WHEN I was younger I used to love the moment at the start of the second half when the opposition goalkeeper ran towards The Kop, The Kop applauded him and he’d applaud back. It struck me as a moment of real sportsmanship, a signal that Liverpool fans were indeed the most knowledgeable in the game. I’d chuckle when some unsuspecting goalkeeper, who didn’t know about the tradition, would fail to applaud The Kop back and then get roundly booed.
I also used to appreciate how Anfield would welcome back former players, applauding them onto or off the pitch depending on whether they were in the opposition’s starting 11. Players we felt had ‘betrayed’ us were never given such respect, of course, but those who we considered to have been good servants, the likes of Peter Crouch or Steve Staunton, were shown love and admiration for what they’d done at the club.
As I’ve grown older, though, I’ve begun to question the intelligence of these quirks of life at Anfield. On more than one occasion I’ve witnessed goalkeepers come to Anfield and give Man of the Match performances when the week before and the week after they’ve seemed incapable of catching a cold, let alone a football. I’m sure at one point or another we’ve all said, “Why do these shite ‘keepers always play like Gianluigi Buffon against us?”
I’m not sure, but perhaps it’s because we applaud them into position like it’s a testimonial. Having heard all about what an intimidating place Anfield can be to play when The Kop is in full voice, they must wonder what all the fuss is about when they get a better reception from our crowd than they do for their own. As anyone who has read my stuff or listened to me on a podcast will know, I’m not the biggest Simon Mignolet fan in the world. But even I think it’s a bit odd that David De Gea gets more love from the crowd than our own first-choice shot-stopper.
Traditions can be wonderful things. The idea that Liverpool fans are some of the most knowledgeable in the game is a nice one to embrace, and no doubt came about because of things like applauding the goalkeeper. But if we actually want to win football matches we might do well to make the opposition’s number one shit themselves rather than feel like they can get out their pyjamas and a cuddly toy.
As for applauding former players, that’s about as stupid an idea as those players refusing to celebrate. They don’t play for us any more. With the exception of what is becoming a smaller and smaller group of people still playing the game, they likely won’t have even won anything for us. Why are we clapping them off or on as if they’re Kenny Dalglish popping back for a friendly appearance?
On Sunday the majority of Anfield applauded Christian Benteke off the field. He’d scored two goals against us and won the opposition the game and we were clapping him off like seals trying to earn some fish. The Belgian’s two goals for Crystal Palace meant that he’s scored more goals at Anfield as a visiting player than he did as our number nine. Think about that. He spent a season as a Liverpool player and only managed to net four times more there than you or I have.
When Rafa Benitez brought his Newcastle side to Anfield at the end of last season The Kop sang his name. Now don’t get me wrong, Rafa achieved more for Liverpool as a manager in my adult lifetime than anyone else I’ve seen in the dugout. I’m not suggesting we should have been calling him a ‘fat Spanish waiter’. After all, enough of our own fans did that we when he was actually the boss. But shouldn’t we have saved our adulation for after the final whistle? What did it say to the Newcastle players that we were so full of admiration for their boss? Doesn’t exactly offer them the terrifying wall of sound they might have been expecting, does it?
One of the most cringeworthy moments for me as a Liverpool fan in recent times was the way the crowd reacted to Real Madrid’s appearance at Anfield in the Champions League group stage. Many supporters criticised Brendan Rodgers for his team selection when we went to the Bernabéu for the return fixture, with the manager choosing to rotate the squad around and rest the likes of Steven Gerrard. The criticism was fair, but goodness me was it also a little bit hypocritical. Vast portions of the Anfield crowd were in awe of the Spanish giants, applauding them off the pitch and generally making them feel welcome.
What happened to us all being a bunch of gnarly bastards? I’m not saying we should be ripping chairs up and throwing them on the pitch, but the opposite of that isn’t offering welcome drinks and canapés. Referees aren’t arsed about giving decisions against us because they don’t feel fear rolling down on them from the terraces. Opposition players knock the ball around with consummate ease as one of their number was applauded into position by The Kop, or had their name sung as the match was going on. That’s not the behaviour of a support base that wants the away team to feel like it’s going to be a horrible, long day playing in front of a bunch of angry sods.
