IF he didn’t know it already, Jürgen Klopp discovered yesterday that he’s got a job on his hands in more ways than one.
Not only did Liverpool cave in to opposition that ambition dictates they should be beating on home turf, hinting again at a fragile mindset among this group of players, but the manager also discovered that things are also not quite right among the minds of that other vital component of the club — the fans.
After a nervy Liverpool conceded a late goal to Southampton last month to end another Anfield match 1-1, Klopp hinted then that modern-day Anfield is not a theatre conducive to what we all want the Reds to achieve.
He said then: “It’s only a goal, only a game of football. It’s like it’s the last thing in your life and we have to calm this down.
“I don’t understand this pressure but the guys feel it. I hope I’m not the only person in the stadium who thought ‘this is not the end of the world’. We can work on this.”
After Crystal Palace’s Scott Dann upset his Scouse friends and family with the winner yesterday, Klopp was more explicit, referencing the fans who routinely file out of the ground when things aren’t going well.
It’s a topic he was right to raise. When Dann headed home at the second attempt past the floored (flawed) Simon Mignolet, there were eight minutes of normal time remaining. A further five were added on.
That’s 13 minutes of football — almost a sixth of the match. OK, there was an element of “same old, same old” in the performance that had unfolded; it was an action replay of a game we’ve witnessed too often at Anfield in recent times, not to mention another goal conceded as a result of a corner.
But like the fury-laced voiced frustration that rains down after every misplaced pass from a red shirt, or the arms folded, “entertain me” silent gait of so many, how is leaving the ground early muttering “shite” going to help to remedy matters?
What’s more likely to result in a Liverpool comeback — a ground full of fans urging the Reds on, screaming for them to attack and appealing for everything from the referee, or an indifferent silent snake of supporters heading for the exits, metaphorically waving the white flag as the players toil away in the rain?
Common sense suggests the former, yet far too many plump for the latter.
What gets me as a culture of supporting the team seemingly erodes away from Liverpool, making Anfield an homogenous Premier League experience rather than the special place we want it to be, is that so many rile against suggestions that it could and should be different on a regular basis.
Take Klopp’s comments yesterday. Some on social media replied with the “people have paid their money so they can leave when they like” line. Others suggested en masse exits are not a problem to worry about in the grand scheme of things.
Sorry, but what? Why wouldn’t you want to feel you can make a difference to the atmosphere? That you can play a part; inspire? And why wouldn’t you want everyone who files through the Anfield turnstiles to feel the same way?
Like half-and-half scarves, the shrugging indifference is another signpost that traditional football culture is dying. Show your colours? Nah, I’m showing theirs, too. And if it’s crap, I’m going home.
Klopp was right to also highlight that it is up to the team to inspire the fans, but surely it works both ways? The 12th man shouldn’t be allowed to just become the name of a pub at Anfield and something that exists on club marketing literature; a nod to times gone by.
The atmosphere debate never seems to reach a logical conclusion, instead slamming into a dead end with fingers pointed in the usual directions — cut and paste your favoured argument:
– “It’s the old fellas who have seen too much football and won’t give up their ticket for the new blood.”
– “It’s the too cool for school fellas who snarl you when you try to start a song.”
– “It’s the daytrippers, the bucket listers, the wools and the Thomas Cook-ers.”
– “It’s the price of the tickets and the gentrification of the game.”
– “It’s because the team is shit.”
Perhaps match-going supporters should turn the mirror onto themselves sometimes. Undoubtedly, more should be done to encourage the next generation of football fans to consider a a life of match-going. Tickets should be cheaper and more accessible.
But while the battles are fought on those fronts, what about the 44,000 that filled Anfield yesterday?
Klopp is right to put supporter mindset on the agenda again. I’ve banged on about it over and over and make no apology for doing so again: when things are right between players, manager and fans, Liverpool is a force to be reckoned with. When they’re not…well, as Klopp has made reference to, it can seem like the team are walking alone.
So why not try to improve our end of the bargain? It seems this is a team — and a support — still scarred by recent experiences. So why not make the first move on putting things right?
In The Kop, block 306 is the unofficial standing/singing section yet it’s in part of the ground where much of the noise emanating from it can’t be heard elsewhere around Anfield. Most fans seems to agree. So can it move? Is there a will among the people there to move?
Through the current avenues of engagement with fans, the supporters’ committee for example, how often is atmosphere on the agenda? If it’s not, it should be. The club markets itself as being special. We say it’s special. There are undoubtedly smart minds on both sides of the divide. Can’t more be done to actually ensure it is special?
