EVERY game I’m watching him, glancing over at him with some adolescent yearning for approval.
Every time the collective angst in Anfield rises through a slightly sideways Jordan Henderson pass or a Simon Mignolet lob-wedged attempt at a clearance, I find myself wincing in his direction as I know what’s coming.
He doesn’t like us, does he? He doesn’t get us, does he? This isn’t the way this was supposed to work out.
In case you’re wondering, I’m talking about my own indirect relationship with Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. I’ve fascinatingly watched Klopp a lot this season, the shaking of his head, the verbal berating of the discontented voices behind him, the yearning for more both pre and post match from supporters collectively.
To watch it at times is like stretching a rubber band. He snaps, on rare occasions we’ve snapped back and all the time I feel slightly more like the rambunctious German is left feeling crestfallen by the nostalgic perception of Anfield as the ethereal fortress he had once envisaged.
This might just be me; I could be alone in this.
When Klopp first arrived it felt like all our prayers had been answered. Here was a manager who was set to unite everyone and show us the collective direction. We were already well on the road to believers from doubters the minute he waltzed into Anfield sporting in jeans, a suit jacket and shirt.
My own perception of Klopp has been very different to what has evidently transpired. I somewhat unfairly envisaged a manager who would cheerlead The Kop back to its vociferous best, who would lap up the affection shown to a Liverpool manager we feel worthy of verbal endearment from the stands, who would build a team to embody all of our collective anger, joy, hunger to see “it” come back. This is whatever “it” is we now feel missing, as time has skewed the narrative so much you can lose sight of your biggest feeling of loss and identity in football. Whatever all of this was, we felt he would fix it.
Although he has gone some way to fix it, I feel a little foolish about my own preempted assumptions of a man who I really only ever saw through the spectacle of a European highlight reel.
It goes without saying that Klopp has brought a huge amount of passion, emotion and at times a refreshing outlook at life that I for one can hugely relate to, especially when entrenching myself in the vehement environment of modern day elite football.
Yet at times I almost feel disengaged from Klopp. Like he has in some ways given up on us slightly and taken us for the conventional football audience we have arguably become. It is easy to overlook we are by our nature more distrustful than ever before due to past experience, but if I’m honest I expected more from all of us on this journey. More West Brom at home moments, more chest pumps, more gnarl encapsulated with more overwhelming joy and unity. The fact this is so absent and I feel more and more like we’re all guilty of coasting is something I now find I’m struggling with at every game I attend.
Is it me? Am I alone in this?
Maybe we all need to have it out. Maybe Jürgen and his players need to summon up some Delia Smith-type Dutch courage prior to the next game and take to the centre circle armed with a microphone and let us all have it. Let the captain tell us he really doesn’t get the criticism he gets at times, let the manager tell us that when we all get nervous it affects the whole environment and all of his players as a result, let Albie Moreno tell us what he had for his breakfast and that he is going out on his scooter when he gets home. You get the gist.
I am of course, being slightly facetious. My point however is that I can’t help but feel something has to give with all of this, that we all need to change this. The Liverpool manager needs a change of tact slightly, to fully trust us as a crowd and let us in more. To encourage us more, to not restrict us on what we sing and when we sing it.
The club needs to change and actually address the atmosphere issue in line with all of the improvements they’ve made to the community around Anfield. They need to realise that if they can address this and actually encourage it, the thing they actually market as an attraction for supporters worldwide would actually be seen more often and monotonous away chants about our famous atmosphere could actually be drowned out on occasion.
And then there’s us as match-going fans. We feel tired in parts, in need of livening up in others, we need to open up the songbook and create beatific pop-filled bangers which incorporate the names of Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Honestly, if we can’t make a decent song out of Trent and Chamberlain’s glorious tongue-tying treble barrelled names then I give up.
It’s not you, it’s me.
Maybe Klopp should not be doing all this by himself. In previous years, there have always been managers on the pitch, embodiments of the boss’s vision and players the crowd can identify with as true characters. Graeme Souness, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, and to lesser extent Dirk Kuyt and Pepe Reina, were all able to rouse and personify the overall aim and objective in how they played, albeit naturally in most cases with those players and their tenacious natures.
It’s valid to argue this team needs more natural leaders and characters flowing through it to help bring out all of Klopp’s personality when they pass the white line. All of this cannot and should not be placed on the shoulders of the current captain.