Former players and managers know the club well and know the support base, too. If we don’t applaud them until after the end of the match they’re not going to be crying into their training bibs. They’ll know it’s because we want to win. Benteke has precisely no loyalty to Liverpool. He didn’t play well for us, nor did he get treated particularly well by either of the men that managed him. He didn’t travel back to London on Sunday thinking, “Wasn’t that lovely, that they applauded me off? Maybe I won’t try so hard to score against them next season.” He doesn’t care.
When I was younger I thought applauding the goalkeeper was a sign of our class as supporters. Now I wonder whether it’s a sign of how soft our underbelly is. Goalkeepers shouldn’t think of their experience in front of The Kop as part of a lovely day out and former players shouldn’t look forward to a trip back to Anfield as a chance to gain some adulation they probably didn’t get when they were actually wearing red. Just because something’s a tradition doesn’t mean it’s right.
We’ve got two home games left to help us get into the Champions League. Let’s bring the bastard back.
Recent Posts:
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Interesting perspective and well said. I live in a different country and can’t actually get into the ground, but while from afar the Anfield crowd can still whip up an amazing atmosphere, it’s not a weekly routine. To be fair, every single week can’t be the 2005 CL semi either. I’ll be honest, if LFC really wanted to do something alongside the very worthy SOS/KOP stuff, they should encourage fans to leave their mobile phone at home. I’m serious. As a society we can’t put them away. How many people are scrolling through their phone at various intervals during the game instead of allowing themselves to become completely absorbed by it? Failing that, if the club blocked the wi-fi during the 90 minutes I wouldn’t be surprised if the atmosphere improved considerably.
The wi-fi is lousy anyway mate, I’m not sure it would make any difference at all… ;-)
There is certainly something in this.
I’ve personally nothing against applauding the likes of Rafa (especially), Allen, Crouch, Benteke etc. Rafa is a club legend and the other three always conducted themselves well. I’d hate to see this tradition evaporate and us join the realms of other fans who treat returning players with contempt. One thing’s for certain though, we should not be fostering an atmosphere where the opposition feels comfortable and able to express themselves. It’s a fine line indeed.
However, the example about Real Madrid was an excellent one. The fawning over Ronaldo in particular was bile-inducing. That marmite-haired bad bellend is the antithesis of what this club stands for. The fact he scored a nice goal just showed how our standards had dropped. The Liverpool teams of Rafa’s time wouldn’t have given Ronaldo a kick. Who can forget how we shut him down at Old Trafford? Arbeloa showing him inside to be met with Mascherano who wiped him out.
Couldn’t agree more, I’ve actually stopped applauding keepers onto the pitch as more than half don’t acknowledge it anyway. It’s probably the reason why I can’t remember the last time we benefitted from a goalkeeping howler.
And as for clapping Benteke off I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing, here was a player who put more effort into the game on Sunday than I ever saw from him while he was here.
We pride ourselves on not singing about the Bitters or the Mancs when we aren’t playing them but fuck it, if it creates a good atmosphere then do it, as long as it’s in a piss take way.
To be honest I think the crowd has lost its unwavering faith in the team.
We’ve seem the team concede so many stupid goals over and over and over again across several seasons that it’s hard to have unbridled faith and optimism in them.
That’s and the average age of the crowd has increased.
lost faith in a side that’s reached 2 finals last season and sits 3rd in the league right at the business end of the season, with the highest goals scored total???? If that’s the case then I think you’ve really stumbled over the root issues at Anfield.
I’m currently in the process of trying to explain to a sizeable amount of supporters that we are in a pretty good place with regards CL qualification despite the Palace defeat.
All I’m getting in response is that far too often we shit the bed when it counts.
You point to 2 finals last season.
They’ll point out that we won neither.
You point out highest goals scored.
They point out that we are on course to concede fifty plus goals for the third season running. Or is it fourth?
While I personally believe we are in a good place regarding CL qualification and in general, they have a point.
One cup in how many years?
One CL qualification in how many years?
Explain away. But no one can argue that despite our current position (3rd at time of writing) there have been more than enough shit performances since Boxing Day to justify a loss of the belief and the palpable nerves in the ground.
Furthermore, 4th is in no way assured.
Finishing 5th, with poor cup performances in a season with no euro footy is hardly progress.
The nerves in the ground are understandable.