Back to ground level, there’s also an issue around the current Anfield songbook. Why are so many songs about ex-players? When have you ever heard the ground absolutely rocking to “Every Other Saturday?” And “Stand Up for the 96”? Just stop. Then there’s a group of blokes on the left of The Kop singing their own songs that only six of them know. What’s the point in that?
What’s wrong with the simple songs: “Liverpool” –clap, clap, clap — “Liverpool”, that kind of thing?
It should be easier than ever before for fans to organise and improve things, and the atmosphere generated at Selhurst Park by a significantly less number than present at Anfield yesterday is testament to that.
Closer to home, the welcomes to Anfield that greeted the side in 2014 show what the Liverpool fanbase — however fractured these days — is capable of when minds are focused.
We’ve got the right kind of manager for Liverpool, let’s not give up on being the right of kind of fans for Liverpool.
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If fans read the old Hotspur or Wizard, or Roy of the Rovers, they’d know you can score 10 goals in 8 minutes. Limp along Leslie did it once in the Wizard. Or is my memory lying?
Remember Fergie Time? How many games did he induce the timekeepers to afford them enough time for a winner?
Let’s look at “Fergie time”
Utd were renowned for scoring late in games to win or salvage a point.
How did this start?? Did it start from the fans or did it start from the players self belief which was instilled by the management???
I’d argue very strongly that it came from the belief instilled. As the years passed the crowd then played their part because they’d seen their team do it time and again and had confidence in their ability to do it again.
If you watch/read Klopps comments in full he’s actually having a go at the team for not instilling this belief in the fans…
“we are responsible that nobody can leave stadium a minute before last whistle..”
“..I am not disappointed about this (fans leaving)- they have reasons”
“Between 82 and 94 you can make 8 goals, if you want but you have to work for it”
Having said that fans should stay to the final whistle unless it’s some sort of protest.
Agree with all that. The hordes leaving at 80 minutes create the very traffic conditions they purport to be avoiding. Any time on the pitch means time for a goal. Wasn’t there a ‘five goals in five minutes’ spell from somebody recently? Certainly there was a 5 minute hat trick.
I totally agree with everything you say Gareth. But, we dont have a leader or anyone (Sakho was becoming that player) on the pitch who you can feel a bond with like Kenny, Souness, Robbie, Sami, Jamie, Stevie, Louis etc. As you imply (I think) there is a disconnect between Club > Fans > Players.
Maybe the bond with the manager will bring it all together,,,,,in time
Robin posted yesterday that he felt embarrassed about who we are as a fanbase at Anfield and how we’ve shown ourselves to a world class manager, especially given said world class manager’s last club’s fanbase. And he was right. Compare us to Dortmund fans. The gap in class is humiliating.
Today we’re talking about the masses walking out if Anfield with 10 minutes to go when their team is drawing or down by a goal in an important league game, given the break and other results. Last week, last month and last year we were talking about how fucking silent Anfield is. I know there have been reasons. I know there are some few exceptions. But it doesn’t cover what has been a piss poor effort from us, the fans, for an age.
I don’t care who is to blame and I don’t want to hear the excuses anymore. I thought it was so bad last year because we were in the third year of a three project, we were shite and half of us knew the manager wasn’t up to it. But that’s not the case now. New boss everyone loves, immediate improvement, 6 undefeated under him, 3 wins in a row…..and Anfield was like that yesterday. Pitiful.
So what’s the answer? I’ve heard about singing sections being moved, safe standing, allowing mates to sit together etc etc etc….but truth be told I’m not sure it will make a difference. Unless we’re in the hunt for the title, this is probably who we are now. If Klopp’s arrival can’t jokt us in to life, what would?
I feel sorry for the manager to be honest. Not only because of what he was used to, but I guarantee you he expected better from our fans – we go on about how different and good we are, don’t we? About famous nights at Anfield, don’t we? He came here saying he could help the squad achieve things. Well so far as a fanbase we have point blank refused to help him help the squad.
PS: The balls on Klopp having a pop at the Anfield crowd so soon since he’s come. Could you imagine many managers coming into a big job in a foreign country and doing that, regardless of the fact he is right? It’s even things like this show the pedigree of the man – he is everything we want our manager to be and I’m still over the moon we have him. I just wish I could think Klopp had the ability to motivate those who stay too quiet and those who leave too early to get their act together and see how they are contributing negatively to what we are trying to achieve.
Well put, m8. Every single word.
