them for ninety minutes if venting at a football match is your thing.
There’ve been divisions in Anfield for as long as I remember (being 24, I started going properly in about 2000), people have
So, we're all in agreement then, Ian Rush is shit
always moaned, there’s always been negativity. Some didn’t take to Houllier’s football and they were in disagreement with people who saw his methods as returning us to the upper echelons of English Football, Benitez is probably the most divisive manager we’ve ever had, and then there was the Hicks and Gillett saga where some people had their heads buried in the sand until we were to all intents and purposes owned by a bank.
We were told that Dalglish, Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish, a fella that has dedicated the vast majority of his adult life to us and is rightly deified as such, would be the one who would unite everyone. It saddens, nay sickens me that even he, King Kenny, doesn’t appear to have had that power over a certain brand of divvy.
There’s still bickering, and moaning, and whinging. We came 6th last season, 7th the season before that. Our aim should be 4th this season and anything above that seen as a bonus. What part of the season so far has seen the barracking of players and infighting as something that can even be explained away as anything other than ridiculous? I’m struggling.
We sit in 5th, with two clearly better sides and one marginally better side above us as well as a Newcastle side who won’t be there for much longer. Clearly the a dreadful place to be.
We used to be labelled the most intelligent fans in the country. Were it not the fact that it is Everton and not any other club located within a mile of Anfield and we’d struggle to even be the most intelligent set of fans with an L4 postcode.
I pay £40+ a week to sit in a ground surrounded by people I don’t like, who are paying the same amount to watch something they evidently don’t enjoy. To borrow a quote from Rob Gutmann, Kenny should tell them to fuck off.
Sitting in the Annie Road, there were a couple of occasions it did look like our defence would gift Wolves a goal, but nothing major.
On the whole, I couldn’t agree more with this article. I’ve been in the Annie Road for 15 years now and in the last two seasons some divvies have appeared nearby. There is a guy that sits behind me now (mid to late 50’s) who criticises everyone in a red shirt. They’re all knobheads, slow bastards and other words I really don’t want to repeat. I’m convinced he’s an Evertonian in disguise.
Bin-fucking-go.
Spot on Phil, never saw the point in supporters who don’t support, ‘off to the game later, for a bloody good rant and a whiney moan’ not really my idea of a fan. Divvy possibly a bit mild, forums tend to be full of these morons that can pick a better side than Dalglish, and are tactically more astute than all of the clubs employees combined, that’ll be why they are all successful European and premiership managers then?
That’s absolutely spot on that mate.it dose my head in all the moaning and lack of atmosphere we create at most games. What the point in having these ‘supporters’ taking up the limited space in our Famouse ground!!!
Happens in every sport. I go to quite a few of our university (Georgia) football (American) games and folks boo/cuss 19 and 20 year old kids constantly if we’re not winning by 4 touchdowns. Do they think those kids can’t hear them? Do they care?
Another excellent post from TAW.
Absolutely spot on, the way Hendo was treated as he left the pitch yesterday was an absolute disgrace and every person who did anything other than applaud the effort he put in should be completely ashamed of themselves. Every mistake Carroll or Henderson make is greeted with groans, get a grip people and get behind the team.
Testify brother. If Kenny coming back doesn’t prompt some to can it for at least a couple of seasons then god help us.
Time for some lessons for those divvies? For instance:
Lesson 1: The etiquette at Anfield Stadium
Lesson 2: A guide to proper behaviour for a Red
If one fails either one of the above, a Yellow plaster will be given to cease the annoying noise pollution.
If fails both, a RED card will be given & the divvy will have to leave the stadium OR remain seated till the match ends with a plaster on the mouth + some compulsory community work.
Well written piece, this. And 100% spot-on!
Excellent post/rant this … I remember Phil Babb being ripped to shreds 16 odd years ago by an ST holder behind me for passing laterally when (to my eyes at least) there was nothing obviously ‘on’ ahead of him.