I’d personally delete their numbers from your phone and get on with your life.
people inside a ground with that kind of attitude, when you’re third with 4 to play, should probably think about giving their ticket up.
Perhaps you’re correct but they and others with a similar mentality are part of the crowd.
The club has given the fans little to crowe about over these last few years.
No CL.
Slipping up when it matters in the league.
Losing cup semis and finals.
They see us as likely to fuck up this years CL qualification too because of what they’ve witnessed in recent years despite my arguement to the contrary.
Would it be massively surprising to anyone if we fucked up these last 4 games and failed to qualify?
The fact is, Michael, Palace was a big game. We had to win it. No one turned up at the ground thinking about our past games. Yet, we couldn’t get behind the team. Anfield isn’t conducive to a good atmosphere. Everything about the place is stale. On European or other night games the demographics of the crowd changes and the atmosphere improves.
I’m not sure of the relevance of what your saying in relation to what I’m saying about the fans having lost faith in this Liverpool team after several seasons of disappointment.
If anything it strengthens my point. An important match at home against a team we should be beating and we capitulate from a 1 goal lead. Surely that just re enforces the point being made by the fans I’m discussing….they say when it really comes to it the team fail time and again.
I’m saying you’re completely wrong in your assessment.
The lack of atmosphere is nothing to do with the crowd anticipating us getting beat or past failings. It’s a bit more complex than that.
You have absolutely no way of knowing if I’m wrong or not.
If fans don’t have the belief or faith in their team they are less likely to be vocally supportive.
From fans I’ve discussed this with and from several comments from others on here it seems that this very much plays a part.
If Liverpool lose you’ll see far more comments about the team on the internet. People like to voice their dissatisfaction. That’s how it is. At the match though, it’s not really like that. Liverpool fans turn up at Anfield expecting to win. It’s always been like that. The other thing is, the one time the crowd does stir into action (apart from the first 5 minutes) is when we’re drawing or trailing and we have a period of intense attacking. 3 attacks in a 5 minute spell followed by a corner always gets the crowd going momentarily. So I’d say, people don’t just give up expecting us to lose. Almost the opposite.
Once again this bares no relevance to what I’m saying.
Michael, it’s pretty clear what you’re saying. After all, it’s in black and white above. You’ve clearly forgotten what you said so I’ll remind you.
Your initial point was – “the crowd has lost its unwavering faith in the team”. “It’s hard to have unbridled faith and optimism in them”. “That and the average age of the crowd has increased”
“a similar mentality are part of the crowd”. “They see us as likely to fuck up this years CL qualification too because of what they’ve witnessed in recent years”. “An important match at home against a team we should be beating and we capitulate from a 1 goal lead. Surely that just re enforces the point being made by the fans I’m discussing….they say when it really comes to it the team fail time and again”.
Ok, now we’re clear about your point I’ll say again. People don’t go to the match with that attitude. It often manifests itself after a defeat on the internet but not during the game. The fans who go to Anfield go expecting us to win and with good intentions to create an atmosphere but it goes flat after 10 mins regardless. That comes from becoming engrossed in the game, sitting down, being on your own, being surrounded by pensioners and families and having tired songs not people expecting us to lose. Hope you find that more relevant to your comments.
Taking different snippets of what I’ve said out of context and mangling them together to suit your point doesn’t explain whatsoever what I’ve been saying.
Best to leave it now seeing you’re struggling to comprehend the issue discussed.
Tell you what mate. Why don’t you reiterate what your point is for clarity because I’m confused.
on a recent experience on the kop a lady in front of me recorded the whole game on the iPad and watched it threw the screen of the iPad, the game was on sky so why not just watch it on tv, something needs to change, palace fans singing is this the emerites on Sunday was embarrassing, if a safe standing area was ever an option it would be something to consider, Celtic park looks great and sounds great every week, it could be a little away section at home where there constant noise.cause the team definetly needs it to get them over the line.
It’s great that you offer a rallying cry to the supporters but I’ve lost hope now.
Until now I’d thought applauding the keeper was a nice gesture. But, in the days when I remember first taking part in that tradition, on the Kop, we were winning everything and it felt ok. When you’re shit I’d tend to agree it’s not the same. Also, Benteke is no Liverpool legend. I can understand we’d give respect to say, Kuyt, but Benteke?