The fans leaving early pissed me off, but you know what pissed me off more? The lad next to me (At the very back of The Kop) not only didn’t seemingly want to contribute to the atmosphere (not even singing for YNWA) but was more interested in his phone for 70% of the game. I had a look at what he was doing on his phone and he was watching a live stream of the game he was at.
What’s the fucking point of going to the match, if your just gonna watch on your phone in the same manner you would if you were in your house?
At Anfield once last season the young guy directly in front of me watched a stream on his iPad of another game during our entire game! And he was actually proud of being able to tell the people around him what was happening. So not only did he distract himself and not contribute to any kind of support, but he also distracted me and all the other people around him.
The Club should geotag and black out the signal inside the stadium during game time. There should be announcements over the tannoy that mobile and tablet use is strongly discouraged during game time and stewards should actively discourage it. The probability of the world coming to an end during two 45-minute halves of football is slim to none. If a person can’t live without his mobile or tablet, he should consider staying home where he can use it freely. And as far as leaving early to beat the traffic — there is no traffic between your sofa, the beers in your fridge, and your own personal toilet.
Maybe the kop should bring back the ‘part time supporters’ chant they (we) used to sing to the obvious early departers years ago. Can’t recall that many leaving then probably because they’d get caught out and felt guilty. On a serious note, I feel the early departers could be a result of messed up kick off times. Why couldn’t yesterdays game have kick off at the traditional 3 o’clock?
When people say they “have a right” to leave, they’re “entitled” to leave–so? Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it. Saying you’re within your rights to leave early when people criticize you for it is a cop-out that doesn’t address the criticism at all.
When Liverpool were a goal down. with five minutes or so left. It used. be like. The siege of. The Alamo
I’ve tried reading this with all the full stops in, its reminiscent of some Shakespearean prose, wonderful stuff.
I dont have a season ticket but get a go a few times in the season, i save up and when i get a ticket any ticket to one of our home games then I’m made up, i look forward to it weeks in advance and make an all day of it, go the pub, get there early, enjoy sitting in our stadium and leave always after the last whistle. Its a privilege for me to be there and i get the team might be playing badly but that still don’t make it a chore and even more reason to unite when down, otherwise were just given up.
Maybe the people who get off are the ones who always go and over the years taken that for granted, more of a thing they got to do then enjoy, maybe taking it for granted a bit, or maybe they’re just fed up and miserable with the football or perhaps they’re just miserable people looking for any excuse….who knows.
Its a given that some people feel that because they paid and they’re regulars who will be back soon again, then they’ve earned the right to moan and get off even though its not what the team they support need, and that kind of support and mentality needs to change.
Well we used to sing ‘Sit down yer bums’ to the tune of Auld Lang Syne at the Kemlyn early leavers back in the day.
Wouldn’t work these days cos we’d (bar the Stewards) really like everyone to stand up …
I sincerely hope that Jurgen’s comments have made some of the early leavers to think twice before doing it again.
I also hope that he follows up this with a plea to supporters to get fully behind the team (probably in the next home games programme). It’s about time someone did that and Jurgen has the balls to do it.
The rest is up to us. Time to stand up and be counted.
Agree with all of this. I live in a different country with some sea separating me and Anfield, id kill to be able to get a few pints in and roar my head off for 90+ minutes, but watching it on the telly, I can practically hear the shuffling in the seats. Massively frustrating.
Tony Evans wrote a piece earlier on espn about this, remarking that historically there have always been early leavers at anfield. However, that doesn’t make it right now. In fact, since the Kop was largely in situ for a few hours BEFORE kick off in those days, and there was a decent noise throughout, AND the team was invariably winning with ten to go, you can see the sense in skiving off early. None of that applies now. We need the stadium and the crowd to commit, or fuck off. Klopp must be wondering who wrote the brochures as what he’s getting certainly doesn’t match the description.
Two other points: the support base being “scarred” by recent events. Sorry, but while not winning the league was a massive kick in the stones, I’d take it pretty much every year for the excitement and thrills. And it was only last year. It’s not like we all needed proper counselling.
Finally, here’s one probably unworkable thing lfc could try: ban phones. At least in one side of the ground. We’re all obsessed with them, our concentration spans are shot when we should be concentrating on roaring the team over the line, each and every time.