‘You’re a F*cking disgrace to the shirt’ he was told. He was then told the reason he was ‘a disgrace’, and it had less to do with his ability (which you could argue all day long about), and more to do with his colour. This was expressed even more loudly and much more expletive filled. If this idiot was not loud enough for the player to hear, then he was plenty loud enough for hundreds of kids, parents, stewards etc..
Now – I know the debate isn’t about colour, but support – but this fool from the best part of 20 years ago wasn’t exclusive – while almost all the other players were white – they were ALL ‘F***** S***’ in his eyes. I no longer have an ST – but I expect this fellah still goes – You’ve probably heard him.
I must have been lucky then – sat in the main stand near the Wolves fans and the supporters around me although quiet at times didn’t complain. No one dissed Hendo however we did a fair bit of singing. My observation was that both Henderson and Adam began to struggle in the second half and both found themselves slow to react, not reading the play and basically giving O’ Hara so much space he was cruising around. I think that became frustrating to the crowd. I don’t think you can ask people not to get worried when the opposition has the ball, it was nerve wracking at times as the midfield went awol. That said the crowd were quiet at times and you are right it helps the team when you are behind them so save the analysis for the pub and show faith at the ground.
There have been divisions (and Divvies) at Anfield for as long as I can remember too and
I’m in my early fifties. You’d always get the odd moaner, ‘Kinell lad me nan can run faster than you!’ and so on, but any real anger at poor performances was vented in the alehouse after. It’s actually up to the sensible fans to try and shut these bi-polar pillocks up.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE TRUE WORDS!!! JEERING AT YA OWN PLAYERS IS JUST PATHETIC!
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve had some online “discussions” with “fans” who have stated that we would be best finding a buyer for Carroll now for whatever we can get for him,
Even after yesterday’s game when he played well they were giving him stick in the same blinkered, mewling fashion.
It’s like there’s been a permeation of fans who a) don’t understand how not being in the Champions League limits our purchasing ability b) want us to have bought Neymar, Mata, Lucas (Sao Paulo), Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Messi and Maradona (on the bench only of course) in the Summer and have won every game.
Man City have thrown a quarter of a billion at their team and they were still painful to watch at times last season. Yet, according to the online intelligentsia, somehow Liverpool proved that we were a midtable side because we hammered Stoke and were very unlucky to lose.
Carroll got a bollocking that game and he didn’t even start and I could not believe Henderson’s treatment yesterday.
It’s embarrassing.
I think the frustration stems from the fact that there’s £100 million quid out there and we’re still playing like we’re aiming for Europa. I wasn’t in the stands, but I’ve been to enough sporting events to say that sometimes the tele gives you a better angle on every touch of the ball.
There were many times when it looked like wolves were going to get an equalizer, there were many times where our new expensive signings just disappeared from the match. Right now, out of all the top clubs, we look the weakest again. Even Arsenal, who were looking poor at the start, made some great new signings on the final day of the window who have settled quickly. When you have our rivals firing in 4, 5, 6, goals at will, it’s frustrating to see up labor against Wolves at Home. The worst part about it, is watching in HD, you couldn’t see a sense of urgency on the players faces. We were only one goal up, score another OR pass the ball amongst yourselves for awhile.
They could barely string four passes together in the second half yesterday, and that’s worrisome considering the games we have coming up in October & November. This squad is yet to be tested, in fact, they failed their first test against Spurs last weekend in an absolute disaster of a game. Labouring against Wolves, getting pummeled by Tottenham, I think people have a reason to be worried.
I want to win the league. We all want to win the league. But our mentality has to change in order for us to win the league. It’s not enough just to win, you have to win well, you have to look stronger every week. This squad does well when we get ourselves a goal first, but if we fall behind, our midfield panics. We cannot have that happen as the season goes on, because that’s what happened against Stoke & that’s what happened against Spurs.
