TWENTY-SEVEN years. The cross we all continue to bear every day of our lives, writes GEORGE BEVAN.
At first this seems a rather excessive remark and a statement that can become somewhat tired, particularly when drawled out endlessly regardless of adequate context, yet at its heart there is a disconcerting truth.
It goes without saying that we all have lives outside of Liverpool Football Club, lives that sustain us through worthless early-season international breaks and take our minds off The Reds squandering three-goal leads, but on a matchday these lives are disregarded by all those that step foot into Anfield.
Having sat in the Main Stand next to my dad for all my match-going life (Lower Main since the stand’s redevelopment) it is perhaps only recently that I have come to reflect just how much both this passage of time and the latent emotions this stirs affect the atmosphere in this section of the ground.
Let me first be clear on the position I believe almost all of those reading this will share, supporting Liverpool Football Club is something you do out of love. It’s something that binds you to a group of like-minded people that share not only the passion of collecting shiny things in May but more than this, a desire for fairness, socialist values and justice.
These values are undoubtedly a huge part of why Jürgen Klopp jumped at the chance of becoming Liverpool manager, yet it has been clear at times during his tenure that he has been bemused at the way in which the stand behind his dugout goes about expressing those shared values on a matchday. There is something wrong with the atmosphere at Anfield, something that’s holding The Reds back.
While the unbearable 27-year wait for a league title goes on I feel it is worth considering how this manifests itself on a regular basis in the Lower Main Stand. For all my early years sitting in my seat in the old Main Stand next to my dad there were rituals to be observed.
First, go to the Waverley Pub on Breckfield Road North and meet all the lads that he had always gone with, with me usually off in the back playing pool against anyone I could get hold of.
Second, go into the ground and see the old fella sat on the end of our row for debrief of the game and to talk cricket.
But finally, and most importantly for this piece, was to listen to the old fellas behind us moan persistently throughout the game, usually directing their gripes towards the “bloody useless Gerrard”.
During my teenage years, I often had a few choice words directed to the row behind but nothing ever changed: moan, moan, moan. Looking back it did keep us entertained during routine 3-0 Rafa Benitez wins, especially when Stevie was slamming them in from everywhere, but reflecting on it now I think it really demonstrates a Main Stand problem.
Crowds at professional games all over the country are ageing, save for a few positive initiatives football in England is in danger of losing its passionate, youthful soul; there is no getting away from it.
But, to draw back to my earlier point, at Anfield and specifically in the Main Stand this ageing demographic has merged with a 27-year wait for a league title. Not only this, but a wait that abruptly emerged from the litany of Europe-conquering football that supporters had been used to from the preceding two decades.
It seems to me that much of the current Lower Main Stand problem stems from the collective memory of greatness (embellished or otherwise) many older matchgoers have, and the ever-building tension that a relative lack of success brings.
From a personal experience, the changing landscape of the Main Stand crowd is clear to see; I have never experienced as many people out of their seats around me both five minutes before and after half time as was the case against Southampton a fortnight ago.
While this change has largely come about as part of one of modern football’s many ills it still represents an important transformation. The knock-on effect of moans and cynical comments from seasoned matchgoers on these fans who are perhaps not as experienced attendees seems to me to absolutely kill any hope we have of those fans expressing themselves and positively influencing the team in the way that we all hope to when attending games.
Maybe they don’t know all the verses to “Liverbird Upon My Chest”, but can they contribute to helping The Reds win football matches and learn “the Liverpool way” in the process? Yes they can.
Extending this point, it’s every type of fan, and I absolutely include myself in this category, that can at times feel restricted by this atmosphere and almost frowned upon to join any song begun by The Kop or even the Upper Main. This may seem slightly soft but it is difficult for individual personalities to overcome a collective feeling of negativity and dread.