The older generation isn’t up to it. From my perspective the club, or rather Anfield itself, is in a depressed state. Any brief stint of optimism is eroded by a more habitual pessimism. Maybe this would’ve changed had we won the league with Rodgers? For all the joy that season brought I think it’s actually had negative long term consequences, to come so close and have it cruelly taken away has only added to an already fragile mentality. Like many have said the entire place needs a fresh injection of new blood that isn’t afraid to believe while knowing they might ultimately get burned.
its*, curse autocorrect
Not a scouser ? Don’t come to anfield. End of.
That’s a great idea, brilliant way to solve the problem.
Absolute twaddle! Out of towners contribute as much to the atmosphere as the local scouse supporters. I am an out of towner born to scouse parents. I have been coming to Anfield since 1966 and always sing my head off when I go to the game. You Scousers need to realise that the OOT support is an integral part of our club and has been for decades. Many of the victims of Hillborough were OOT supporters don’t forget. It’s up to everyone of us to make an effort to make the atmosphere better!
Well said
I have not played football at the highest level but I remember in high school how disheartening it would be if your headmaster, teachers or even fellow students get up to leave because you are losing. It just saps the fight out of you and you too cant wait for the final whistle to rescue you from the embarrassment. I take it this is more or less what our lads feel everytime we leave the stadium like we did on Sunday.
However, being a life time fan I have seen enough to know when we are likely to stage a comeback or face the reality of a defeat. I think the only logical reason for any fan to stay and watch on and encourage the team is when you have a player or two of world class quality. The kind of player who can, in a split second, change the course of the match even when it seems like all hope has been lost. The Stevie G or Suarez kind of player. Therefore I think its only fair for the fans to leave when we are losing unless JK can get us a player or two who can turn a hopeless situation into a positive result. Back to you Mr Klopp.
“I think the only logical reason for any fan to stay and watch on and encourage the team is when you have a player or two of world class quality. The kind of player who can, in a split second, change the course of the match even when it seems like all hope has been lost.”
You mean like a late curling stunner from Couts? Or an overhead kick from Bene?
Fickle fans like you always want more, but cant see the talent in front of your eyes. Back to woolandia with you.
I agree with everything that has been said here, some really good points made.
Before my kids were born my misses and I would make a 400 mile trip to watch the match. It could be a real killer on a weekday especially in bad weather, when you got back home at 4am to have to get up for work at 7am.
The thought of leaving early just never entered our heads. If it’s inconvenient don’t go, give/sell your ticket to someone who isn’t inconvenienced by the event.
Great article and lots of great points made here. I can only get to Anfield occasionally and, when I do, I wouldn’t dream of leaving early. What’s the point of going if you don’t want to see how it ends?
It must be totally deflating for the players and the manager to see so many people leaving. So, the doubters create a self-fulfilling prophecy. They think “we’ll never come back so I might as well leave early”, that deflates the team, and so they don’t make a come back. And the early leavers can say “I told you so”.
Juergen was particularly brilliant in the words he chose, particularly given that English isn’t even his first language. He said that he felt “pretty alone at that moment” using the absolutely core emotional message of YNWA to point out the negative effect that the early leavers had on him and, also, almost certainly the team. You’ll Never Walk Alone – except after 82 minutes so fans can beat the traffic.
Everyone in the stadium needs to start acting in accordance with the words of YNWA and sticking with the team as they “walk through the storm”. With true support, right to the end, the team has a chance of making comebacks and snatching wins. And then, the self-fulfilling prophecy will work in the positive way.
My big worry is that, if significant numbers continue to leave early, and JK continues to feel alone, why would he want to stay?
GardieB, your last sentence is exactly correct. I said the same in the Comments on another TAW article earlier tonight. We desperately need Jürgen Klopp, but he does NOT desperately need us. He could probably do better; we most certainly cannot. If he persistently loses the feeling of the romance of football that he craves, he won’t stay. He took us on as a challenge. If that challenge turns into mostly a burden, he will certainly be gone.
The big circus surrounding klopps appointment and all the hassle he had to put up with, people putting cameras in his face at every turn, he must have thought anfield would be bouncing when he got there. How let down he must feel. The comments after the game yesterday stemmed from the Southampton game when he basically looked to the paddock in disbelief watching people slope out, same again yesterday. I see it first hand from my seat, he genually looked shocked watching the mass exit, it’s a sad state of affairs when we now have a really top draw manager that the home support seems like it couldn’t give a toss anymore.
Aging match goer, poor transport infrastructure around ground, realization that club is not top 4 anymore. All contributing to the early leaver.
Club and council failing to address the issue of quick easy access from city to stadium. Lack of vision especially when you consider the Rick parry pod and his chat about the train line which if you zoom out on google maps is a no brainier.