I want to win the league, 3 points alone will never win the league in May. Some people look at the table and say we aren’t in a bad spot, but haven’t we learned that the table doesn’t matter until January? Haven’t we learned that you find out what your team is really made of by March? We were 6th last season, we could have been 7 points off a Champions League place if we had won on the final day. That’s only two more wins & a draw. In 2009, we lost the league by 4 agonizing points. That’s one win & a draw. The game is so tight these days, everything matters, every little thing matters. You start preparing your squad in August & September for February & March.
I’m a fan that is always looking at the big picture, and from the big picture I have to say that I’m worried about this squad. If the team plays the whole season the way they are now we will never win the league, or the FA Cup and we’ll still be struggling to qualify for the Champions League. I don’t just offer complaints though, I offer solutions. I did a piece on my local blog about Looking Ahead to October – Honesty is the Best Policy. I offer solutions about how our players could be better instead of resolving to simply saying ‘they’re shit’ http://bit.ly/lfcwv
Really enjoy the blog guys, keep up the fantastic work & YNWA
Unfortunately the expectation at LFC is a lot higher than the players can produce, unfortunately a lot of them still aren’t good enough to win us the league, but because we’ve had so many “false dawns”, “5 year plans” and stuff like that, and the fans as a whole want it so badly, the title becomes an expectation at the start of each season.
Also to add another perspective to the argument, I doubt Jordan Henderson gives back half his wages each week an says, “I never deserved that, am still only an up and comer”, so if you want to play at a big club an earn big dough, you have to be ready and accept your performances will be scrutinised.
All in all I agree with the article, but its a strange one, we expect big things and if you expect big things, you put yourself in situations where they can happen, I’d rather our mentality was that way rather than for example the mongs, who laud a man who’s won fuck all in 10 years at the helm.
Onwards and upwards an a game next week where our fans will be right behind the team, Mongrels away.
All the aul’ arses should be in the ‘stands’ where they belong and can moan to their heart’s content and make way for a new generation in the kop.
It’s a price thing. How many under 30 can afford £800 a year?
Declared interest – I’m over 50.
Thing is I don’t think you have to be from the ‘older generation’ to be an auld arse. There’s a lot of younger divvies prepared to vent their spleen at every opportunity.
I’ve always known that getting on people’s back helps no one. How can you be inspired by people telling you that you’re shite?
Will it help you to be a better player? Does it make you say to yourself ‘I’ll show those blighters!!’
Does it fuck. Doesn’t matter how much money you’re on. It affects you. It affects your performance and your self belief.
And unless you’re Lucas – who’s character is so completely out of the ordinary he’s like some kind of mental aberration – it’s incremental.
So we’re slowly suffocating our own chances.
Suicide by divvy anyone?
Spot on there mate. Well said.
Loads of make believe football experts all thinking they are on Match of the Day or something giving it loads of big analysis in exactly the way you outline. They truly do need to f*** right off.
Knob jockey’s the lot of them!
Absolutely bloody right – you’ve hit the nail on the head perfectly with this one.
Hendo is getting treated exactly as Lucas was, not so long ago. Young players develop as they get more experience. How is he expected to improve without:
a) Time on the pitch in premier league matches
b) Support from the fans ??
Its an exciting season. The ownership and management is vastly improved from 12 months ago. Top 4 is a realistic goal. The bench is looking strong. The squad is getting better each transfer window. Happy days.
I am a football fan. I like watching the game of football. I am a Liverpool SUPPORTER, and this is really quite simple if you like what you see make some noise, if you feel our team need encouragement make some noise if you don’t like what you see stay silent, in all my years of watching my teams of various sports I have NEVER booed jeered or slagged off my team because that’s not SUPPORTING my teams effort
This isn’t solely about divvies at Anfield. I have a feeling that it’s society in general that has more divvies these days. More divvies in general means more divvies at football grounds, in pubs, at the park and in the supermarket.