Of course, social media and the advent of sensationalist broadcasting wherever you seem to look (Robbie Savage, Chris Sutton et al.) doesn’t help and only validates opinions that can often be based far beyond the realms of reality. These opinions are voiced on a matchday and the feeling of pessimism and discord spreads.
The tension in the Main Stand is of course correlated to The Reds’ on-field performance and after ending up three rows down in the manic celebrations following Luis Garcia’s (the ball crossed the line, no doubt) goal against Chelsea in 2005 I have no doubt that we as a fan base have the capacity to get it right.
The problems come when we lose our heads. We are all guilty of it and of course it is borne out of the sheer desire for our club to be successful but when it boils over it doesn’t half make Anfield a difficult place to play for our own lads. The longer the wait goes on of course, the more cumulative heartache there is and the harder it seems to break the cycle.
The desperation around me during the dreaded chasing-the-league Chelsea 2014 game right from kick off was like nothing I have ever experienced and illuminated that emblematic cross we are all bearing with us.
Klopp often talks of the figurative weight Liverpool players must carry in their “backpacks”; that day those in the Main Stand seemed to have convinced themselves they were Atlas. While that day was incredibly painful for all involved it is these acute emotions that keep us addicted to following The Reds.
The Main Stand somehow must be convinced to tear off the backpacks and enjoy football again, so that as eloquently discussed in a fantastic piece penned by Paul Tomkins, football does not become “fucking exhausting, and futile” and something that “messes with your brain” as I fear it perhaps has at Anfield in recent years.
But there is a way forward. While issues of promoting access for young and local lads to go to the game are beginning to be taken up by the club, it is clear to see the effect reasonable pricing can have on atmosphere.
Without looking further afield to the oft-cited Bundesliga model, very close to home the Upper Main Stand has roused itself during games both this season and last showing us that if you can make tickets accessible the atmosphere will improve.
Last weekend’s game against Chelsea (maybe I have developed some form of complex for that lot) showed signs of the Anfield that it can be given a late kick off, some floodlights and a bit of needle. Sitting next to me for the first time this season in the absence of my dad was a young, scouse lad so I took this game as a little bit of a case study to see what would happen.
Driving home what struck me was how much of a laugh I’d had at the game. The lad that had sat next to me didn’t care for the years of Main Stand moaning and scowling and had just gone to support his team. Alongside laughing at his desperation for Joel Matip to score from a corner to bring in his 30-1 bet, we urged The Reds on and howled at the ref; his presence incited me to be more comfortable supporting the way it should be done.
It’s a small sample and maybe it’s confirmation bias but honestly it got more out of me. I subconsciously didn’t feel quite so confined to the idea of what a Main Stand crowd is and I’m hopeful that trying to make other people think the same way can only positively affect what the Main Stand can be.
We know from our own recent history that steps forward can be made, the creation of the 1892 area of The Kop in 2007 allowed like-minded fans who wanted to sing to group together and perhaps another similar scheme could be looked at for those who want to do the same in the Main Stand. While these may be wild ideas right now supporters’ unions such as Spirit of Shankly have shown that they can make a difference if fans put enough pressure on the club.
Finally, I must end with a note to say that this piece is not to dismiss those who have gone to the game for many years and now sit in the Main Stand, far from it. I still attend the game with lads that went home and away all over Europe in the ‘70s and ‘80s and revel in the stories of chasings away from West Ham and climbing over railway lines to see Kenny Dalglish bag the winner at Stamford Bridge in ’86.
All these collective memories make supporting Liverpool such a special experience and they have absolutely every right to continue to sit in the Main Stand, watch The Reds and air their opinions.
Then again, maybe the Main Stand “problem” as I have referred to it frequently here has always been the way. Speaking to those who were on The Kop 20 or 30 years ago the idea of singing songs towards the Main Stand leaving early and laughing about the miserable old fellas in it might not be as modern a creation as I am making out.