On the crowd in general is where I’ve lost hope. I don’t think we can get behind the team in league games. I used to hold the view it was the crowds job to lift the team but it works both ways. At kick off we always get a song and a roar at kick off. 10 minutes in though when the team are passing it around (as they should be) the ground falls silent and stays silent. It’s well documented the problem of the make up of the crowd but there’s an aspect that’s often overlooked. I feel watching Liverpool at 0-0 for example is so intense it’s hard not to be glued to events on the pitch. I often watch in a state of intrigue rather than feeling boisterous.
We have 300 people at the back of the Kop who like to sing. But the people in front of those are elderly or not interested in singing so it doesn’t travel around the ground. We can get a song out of them if we’re about to beat City and become favourites for the league but those moments are few and far between. I don’t think we can get behind them on normal match days again.
1) We need more songs. Our current ones are tired. Poor Scouser Tommy? It’s a 5 minute song just to get to the rousing bit where we sing ‘Oh I am Liverpudlian’. It tails off immediately after that. Every Other Saturday is like a ballad. It’s not raucous enough. I was gutted when Torres and Suarez left because they had good songs. Maxi too. The only songs I currently like is ‘When the Reds go marching in’, possibly Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool and Poetry in motion. We need more.
2) Unless seating changes in the ground it’s over. We need the singers together. There’s probably 8k in the ground who would be up for singing every song. As a club we never want to go backwards, only forwards but we need safe standing. Plenty of people want to sing at football and they don’t want to do it in their seats. I pay more than I can afford to watch football and so I feel entitled to say how I want to watch it.
3) There’s not a lot we can do about kick off times but if we play a night match then I’m always drunk. Same with Saturday 5.30 and if anything I’m over boisterous. On a Sunday at 4 I can’t really be bothered by it all though. Nor, at Midday on a Sunday or 2.30 for that matter, especially when singing means singing on your own.
Call me negative but unless we get safe standing I think we can forget about atmosphere. It’s not gonna happen until we’re on the verge of winning the league. The whole thing feels stale for league games. We need to be with our mates to sing. Mine are spread across all 4 parts of the ground. So, to summarise, Klopp can appeal all he wants. You can appeal all you want. It won’t happen though. People are too engrossed in the match and the ones who want to sing are too engrossed. Other grounds get atmosphere because there seating hasn’t been the same since 1990. If you buy a season ticket at 30 years old in 1990 then you’re 60 now. Priorities change. The whole thing needs a shake up or it’s over.
**People are too engrossed in the match and the ones who want to sing are too spread out
I don’t have the privilege of being at Anfield bi-weekly anymore (as I used too), but from a far I can definitely say that the Liverpool home & away support has lost its edge (Expectations a bitch isn’t it!).
I now live in Australia & have seen the Reds in Melbourne & Adelaide & I can say without question that there was more support from the crowd in pre-season friendlies vs. Melbourne Victory & Adelaide Reds than there was at the games I attended last year at the Hawthorns & in the Europa League Final in Basel.
When at the MCG or the Adelaide Oval, it reminded me of attending European games vs. Olympiakos (Stevie G’s famous goal), PSG in the Cup Winners Cup (2-0 win after being 3-0 down 1st leg) or Barca in the Champions League (1-0 Gary Mac pen – get in!). These were the games that actually mattered. When the crowd ignited the players. When we felt that our presence & support was making the team better than they were.
In our club’s history, Istanbul stands out as a moment where we never gave up. Not as players, but as fans… As supporters. Because our very role is to support. Not chastise. Not criticise. Not be f**king silent.
—
If those sat at Anfield think the team can do better, I would say that they are not alone. Which is quite sad… because our Reds should NEVER Walk Alone!
—
So if you can’t get behind the team & you’re at the game. Give someone your ticket up to someone who will. You wasting oxygen inside Anfield. Stealing it from the Klopp’s boys lungs.
There’s 4 games to go. 4 games for our fans – never mind our players – to show what they can do AND I bloody hope to be celebrating Champions League football when our Reds rock up in Sydney for my kids, my missus & I to see the Red men play.
#ynwa #turnitup
Spot on Robin Crimes totally agree with everything you said lad!
The last time I was able to go to the match was for our home game against Sunderland in November.