And it’s only going to get worse when the current crop of divvies multiply and create mini-divvies in their own image.
I weep for the future.
I can’t say I know what you are referring to specifically, because I’ve never had the pleasure of going to a game. But the negativity at the games can’t be good. As you said, the players feel that nervous/angry energy and they’re only human, it will have an effect. I moan a lot during games, but in the comfort of my own home or a bar where loads of people are screaming and shouting.
My only counter-argument would be that since Liverpool don’t often seem to have that ability any more to put teams to the sword or come from behind to win, even keep a clean sheet these days, it becomes very nerve-racking when the team starts performing below par. This is especially so when say the first half they were sparkling and the second half looked a shadow of the team from the first. What changes? Why do passes suddenly start going astray, tackles being missed, 50/50 balls being lost? This seems to happen way before the crowd gets anxious and I think this is what is upsetting people.
That being said, I don’t think people should start jumping on the players’ backs, but I think fans are still reeling from the devastating amount of needlessly dropped points in Benitez’s last two seasons (enough so that we didn’t win the league in the end), and of course the more fresh memories of Hodgson’s horrible football and results. Once the players show us that they can once again come from behind to win, score 3-4 goals when they are on top in a game, and defend soundly enough to keep a clean sheet, the fans will have more patience. Well, I will at least. Until then, these games are going to continue to be nerve-wracking.
Also, I really like Henderson and Carroll and cannot for the life of me understand any Liverpool fan jumping all over them now. Carroll’s few injury-plagued appearances last season almost shouldn’t count. So for both of these extremely young players, this is really their first full season in one of the biggest teams on the planet. They need time to grow into the team and every vote of confidence they get from Dalglish will do them a world of good in the long run, so the fans need to get behind them the same way.
Well said m8. Great read.
Spot on. You know what though, it’s not new, but it is getting a lot fucking worse.
I had a morbidly obese fella behind me calling Carroll fat.
But, booing your own players??? Grow up morons.
Can only agree with what you wrote. The atmosphere at the game is becoming more and more negative. The ‘knowledge’ of the fans is disappearing from the terraces.
It’s becoming a bit of a cliche but the Soccer AM generation (irrespective of age) seems to be taking over.
At times yesterday, Liverpool played some great football, but it did not always pay off. At times we sat too far back and got caught out. The strange thing is, walking out of the Kop was like walking out after a defeat. Around me people had twisted faces, people moaned and whinged. Bloody strange.
The first half , as you said, we looked comfortable. Then they scored and we did what most people would want us to do – we turned up up a gear. Suarez, Carroll and Downing all went close. This was not a team in trouble or sadly lacking ideas. It was a team that kept going. Yes we held on but is not that what we want. Sometimes when the ball does not bounce for you, you need a bit of grit and that is what we did.
The expectation that we are should win every home game ‘easily’ drives me mad. Kenny has built something we have not seen in years – a squad. We will not steam roll teams week in week out, but we will get better each week. As long as we get the results now, when the team click into a consistent gear we will see some great performances.
The fans need to realise, we have had some grey days but should now be united in our support. The ones that also get on my proverbials are those who seem desperate for us to lose so they can ‘be proved right’.
Not long ago, Lucas was booed and jeered now he looks like a player who rightfully belongs in the starting line up. Give Henderson a chance and Andy C a chance they have only been here 5 minutes and they have not been that bad that they deserve the critisism people are dishing out.
Apologies for waffling on – but really use meant to say that I agreed with the article.
The nail has been hit on it’s head!
Just a few years ago when we were ranked No.1 in Europe by UEFA and spending time at the top of the league (boo’ed to the top of the league as mentioned in the article) people were still moaning on and on about the odd little managerial decision or performance of a player in a Champions League semi final or even final itself. I sometimes wonder whether, when things really started to go properly wrong during the first half of last season, relegation zone, northampton etc etc, that they might’ve woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night shouting, “WHY DIDN’T I JUST ENJOY IT!!”.