Regardless, I just hope that we can all try to provide an atmosphere which makes the creation of new joyous memories more likely in the near future. The Main Stand, like The Kop, the Annie Road and the Centenary needs to get behind The Reds and roar them to that first league title; is that not literally why we go?
The power of Anfield can be a force of nature, we’ve seen it time and time again, so let’s make it that way more often, let’s get rid of that fucking cross and get back on the march.
Come on Redmen.
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The main thing that needs to happen is the removal of the majority of the Corporate section. It is those people who are there simply on a jolly from their companies who are guilty of ruining the atmosphere. They only go to say that they have been to Anfield. They are I can assure not interested in the football. If replaced with normal seats for normal supporters who attend Anfield week in and week out then I am sure it would go a long way to improving what was once a fantastic atmosphere.
The Upper Main is where it’s at.
Swap us with the moaning sods in the Lower and the atmosphere will improve.
As a season ticket holder in the now lower main stand, the upper main stand made up of peoples from out of town has been a revelation last season and this. They sing more often than whole sections of the old main stand use to. Moaners, miserablusts and movers who leave early and are up and down like a fiddlers elbow have been around for years. In all honesty what we need are a key people to take the lead in key sections of the ground to get everyone going. And not just for the big games. It’s the shit games against Watford or Stoke that really matter.
Upper Main also has lots of people (including myself) who got new season tickets, having had to wait for 20+ years. So we’re glad to have them.
I’m no spring chicken myself but I agree with the gist of the piece. In fact I’d go further and say it’s the whole ground that has become far too grey, far too miserable.
If you travel to away games even occasionally then you’ll know that we are out in front when it comes to average age. I can’t see any other club’s support that comes close. It’s obviously not the only one, but it is surely the biggest reason why we have probably the worst atmosphere in the country – a ground full of moaners and worriers who can’t even stir themselves for the big games (for the last few years at least). And because I’m in the demographic I will happily say that many of those that have been attending since the 80s have never been loud in a positive way. They haven’t suddenly lost their voices of support. If you think about it you can be well into middle age now having started going games at the very tail end of the glory years. Many in that bracket didn’t follow the club round Europe or sing loudly when we were winning it all – they’ve mostly seen mediocrity and disappointment. Now they’re fairly stale and mostly turn up for the social or out of habit. They definitely aren’t living for the footy as they sit and discuss their lives with their mates for 75-80 mins (obviously leave early and possibly arrive late).
This is a generalisation of course but I couldn’t care less what anyone has to say about my lack of respect (the usual response to anyone daring to mention these realities) because I’m part of that age group. They’re my contemporaries. And if we’re not honest about the reasons why the atmosphere is so very far from how klopp would love it then we’re not going to fix anything are we.
The line often trotted out in response is that these people have always been there and atmospheres for average games were not all that. But no one ever says it was a cauldron every game. It’s a stawman really. And it’s very much relative – average games may not have been on fire but there’d be a general background murmur, a song of support if needed, a player’s name chanted if he needed or earned it, intimidation for opponents and most of all there wouldn’t be deafening silence for large chunks of the games from all corners, except the away contingent. Plus, it was always there, lurking. If the circumstances called for us to rouse the players then we would. Also, from what I know the 80s were also a far more mixed period than the 60s and 70s. And it’s still cited most often as evidence for a poor support not being new. Even though it’s the golden period for trophies, the golden period of the kop would be before that, no doubt. The reasons for that have been addressed on this site and others previously. Either way, it was still miles ahead of what we have today for average games and light years away for the bigger games. Some of the problems we have you’ll find across much of the league but it’s far more pronounced at anfield. Our neighbours down the road are the only lot I’ve experienced who rival our ability for quiet but they possibly add an extra level of fume we can’t compete with.