There is also the disparity between fan culture in England and other countries. The questions about the Anfield atmosphere have been examined in many forms over the years. I often wonder whether was it ever what we nostalgically believe it was, other than in the fleeting moments.
At our best, we’ve always been there when we were truly needed by the team. At our worst, we’ve been disjointed and muted by our own mundane sense of expectancy and longing. What we cannot therefore be is a constantly lulled, choreographed wall of background noise that you experience from European counterparts in Germany and beyond. This is an impulsive crowd that reacts to passion, to any form of resistance, to football being played one million miles an hour.
All of this culminates in a feeling of wanting more. We can all fix this, as fans we can drown out the discerning voices around us, the minority. Those people who just want to see the world burn. We own some of them, we can’t pretend otherwise.
As a manager, Klopp can choose not to berate the collective if they sing his name or when they decide to symphonise a collective rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as a match nears an end.
As a club, Liverpool can do all they can to integrate socialism, atmosphere and attitude in all the ways we know they could and should do more often.
Every game I’m watching him, needing his approval, wondering if he likes me. None of this should matter but it does.
So let us in, Jürgen. It’s time we took the next step together. It’s time we took our relationship to the next level.
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Interesting perspective but I’m not sure I quite get it. Imagine a scenario where Rafa didn’t take over in 2004, but instead took over when Klopp had. He might not have placed as much emphasis on the importance of atmosphere and fervent support, but I’m pretty sure he would have noticed any deficiencies just as much. Is it a surprise that he thrived with us and at Newcastle but surrounded by the perpetually scornful and pampered Madrid crowd he faltered? Klopp came here from Dortmund. Their reputation for creating a racket is awesome – just like ours used to be and, very occasionally, still is. He came from the outside. He bought into the legend that has been and is routinely trotted out regarding the power of the Kop and Anfield in general. And if he feels he was sold a pup, who can argue? This is the eternal conundrum, what comes first – the atmosphere or the performance? Which one perpetuates and accentuates the other? It’s pretty clear Klopp feels the team needs a push from the stands, and that is an entirely legitimate view. Ultimately, FSG or any future owners are custodians of a club with a reputation for noise and colour and it that keeps getting diluted, it’s bad for the players, our chances of success, and the club. Dare I say it, it’s even bad for the *gulp* ‘product’. That this conversation has been doing the rounds for the past few years shows that whatever has been tried so far hasn’t worked. So for all our sakes, a bit of soulsearching and more of an individual and collective effort would be a good start until we get to the ‘blocked wi-fi/free pints at half-time/lottery for locals/cheap seats/safe standing/whatever else’ solution comes along to save the day.
Great article. I’ve been thinking the same for years. As fans, we need to recognize that the atmosphere in the stadium affects the players, too, and that they will play better if they are given encouragement rather than criticism – even if they do seem to deserve it.
It’s open season after the game, of course. Poor or mediocre performances deserve to be recognized just the same as exceptional performances and hopefully this will result in improvements in attitude, or even changes in personnel, if necessary. But during the game, there’s nothing to be gained by berating a player for an errant shot or a misplaced pass. The only exception to this rule should be players who visibly take their foot off the gas when they should be making a run or tracking back. Errors are understandable, but lack of effort is a different matter.
Bear in mind that football is a confidence game. A player’s performances usually reflect the fact that he feels good about himself, whereas the opposite is true if a player is on a losing streak. The top level is littered with example of players who slide from the very top of the game into the depths of despair when they transfer to a new club. Sure, there may be many forces at work, but isn’t it obvious that having the confidence of their supporters is key to their demeanor and ergo their performance?
James.
You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Anyone skim reading this, or the precis, may think youre having a pop at Klopp. You are, a bit, but I also think you are feeling the guilt of the collective, at the lack of support we are giving the players too often at Anfield.
After the match last night I met with Alen, a Maribor fan I’d met in a Maribor bar after our 7-0 win there. He and his mates had heard all about the Anfield crowd, and were absolutely gutted and disappointed that – in effect – it was a myth, or a piece of history. As a matter of interest, a few of them had also paid tout prices to ge at Old Trafford the night before, and expressed amazement at the funereal atmosphere, and lack of support from MU fans.
We discussed “modern” premier league fans, “tourists”, age profiles, and everything else that contributes to deadly home atmospheres….