@Imani
Had to pen a rebuttal to your post. Everyone is absolutely entitled to their opinion, however I just feel it’s highly ironic that your lengthy diatribe of negativity, misinformation and sky-generation arm chair knee-jerkism was in response to an article about… well… you see where I’m going!
Firstly, I don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing since the end of the 2008-2009 season but I think it’s important you understand what’s been happening since we came within a hairs breadth of winning the league. There were these two nasty men that saddled the club with debt, asset stripped to service repayments and drove our great club to the brink of ruin – during this process they successfully ousted the manager responsible for said season, replaced him with a man so far out of his depth is was actually painful to watch, alienated the better players that hadn’t already been flogged and left a pall of negativity around the place so thick you could literally see it. Then a nice man and his friends rescued us, Kenny came back and things cheered up no end.
Now, I know you have every right to be outraged, nay – OUTRAGED – that the 100 million quid spent by these nice men hasn’t resulted in 5 wins on the bounce with 4, 5 and 6 goals in each one. I mean, they have had a preseason and five games to catch up on 26 years of continuity and financial success at Utd., 15 years of the same at Arsenal and 500 million quid’s worth of financial doping at Man City – it’s just not on, how dare these players require time to gel. I mean, it’s not at all like FIFA 11 at all. I’m amazed you didn’t physically vomit whatever you were drinking during the match all over your HD screen when identifying the sheer lack of determination etched on every players face.
I think this squad has a lot of potential, but I also think they have a lot of work to do. I outline this more in my initial match reaction just after the final whistle. We have a lot of positives to the squad, but we have a lot of glaring negatives as well.
More importantly, the mentality of the players in worrisome. We signed a lot of midfielders from midtable clubs, and at midtable clubs you can get away with only playing 60 minutes, or you can score a goal that game & not have to do anything else, but at Liverpool it’s different. So I don’t expect great things right out of the gate, but I expect great effort. Sometimes I feel that we’re sluggish after the 60th minute mark in the match, and full match fitness is the easiest thing you can do as a team chasing titles.
I have faith in our new signings, but I hope that their transfer fees haven’t inflated their heads. We didn’t sign Charlie Adam to be Blackpool Charlie Adam, we didn’t sign Jordan Henderson to be Sunderland Jordan Henderson, we signed them to be Liverpool Charlie Adam, Liverpool Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll at Liverpool, Stuart Downing at Liverpool. The fact is, they aren’t yet. But they will be. They just have to push themselves each week. I hope they watch their film and nitpick every little thing they do wrong, because great players do that. Great players are hard on themselves, that’s why they never become satisfied.
For our new signings, I’m just hoping they realize that they have to play outside themselves right now. They have to become great. I’m worried about a player who doesn’t want to achieve greatness. Careers don’t last forever, players are lucky if they can play a 6 or 7 years at the highest level. Some teams wont accept anything but incredible, we need to be that team again.
The season is young, but you prepare for the trials of March during the month of September. I’d rather be hard on the players now & give them 7 months to get the message, than be hard on them in April with only 2 months to turn it around. I watched every game with weekend, Arsenal made some great new signings at the last minute who have fit in seamlessly with the squad. They won comfortably against Bolton. Man City are now Man City as shitty as it is. United faced the same struggles at Stoke that we did two weeks ago, but have had some injuries, not to mention are saving their strength for the Champions League this Tuesday. Chelsea have many weapons and the pressure to perform has been crucial for their success since Roman Abramovich came on the scene. Spurs aren’t half bad, that’s what we found out last week. We can thank ourselves for reigniting their season. The way our players put their heads down was shameful. Fact is, we have a lot of work to do. It would be naive to deny it.
I don’t care about 3 points. I care about lifting a trophy in May, it would make me sick to see United go for 20, or even Man City, no more mancs rubbing it in our faces. We have to want it that bad too, and so do the players.