Lastly, while I’m ranting, I feel we could do with dropping resistance to ideas that are aimed at helping the atmosphere. Lots talk about it being organic and how it will come back as needed. I don’t believe that at all these days – it simply gets worse and the list of big games that have been pitiful is too long. I have felt we just need to get more youth in though and that that would fix it. The thing is fsg aren’t suddenly going to clear a few thousands seats in the kop and annie rd to get the kids in… obviously. But there are ideas about and there are plenty around the ground that want to make a noise. Even finding a way to group them together will be a a big start. Then, if we can add more youth as it seems is being attempted then we may be on the right track. But I think it’s important not to be too precious about feeling something is being artificially created. The way we sit around anfield now isn’t natural really – we just don’t have any choice about it. And the most consistent bit of atmosphere we’ve had in years was the Rodgers title challenge – but it wasn’t the 90 minutes that made them memorable (apart from the odd game when we scored lots quickly and sang a bit), it was because we had the coach-meets and the flares and pre-match noise that carried over for a few minutes into the start. That was contrived, but it was far better than anything else we’ve had in the league for a long time.
Agreed.
If they try and create an atmosphere artificially then our nature is to rebel the opposite.
I recall in the 70s the BBC world service trying to order the Spion Kop to sing their famous versions of Crimbo songs and Carols at our home match on a Christmas Eve.
The whole Commonwealth world was tuning into the Beeb and they expected us to perform like chimps and ‘entertain’ the good folk of Canada, Oz, NZ,Rhodesia etc etc with some nostalgia and Xmas cheer over the radio waves from Blighty and what better place than Anfield to provide them with raucous Xmas spirit and a melodic choir.
Not a flaming chance….we all went shtum…the Beeb went apoplectic…the World Service into meltdown and old George trying to cajole us.
Nothing apart from a few anglo saxon expletives and a jolly rendition of ‘Kopites are gob…..’
A good time had by us….and no more of that social experiment nonsense from the Beeb anymore.
Hopefully the listeners around the planet sussed out our reasons for not warbling to the drop of a BBC hat.
Have to disagree. People arrive late and leave early all over the ground. I was on the Kop during the best of our glory years having turned 10 years old in 77 and have to say people are kidding themselves if they think it was full of happy scousers singing from start to finish. As we progressed into the 80’s the stadium wasn’t even full most weeks. The main stand now probably has a better atmosphere than it did then. The fact is when you go away from home the atmosphere seems better because you are in the away end with your mates after having a few sherbets. It would be great if the atmosphere was amazing for all games instead of the usual few big ones but it never really has been and never will.
I’m not so sure, redeye. Some of what you say is definitely true but the overall message I can’t agree with. It’s been written about on here before and in my opinion the 80s was a real mixed bag. You’ll know all this but it’s important to give the context of the times: The culture in football in the country generally was not always focused on vibrant atmospheres and wearing the right stuff was more important than supporting for many of our lot. The city was ravaged socially and economically by the tories, and drugs, fighting and a general sense of menace became the Saturday mix. Then to add to that lot we were a fan base fat on success and sitting on top – that normally breeds a blasé attitude and even apathy. So no surprise really that we didn’t fill anfield every game. The 80s was definitely not the golden period for anfield noise, or the kop, or the annie rd. But I think you’re kiddin yourself fella if you think the current main stand is better than anything for noise.
I’m not sure anyone would want happy singing scousers all game – a bit of needle goes a long way to the desired atmosphere. Anfield obviously hasn’t always been a constant and there were periods were the place was bouncing often and at least rumbling along when not so loud. Chopping it all up into decades is obviously a bit simplistic but it’s neither true to say it’s always been a good atmosphere at the ground or that the whole thing is pretty much a myth but for a few games. Either way, it’s dire now and the stupid thing is we have supporters around the city and around the world who want to come and make a load of noise like they do with their mates. We just need to get some of them together in the ground.
I can’t go to prem games now…Every stand is full of package deal fans. They wear the wrist bands. Late back at half time. Clubs a joke and I’m done with its bullshit.