But in the end, those passionate Maribor fans – who never once wavered from massive support and chanting in the home leg as they shipped 7 goals – were going to go home, and tell all their mates that Anfield was no longer a cauldron of noise, or even passionate support.
Sad, but true.
This is a really spot on observation and I feel exactly everything you ha e said here. It’s like we all need a clear the air row. We’re both harbouring resentment, us and Klopp. Us? Because he hasn’t signed any discernible leaders on the pitch (which you also picked up on and is definitely an issue), because the defence hasn’t been addressed, because the way football has gone. Ticket prices mixed with tough and unpredictable economic times we live in, the commercial side of LFC is stronger than ever but in many ways it has taken the edge off the club and the fan base IMO. But what can we do? It is what it is isn’t it? Capitalism has well and truly taken hold of football economics. As for Klopp? He must have expected much more from LFC, and English football. We can be moody impatient bastards at Anfield. Everyone has their own “pet” player they love to hate and jump on when they make a mistake. Social media and magnify things tenfold. The economics already mentioned have affected our atmosphere but let’s not pretend it would otherwise be imperious. Like you say it’s only the bigger games when we get up for it. Again, natural really. It is what it is. My personal view is I expected more from Klopp than what Klopp should have expected from us. If we can get to January still in touch with the leaders and still in the CL we simply HAVE to make a signing at the back, and if at all possible bring Keita in early. We can still salvage this, no question.
A pertinent topic but not sure I agree with the main thrust of your article. No other manager in world football has put more energy and effort into building a strong relationship with a fan base than Klopp has with Liverpool’s. You’re right in pointing out that the aura of Anfield was a key element in the lure Liverpool had for Klopp taking the job in the first place, but his frustration and growing disenchantment (which is clearly there) with the, at best, flat and, at worst, morgue-like atmosphere is entirely understandable. I’ve supported Liverpool for 35 years, and rarely have I witnessed such poor support as in the last two home games, both of which we won 3-0! As in any relationship, both sides need to invest, and especially during difficult times. Klopp is desperate for the fans to get behind the team – not him personally. And why would any real LFC fan not want to do that? Why would you want to actively undermine and pressurise your own players?
Klopp turned 50 this summer and it is something he has referred to on several occasions. The days of him sprinting down the touchline and leaping in the air are gone, and yet his intensity and energy are still second to none. Surely he has a right to expect a decent level of enthusiasm and energy from Anfield for the men in red?
We are living on the memories of past glories in terms of trophies and titles; if we are not careful, the aura of Anfield will also be consigned to history.
Best repy, spot on.
Great article. Articulated everything I’ve been feeling for a while but didn’t quite know how to express.
This is spot on. I have been going to Anfield for close on forty years and the Kop have sung the name of virtually every manager in this time. Our current manager takes issue with the fans when they sing his name before the final whistle. Their has been a few occasions this season when Klopp has apparently given up on the game (staying in his seat) when there’s been 30 minutes or more remaining, like most recently at Spurs away, more than enough time to get back in the game. He can’t have it both ways !!
These players need belief. They’re not getting anything from Anfield and Klopp is wearing down. You have more influence than you realize. Sing for the one’s watching miles away. We need you to invoke the spirit of the team.
Spot on!
Klopp is doing great his job. The fans are not! We Reds need to be more supportive of our REDS…….
Interesting. I think that at the end of the day, however, it’s the fans who make the noise and at the moment they’re not making enough. I wish I could get to the match – if I did, I swear i’d have no voice by the next day.
From a German point of view:
If you watched the Maribor home crowd after being battered two weeks ago and still cheering the team, you know what Klopp expects. He doesn’t “berate the crowd” for singing his name, but merely wants to quench out premature joy (which could turn easily into frustration). – From a German point of view: The game wasn’t finished, so singing his name served as an unwanted motivation for the opposition.
In Germany, leaving early equals to treason and everyone doing that, sitting in the home supporter’s end won’t get a nice time in a German stadium.
Having said that all, England is still far too subtle a place for Klopp and he needs more time to adjust to the local culture. – Which he’ll only manage to some degree, since he also needs the franatic atmosphere; especially after coming from Dortmund. Crowd simple makes a huge difference. And no matter how much you hate a manager, support the team in the stadium and stop moaning.