Aging fan and clubs decision not to expand anny road and then do something creative with ticket prices means AV age is 40 odd, less vocal and theyve just got other shit to do than go the match.
Realization that club is not top 4 is depressing enough. 3-0 then fair enough 2-1 with 5 to go that says a lot if ppl still want to get off .
As for lads watching games on iPhone n iPads that’s just a bit mad n maybe says something about where we are in society. Although they have it in the directors box . :-)
Aging match goer, poor transport infrastructure around ground, realization that club is not top 4 anymore. All contributing to the early leaver. >>> if these are legitimate concerns, then why bother going in the first place?
Guess because it’s just what you do. As you mention later with Arsenal Loads of seats, great transport links etc etc but they suffer from the same problem. That middle tier is like Wembley middle tier it comes in late, leaves 5 mins before and after half time and then 5 from the end. (free pint at half time and bar 10m away from seat in nice, lovely business class lounge probably doesn’t help)
It’s a multitude of problems but from what I can see from an ageing fan base that in some regard is either tourist, middle class, too old and a mentality that wants to be entertained.
I’m not defending the position it’s just what I see in the PL as a whole apart from a couple of clubs that have decided just to role with it and enjoy it. palace being the case in point, their home support is pretty boisterous.
The support and what’s going on on the pitch isn’t two separate things it’s symbiotic one can effect the other. With 10 to go and 2-1 down then the crowd can play it’s part just as much as the players
Maybe thats part of the problem – allbeit a small part – too many people attend football now because they always have. It becomes a routine and less enjoyable because of that.
“oh, it’s saturday, I suppose I better meet Joe and go to the game” rather than “come on, matchday, let’s have it”.
Not much you can do about it though.
What is it with the “leaders” (or lack thereof, always postulated after the fact) fascination?
If you cannot put your finger on it, if you cannot predict it, if you cannot even accurately describe it in detail, even if ‘it’ exists you’re better off not continuing to talk about ‘it’, and to use ‘it’ as an ‘explanation’ for failure or for success.
It wasn’t lack of ‘leadership’ that led to Firmino being owned by Scott Dann. It wasn’t lack of ‘leadership’ that caused Mignolet to punch a header straight at him right to where it came from and then falling to the ground.
It wasn’t lack of ‘leadership’ that led to Moreno (and many others during the match) being timid and indecisive in trying to toe-poke a ball off an opponent. It wasn’t lack of ‘leadership’ that led Can repeatedly to attempt moronic, ill-advised, poorly placed passes in dangerous areas.
Bang on, Gareth. And keep banging on.
What bugs me are those who have reacted defensively to Klopp’s comments. He could have used much more incendiary words, but his appeal was quite remarkable considering English is his second language.
Given his challenge to us at his unveiling was that we must become believers (and I don’t think one person didn’t resonate with the call), leaving early when a vital game hung in the balance is exactly in contradiction to the belief he is trying to engender.
Well in Jurgen for having the balls to call us into account.
I wasn’t able to see the match on Sunday so had to make do with the North London derby on Sky.
And it was quite interesting in that Spurs were clearly the better side for 65 minutes and the home crowd – 55k of them – were more muted as the game went on.
But, at the 65 min mark, Spurs fell back and the goons started to take contol and the noise levels grew considerably (whether this is real or manufactured by Sky i’ll leave you to decide). It got considerably louder once Arsenal scored and this seemed to raise the players to greater efforts and in turned the crowd were in full voice.
Then something wierd seemed to happen – at around 85 mins, the noise started to fall, and the wide shot of the ground started to show swathes of empty red seats. As the noise levels fell, so did Arsenals late revival and the game peetered out to a 1-1 draw.
Now, what I found interesting was the fact that fans of the goons had the game by the scruff of the neck, against their bitter rivals, on a Sunday at 5.30 pm, a win would take them top – and they still left early.
If that isn’t enough to make you want to stay till the end, then what hope is there?