My suggestion to better the atmosphere would be to pick a section of the ground, away from the Kop, and house approx 100-200 supporters. Sell these tickets on match day and the day before to supporters in the 16-25 age range, possibly only L postcode. ID would be needed to prove age/address. A group of mates could go up and buy 4/5/6+ tickets together, sing their hearts out in a group of like minded supporters. Hopefully having another “singing section” away from the Kop would help generate more singing around the ground.
Or there’s always safe standing.
I meant to add that I can see an issue regarding housing 100-200 fans. What do ya do with those fans that are already sitting there?
Perhaps when the Annie Rd is updated we could house this 100-200 fans there.
It’s the same in the Lower King Kenny (Centenary / Kemlyn Road) Stand!
I’m unfortunate enough to sit by an aisle four rows from the front by the halfway line.
Great view but….
We are easy prey!
Every game me (47yrs) who has been going the game for nearly 40vyrs and my mate who is 83yrs old Bootle born and bred and seen absolute everything, put everybody about us to shame, get bollocked from stewards who act like nothing more than bouncers at your local dive…
We want to sing, shout and go mad for 90min but it’s getting harder and harder to do every week and it’s nothing short of a shame.
Spot on….the stewards in the Kenny Stand act like the Stasi in old Berlin before we took the wall down…i was in their a couple of years back and they threatened a young lad who kept the ball from Tourettes keeper Howard in a derby match….a row ensued between his dad and the stasi culminating in them getting ejected after dad called the head steward a fat head….the crowd went mad.
That was when i knew the atmosphere was rapidly going, never to return.
Blame the over zealous jobsworth stewards.
Certainly need to get the Kop as a singing section. Had a season ticket in the Kop for a season and had a row of 5 local men all around the age of 50+ just talking about world issues and then moaning about the team, this was in the season we finished second to Man City and played some fantastic football scoring 100 odd goals along the way.
A lot of blame gets put on out of towners and day trippers for the poor atmosphere but while it can be frustrating seeing someone watching most of the game through their mobile, I don’t think they’re the issue.
Get the kids and young lads in, move the people who don’t want to sing into a area of the ground where they don’t have to and watch the noise rise.
Sat in the Annie Road corner of the upper Kenny to watch hull last year. Atmosphere and singing was boss.
Sat in kop end corner of upper main stand to watch us play Burnley. Was sat next to a bloke who was taking his son to his first game. Next to them was this big fat head with his 3 kids in the £9 seats, shouting at Can calling him a faggot and giving him loads of abuse. He went out 5 minutes before half time with his kids and 5 before full time. And we won and Can scored. It ruined the day for me to be honest. What a bellend.
There are lots of people who want to go to the match, but can’t because of all the people with season tickets who go every week.
If season tickets were stopped, a wider variety of people would be able to go to the match, would probably enjoy it more and create more atmosphere. Especially if all those tickets were sold to people in Merseyside postcodes.
It seems to me, loads of people don’t really like going to the match most weeks, but don’t want to give up their season ticket so they can go to the big games.
I grew up in the Paddock! Just behind the dugout in the late 70s and early 80s. The only standing space in the middle of the park. You had to get there early to get in as it was always the first place in the stadium to fill up – well before the kop did. Great view and you could always feel and see the tension of the players. Nothing old manish about it. Just safer. The kop and Annie Road were rather manly! Toilets were a lot rarer and very long queues which ended up with the waterfalls happening down the steps mid-game as the ale worked it’s way through the system of the supporters. Imagine that now.
It is not only lads who go to the matches. Liverpool has had a huge female following for many years following the team home and away including European games. So maybe you should stop being so blinkered before criticizing others.
There’s a mention of season ticket holders blocking sales to others – Liverpool has the lowest % split of season ticket holders in the Premier league. The problem is the % of tickets sold to hospitality and corporate. This also has a massive affect on the atmosphere at Anfield. Maybe the moaning crowd you are referring to is actually non regular LFC fans.