It wasn’t exactly a classic but the crowd was seriously up and down. For certain periods of the game there was quite literally silence, bar one moment when the entire stadium groaned at a Karius goal-kick which went out for a throw, but when we did eventually break down Moyes’ negative shithouse tactics the crowd really responded and the noise was intense.
It’s still there, leaving aside the question of who needs to spur who on, so I just hope we can roar the lads on to Champions League qualification. That it is still even in the offing come April shows this has been a good season.
Cheers for the article Adam.
I understand where you’re coming from but I don’t think the tradition of applauding keepers or past LFC lads is the problem (it wasn’t a problem when we were winning everything so why should it be now). The problem is that the noise supporting the team (and appealing for everything from the ref) should be so much louder than these brief traditional instances of respect – and it very often isn’t.
I suspect that a younger crowd allowed to watch with their mates would be the ultimate remedy – I see that SOS are debating safe standing soon – alongside a Liverpool team challenging for honours of course.
In fairness, Rafa lives here, and has Scouse children. His wife fundraises. A great manager who has chosen to make Liverpool his home.
The Anfield “atmosphere” must have been a disappointment to Klopp after BD….even the derby surely doesn’t match a VfB/KSC game.
This is Modern Football in the UK. We are a sports franchise. Football is like a religion in Liverpool. Not sure away fans have that same sense of passion for the club….They have more cash.
I’d like to think Benteke’s two goals were part of the transfer deal and our defence really isn’t that shite.
Definitely agree about Rafa. Where I don’t agree is that this is just modern football. The reason for that is I watch games of other clubs. A lot of them create a good atmosphere. We’re in the same league as City where the crowd demographics is completely wrong for a good atmosphere. City are changing that next season. They’ve taken steps to get the people who want to sing together. We won’t do it.
We wont do it because our seats are in such demand they get bought by the people who can afford them. If we had spare seating capacity, Like Everton will have when they build their new toilet, they will be able to influence the crowd demographics.
We needed a substantially bigger a stadium. We got a few extra seats.
Done on the cheap. Like many of our transfers. Punts or discounted because they are injury prone.
Haha, I think Everton will have a shock if they get the new ground. They’re gonna need a few new incentives to get people through the door (in season 2 once the novelty wears off).
I wouldn’t say the new main stand was done on the cheap but definitely agree we need a bigger ground and FSG will almost certainly let us down with the Anfield Road extension. Despite anything you want to throw at them I think it will go down as their worst moment at the club.
I keep hearing Jay McKenna talk about a season ticket amnesty. I’m not fully sure what that means but I can guess and I think it needs doing. The ground is stale. We should at least make the Kop vibrant. Without significant effort it never will be. It needs direct intervention to solve it. There’s no magic wand to fix it for league games.
Sometime traditions have to change or even evolve with time. We gave our own players more shit than the opposition, wtf!?
Nah, you’re talking out your arse mate. Some goalkeepers have played out of their skin in front of the kop, back in the old days when it truly had a voice, not like now, when it only has half the number of people, and only half of them know the songs. Again, who are we? we are hardly the team of old, who could intimidate other teams, so your argument now is even less convincing.
I remember when Barcelona spanked us at Anfield, but we applauded them off, as the quality of football they had produced deserved to be applauded. Same goes for Arsenal on the last day of the season, when we handed them the league, we applauded them too and chanted champions, because they deserved it.
One of the remnants of the old Kop is that they still do applaud goalkeepers on and welcome old servants, and if you think that stopping that would make things better, than I don’t think you are the kind of fan we want supporting our club. Hopefully one day our team will be good enough to make Anfield a fortress again, but until then, we don’t want to be turning into the mancs or Leeds to make up for the teams weaknesses.
I’ve been a few times this season when the atmosphere and attitude of the fans has been terrible. Bournemouth capped it all. We concede an equaliser with 3 mins plus added time to go and half the crowd head for the exit. WTF? You’re not supporters, you’re mere spectators. I’d take your fancard off you as you left and never let you back in. 7 mins to get a winner? That’s when Anfield used to make the most noise and the winner would come. If catching the early bus is more important to you than trying to bay the team to victory then watch it on telly and let someone else in. Applaud the away keeper, not a problem, then knock him over with the volume of the next song as he turns and looks down the pitch. That’s what used to happen, we’ve been applauding away keepers since the 70’s, it doesn’t stop us winning, it’s the other 89 mins where it goes wrong. There’s a million YouTube clips of YNWA being sung, stop filming it and join in, and stop applauding after the first chorus FFS! Shankly used to say the Kop sucked the ball in, they didn’t, they willed it in, they willed the players to put it in. The attitude of the crowd is replicated on the pitch, it shouldn’t be the other way round, there’s 50,000 of us and 11 of them. Who do you think has the greater influence? Spread some faith, you can actually make a difference!