Bring on Goodison next week. Bring on October
Your’re exactly right. I was sat next to 2 of them yesterday. They slagged Carroll off for 90 mins. Whatever he did they’d say Bellamy would’ve done it better, when he crossed the ball in from the left in first half with Suarez inches away from scoring they called Carroll for being out wide and not in the box! They said the defence was shit, then the midfield was shit and to top it all off said we’d gone backwards from last year!!!!
Agree with and enjoyed reading the piece, but look at the phenomena in the broader context of the entire fanbase. I guess the negativity about the new players is related to 1. the amount of their transfer fees, 2. the expectation to make 3rd or 4th this year, and 3. because of #1 and 2, that people further expected that they would all hit the ground running and not be development projects. I think if we put 2 or 3 wins together than the glass will be half full for those negative fans and they will at least STFU.
One critique on the writing – the relation to 7 european cups is a bit awkward…I get your point, but that reference doesn’t really flow.
Good article, and I totally agree it’s unacceptable to jeer the players. Too many people are getting carried away with that negativity and that can’t do any good to anyone.
I was watching the game on TV, and what I noticed was that Anfield, usually very festive and vocal, was unusually quiet yesterday. It felt almost like the Emirates, where they tend to get quiet when they are not too happy. It was a strange and not very nice feeling.
The fans are discontent with the way team has been playing this month. Even the wins looked quite unconvincing. The only good game was v Bolton. People are worried, they are unhappy with the quality of performance, with line-up, with substitutions, and they express their concern as they feel it at the moment, without thinking twice what effect will it have on the players or the manager.
Kenny issued a plea before the game. His message was: in unity is our strength. Of course he is right. We have to get behind the team, and if we do criticise performances or decisions, that has to be a constructive criticism. And what to do with the tw@s who throw abuse at the players and even at Kenny via twitter??
Opinions voiced on this blog and the comments below are all very true. I doubt however that those who jeer the players care to read this.
I remember when we could buy a player, even ones we’d spend good money on, and stick ’em in the reserves for a while. Just to bed them in: in to the culture, the playing style, the philosophy, in to playing for such a massive club. There have been many players that have come in and after a while you forget they’re there as they work their way via the reserves, some first team sub appearances, or some cup games. But keeping a generally low profile until then maybe 6 months, a season or more later they seem to slot right in. Such seemingly effortless transition was actually due to hard work and smart management but it provided the succession planning that was inherent in our success.
These days it seems impossible to keep such a low profile, away from the match day glare aso the future can be calmly planned for. Now we have press confetences, Sky’s exaggerated price tag waving, twitter updates, 24 hour opta stats and the incessant urge to create a new song for each new player who takes to the hallowed turf. Even our youth prospects are scrutinised to the nth degree.
I think Jordan would benefit from such a less heated environment. I’m not sure if Kenny wouls prefer it that way, whether he thinks he is of first team standard right now or whether he’s been doing a job whilst Gerrard has been absent. But on a number of occassions, even with the captain’s absence, Henderson has been picked ahead of the likes of Kuyt or Maxi or Spearing. But in my opinion, I think Jordan is one for the future, he’s a young lad with a lot of promise. He has good technique, is neat and tidy in possession and based on last season has an eye for an assist. Right now though its clear he’s still finding his feet and has yet to find the confidence to impose his own game. To boo or jeer such a new and young player goes against everything that the Anfield faithful is supposed to stand for. Gerrard’s comeback has come at a good time I think and it may take some of the pressure off him. We all know Lucas has been through such a stupid and counter productive ordeal also. The Brazilian has shown immense fortitude and strength of character. I hope that some common sense prevails so that Jordan does not have to suffer the same.