The issue is down to the Kop, if the Kop is quiet the rest of the ground is quiet. The Kop sets the tone and often people in the Anny Rd, start singing when a song comes cascading down from the Kop. In my opinion the Kop needs cleansing. There are too many people on there that don’t want to sing. (Not having a go, its people’s own preferences). But the Kop should be solely for those who want to create and take part in the atmosphere not just “experience” it. A full review of season tickets needs to be done by the club and everyone who has one on the Kop needs to be contacted and explained that the Kop is for singing, flags, banners etc, if you would prefer to watch the game in peace the club could offer season tickets elsewhere in the ground. Then the club needs to do away with any season tickets in the 200’s blocks and have this section of the Kop as general sale £20 per match, but these tickets can only be bought in person at the ticket office. These would go on sale at 9am the day before a game right up until kick off. These are sold on a first come first serve basis. This would allow for groups of mates to get tickets together. The £20 ticket also offers the chance for local youth to afford to attend, and with the tickets having to be purchased in person, it gives the locals an advantage over OOT’s and tourists. This would hopefully mean around 3,000 fans together in the middle of the Kop all knowing full well that this is the singing section and then they can set the tone for the rest of the Kop and then the stadium should follow. Doing this means that they can still be season tickets on the Kop but allows for a general sale with an advantage to locals that doesn’t totally exclude OOT’s. I’m a match going OOT and have been since I was a Kid and I’m shamed to say that when I sit in the Anny Rd, I often don’t hear a scouse voice. A whole generation of scouse Kids have lost out been able to access tickets and go to the game. This isn’t an OOT v’s Local things, the club needs both, but more importantly it needs a scouse core and the traditions that make this club special need carrying on. The decline in the atmosphere has been startling over the last few years. Klopp is right to call it out, and something needs to be done now. The club need to get involved and allow things to change.
This is a problem the club has ignored for 20 years and each year it increases because it has not found a way to rotate season tickets, many season ticket holders have watched over 1000 games at Anfield over a 30 year period and many of them are not even sat next to their friends or people they like.
Every year at the Lords test MCC members (many in their 70s because it takes on average 38 years to become a member from the age of 16) are waiting from 3.00 am to get in to the ground so they can sit with their mates; at Lords you get a ticket for a stand and not a seat, this allows groups of 20 or 30 friends to sit together.
I have never understood why LFC season ticket holders cannot do something similar or at least some sort of hybrid. Rotating season tickets is a lot more difficult but at least if those that are in the ground are with their mates then they would be happier to start with, football is supposed to be social and fun, I would be pissed off if I had to pay £40 a game and then sit next to a bunch of strangers, thats OK for the cinema but not a football match.
Me and a couple of mates were down for the Rubin Kazan/FC Rubin (eh!?) game a few weeks back. We were chuffed as it was Klopp’s first home game and we thought that the atmosphere would be something to behold and get involved in.
We were in the lower Centenary just under the score board and you could feel the anticipation bubbling pre match. The first 15-20 minutes were great. Plenty of people singing along and we did have a laugh at the Luis Garcia number being trotted out. But all too quickly the people around us went into their shells, whereas we really wanted to keep it going. It was a weird nervous vibe where people didn’t really seem to know what to do with themselves.
Their goal didn’t help, but the Kop was really trying to get it going but it just wasn’t happening in other parts of the ground. Its an odd sensation being the only three in an entire section who are trying to sing. But sang we did.
As for people leaving early the question I have for them is ‘why?’. I know you have paid your money and I know you can ‘do what you want’, but why is leaving early for a game you have paid to watch, to see the team that you support. Why is that the choice you make? Why is that what you want to do in that moment? There is no good answer to that question.
Coming back down (from Carlisle) for the Bordeaux game. Can’t wait. Dead excited already. Going to the match and having a laugh and a cheer and a sing. Its what its all about. Isn’t it?
I don’t know if it is a legacy of being brought up on success, as for the big european nights or a special game the stadium can ‘come alive’, but from PL game to PL game the atmosphere barring the hair raising traditional YNWA is terrible unless the team are stuffing someone out of sight. It’s nervy, jangling, verging on bored much of the time, and I don’t understand why. Where some teams borne of lesser success have their own ultra’s, or hardcore cheering section that leads the fans in creating a buzz, who get into the game no matter the situation, at anfield perhaps the admittedly more knowledgeable and generally respectful kop are more studious in nature. It isn’t helping the team in the current situation though, and Klopp coming from passionate Dortmund, and having heard about the famous Anfield crowd, must be scratching his head a little. He’ll know that the team need to do their bit, but the best team/crowd relationships are reciprocal, the team is supported when it needs supporting. 3-0 down to Milan for example, the crowds reaction was legendary, Klopp has ensured with his comments that 2-1 down to palace with 15 mins left is just as legendary….the day a legendary stadium atmosphere was exposed as the myth it is perhaps in the current PL age. Luckily I’ll always remember the day Chelsea came to town in 2005, but the kids being brought up on Anfield football now must wonder what that is like.