Good point. Dortmund last season showed the power Anfield can wield under the lights. Optimism spread through the ground that night. Everybody sensed it. The result was astounding.
Even just a bit of this during league games would make a difference.
Lads, I think after I just finished watching the Manc Derby, I would say their atmosphere is probably worse than ours, add to it, there were empty seats. How on earth do they manage that?!
This was a chance for a win and 3 points for either of those sides, and the atmosphere was pedestrian at best, and so was the game. Glad that Mop head Fellaini got a red. Should help the other teams out when they play United.
Anyways I was making more noise watching this from afar knowing that a draw was something to give LFC a bit of breathing room for the game against Watford.
As for Anfield atmosphere – I’ve been to a couple of home games in recent times, and a couple of aways. I enjoyed the aways more to be honest even though I was sat among the home fans due to being an out-of-towner, but the atmosphere that the away fans brought was awesome, and to some degree proves the point of those fans who are tight knit and can sing their hearts out and not ashamed to. Also the songs seem more relevant.
At Anfield, the songs sound like this…”Li-ver-poo-l, Live-r-pool, Li-ver-pool, Li-verr….p…”…That doesn’t exactly sound hair-raising for the opposition to be worried about. More like sections of the group singing for more ale. Those half-time songs sometimes are also quite a hoot.
I thought Klopp liked Heavy Metal and plays Heavy Metal Football — So how about playing THUNDERSTRUCK by AC/DC to wake the crowd up. Imagine THUN-DER!!! running around Anfield. LOL!
At the game at Anfield I lost my voice trying to sing whatever songs I could, but looking around me, including my friend traveling with me, he and several others looked like they were watching a game of snooker.
Anyways as an outsider, I also think it is a case of boy-who-cried-wolf where the fans do come alive, only to be left disappointed. I do empathize with those fans who have been let down by this.
With Klopp’s roller coaster ride seasons, where he and the team have blown hot/cold, especially during the crucial times, it is not surprising that fans are wondering scratching their heads. Brendan Rogers last season and half didn’t make this any better.
Still it was no excuse for the game against Palace, Europa Final, or Gerrard’s last game, etc when knowing what the stakes were.
Don’t have any solutions for the current atmosphere other than just do the job of beating teams when you need to and can, and fix the problems that have become a trademark of LFC, poor defending and goalkeeping, and give the crowd a consistent run of form in order to believe. It feels arse-backwards asking for the crowd to sometimes back the team when what the crowd witnesses isn’t any kind of incentive to keep going.
Hope the team, Klopp and the fans can still focus on Watford after today’s draw, and give us all something to continue to believe in.
Up the Reds!!!
The applause is not a problem. Its a sign of respect either earned by previous exploits or by what they produce on the pitch, ie Real played the football we want to see our team play. The issue with it is that this should be isolated. If the crowd was as alive the rest of the game then with the keeper it was simply getting his applause before 45 minutes of getting stick. Like a nothing personal kind of thing. Now the crowd is dead, we play through our tradition and then give the keeper an easy ride. I dont think the tradition is the problem more the type of support for the rest of the match.
This has been a problem for a long time now and the issues are well documented above. Though I have my doubts about how much the atmosphere will change once the old timers give it up. The kop when it was at its most famous would sway to the beat of the times. Football crowds (not just ours) now are still digging up songs from the 80s and 90s to make chants with. Music is shit now, so new chants are few and far between.
Plus players aren’t as loved as they once were. The crowd young or old isnt getting a connection with the players anymore. You see the difference when its a local lad in there or when its a player who gets himself out amongst the community like Sakho and Gio seem to do. The love Trent or Flanno gets is one another level to even players like Sturridge or Henderson. Modern corporate culture has killed football and its not going to get revived anytime soon.
Looks like yesterday backed up your column Adam, yet another keeper who gets applauded (to be fair he did generously applaud back which is rare) and then has a great game….