As a Liverpool fan for almost 30 years – since I was 7 years old, it is disappointing to hear that Liverpool fans at Anfield are carrying on like this. Living in Australia, I have only had the chance to see two live games in my life and what an experience! I tell anyone that will listen that seeing a Liverpool game live is one of the best experiences going – that the atmosphere the fans can create will send shivers down the spine and bring emotion to the fore. To hear that season ticket holders who have the privilege of going to 19 games a season will bitch and moan about the team like Philip has described is unbelievable.
The last few seasons inparticular have been very frustrating, but a change of manager and a few signings is not going to produce magic overnight. The manager is creating a new culture with many new players and this will take time.
The EPL is strong and the win against Wolves whilst not pretty, was a good result – 3 points. Get behind the team and show them support no matter what. Be realistic in the expectations (4th will be great this season), remember where we were 12 months ago and think about where the club is aiming to be – I’m sure Kenny Dalglish is not thinking the display on Saturday is the best it will get! The beautiful football will return, the squad will get stronger and the results will come.
I could not watch the match live and had to listen to it live. I heard and read a bit of post match reaction and thought that Henderson and Carroll were awful.
I just watched the match replay on LFCTV and I can’t believe what some people are saying. Carroll was very good. He set up a bunch of plays and knocked down balls really well for Suarez and Downing. He was unlucky not to get a goal, and he had his best match this year. The three of them linked up well. Only wish he did not think he was Suarez at the end of the match and just shot on goal.
Henderson did not have his best match, but he does not deserve the post match (and clearly in match) reactions. He worked hard out there and was involved a bit offensively. He was not in the match as much as most of the attacks went down the left because of Enrique and Downing. Unfortunately, Downing and Henderson both don’t help out defensively as much as (I think) they should – like Kuyt does. He is 21 years old! Lucas came here at about the same age and, despite different positions now, Henderson is better than Lucas was at that age. Give him time.
Anyone booing our players at Anfield should just not go to matches. They are hurting the players and hurting the team. They are selfish. Of course, they do have the right to express own opinions, but how they choose to express them has consequences. I am not going to tell me boss he is an idiot just because I think that – there are consequences. Children do not understand this, adults should.
Nailed it there Phil. People are expecting the world and then whinging when they don’t get it, anyone would sense would see that this is a ‘work in progress’, mistakes will be made and have to be learned from. Performances will peak and dip throughout the season. It’ll be a bumpy ride.
I’m more than prepared to support throughout the whole process, it’ll make the rewards that much more worthwhile at the end of it. Those who aren’t prepared to sit it out and support the lads really should do one and go and spread their bile elsewhere.
Divvies, Phil? Too polite a word for them there mate, there’s a fair few more that I could think of but I’ll think of the Children and button it here.
Great shout Phil. Iam Irish and try get over to as many games as possible. I was removed from the ground in 09. Sitting in the Annie Rd end and some so called red abused Lucas for the first 20mins. I gave him a piece of my mind and he in return told me to piss off and support a club from my own country. Needless to say i gave him plenty back we’re all Reds in my mind it dont matter where your from or what race you are. We had a bit of a scuffle which he started and iam ashamed of. When the stewards arrived on the scene he took out his season ticked and got me removed. I was sick to think an ARSEHOLE like that had a season ticket to the club I love and support through tick and thin. Since then ive been to 12/13 games and stil hear people talking shite. If you are one of the so called REDS that go week in week out abuse and slag our players please please don’t bother going and leave the tickets to lads or lassies that will stand up support and encourage our fantastic players and football club Y.N.W.A …………….
I still blame our home fans for not winning the league in 08/09
You’ll Never Walk Alone?
Oh the irony
was in the annie rd end for this game & ye couldnt agree more a chap 2 seats to the left of me wouldnt shut up slatting hendo & the moan bags everywere giving out instead of getting behind the team, it wasnt a great performance & the athmosphere wasnt as good as the sunderland game but we done alright & got the win, divvies is right ! oh ye & some of the fans trying to give the wolves fans stick ye got rightly slaughtered………..