Jamie Carragher is flanked by a guard of honour marking his 500th appearance for Liverpool in a match against Luton at Anfield in 2008
THIS Sunday the players of Liverpool Football Club will form a guard of honour to herald the arrival of the new English Champions. Whether we like it or not Chelsea are the victors and should be lauded as such. Not by us, you understand, but by the club. In the true Corinthian spirit of the game it is only right and proper that congratulations be metered out. Credit where it’s due. They’ve done something that we could not. A salut.
This is a good thing, a classy thing. I like to see the nastiness, the snideness and vitriol taken out for once and an appreciation of the game itself taken into consideration, but…
But…
Well, I’m not keen. Let’s be clear here. This isn’t something we have to do. The Premier League have not stipulated that this is a requirement. In many ways it would be wrong if it were. After all, you can’t force someone to offer congratulations against their will. Even the most begrudged handshake — the Stuart Pearce, as it were — is still a handshake. No, we have volunteered to do this. Aren’t we nice? Aren’t we a class act?
There’s a precedent here, albeit of somewhat mixed heritage. United have previously applauded Chelsea on to the pitch and, indeed, Chelsea did the same to us in the 60s. We’ve even done it for Leeds when there was even less love lost between the teams than there is today. But why has this fabricated bonhomie started? I don’t recall it happening in our heyday. When we were winning Leagues the opposition just got off so we could hurl the trophy around and exercise poorly rehearsed Jamaican handshakes. None of this guard of honour stuff.
I voiced my dissatisfaction of this on Facebook. Many of my mates argue that we should be doing it as it’s the done thing. It’s that word again — class. No one likes a bad loser and to show your appreciation is both true and noble. Without a degree of sportsmanship this game is nothing. I agree with that, but this just seems fabricated. Something for the cameras. Something to keep the PR machines of both clubs in full swing. Something they can sell.
It’s just empty though. A slap on the back from captain to captain is all well and good but I doubt our lads are bristling with excitement at another League title going somewhere other than our trophy cabinet. That’s nothing to do with Chelsea as such. It’s anyone. But the club have volunteered to shove our lads on to the pitch and take it like men.
I doubt our fans will be joining in the applause. As Johnson from Peep Show says: “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.” Our lads can smile politely like gladiators thanking Caesar and the club can take as many pictures as they want, but they best not tape the away end. There will be no guard of honour from us. Scheduled regard is no regard at all and, in any case, I prefer impromptu acts of respect. They mean more. Fan to fan. Clapping Madrid on at half time in 2008, staying behind seconds after we’ve conceded the most heart-wrenching title to Arsenal in ‘89, recognising great goals against us. That. Then there’s the fan stuff. The away end clapping Hull City for their fight with their owners. See also Cardiff last season. That’s better than any fanfare smartarsery.
What I don’t understand about Sunday is the mental momentum. Picture the scene. The lads are fed, watered and stretched and sit patiently waiting for Brendan’s instructions. Let’s guess at those words. I won’t do the accent and you might like to throw in a few ‘okays’ in but let’s have a go.
“These may be champions but today they’re facing Liverpool. They’re facing a Liverpool side with much to prove, a Liverpool who are still fighting for the last Champions League spot with our bitter rivals. They may be champions. They may wear their medals but they’ll be wearing our studs in their legs. They’re going to be given the most uncomfortable afternoon of their lives.
“They’re playing Liverpool today and they’re holding on to our points. So take every ounce of hurt, every ounce of pity, every ounce of shame of this degradation of this abomination of a season and cram it into the best 90 minutes of your lives. No quarter given, no tackle shirked. It’s our ball today. They’re playing with our ball so get it back and hurt them.
“Oh, and before you do, give them a big round of applause and remind them that they’re so much better than us.”
Er, yeah. Okay.
Of course this is a nice thing to do but why can’t it be done after the game or with a line on the website once everyone’s finished? Give them their trinkets when our season is over, not theirs.
This isn’t for us, of course. It’s for the game. It’s for the Premier League. It’s for the product. It’s a nice sign off to the season. Well, I’m sorry but we haven’t finished yet. We’ve got a target to reach. We’re not on the beach.
Yet, we volunteered because Liverpool is a nice club with nice PR and a fan base that is different to the other savages. We’re refined, fair and the envy of the world, so we play ball. We always want to be seen as the good guys. Look at Liverpool. First out of the traps when the call for a classy club comes.
We’re so anxious to show how lovely we are that we occasionally overdo it.
Look at the Madrid game this season. We’re back in the Champions League. It’s the biggest side in the world. This isn’t going to be easy but it’s a massive step in our development. So what do we do? We applaud every substitution. Not just Ronaldo who, knobheadness aside, is a hell of a player. Marcelo gets a better reception from our end than his own. Marcelo!
Again, respect is a fine thing but not to the point where it goes against the whole point of the game.
Then there’s this. Bear with me because it’s not going to be popular and I’ve got to be careful.
Last weekend, Rebecca Ellison, wife of Rio Ferdinand, died after a short battle with breast cancer. To die at such a young age is a tragedy and, obviously, our thoughts are with Rio and his children. My friend was Rebecca’s age when she too succumbed to the same illness and hearing the news brought back some unwelcome memories.
The football world can be worthwhile at moments like this and it reminded me of the outpouring of emotion when Gary Speed tragically died. My Twitter feed offered its condolences in a touching and caring manner and, although they never could, I hope the family took some comfort from them. Football is, let us not forget, a community and one that brings us all together.
However, one tweet had me shouting at my screen. It read: “Here’s a chance for #LFC to show its class at Anfield today.”
That looks pretty innocuous, doesn’t it? But it sent me flying into a rage. It should have been a call for a moment of reflection before we go about the day’s business, but it wasn’t that. It was “a chance”. That infuriated me. A chance? Of course, we’re going to be sympathetic. A woman has died and her husband plays for that day’s opposition. It’s not a point-scoring bonanza. A chance?
I chose not to reply but other tweets poured out.
“Football rivalries aside…”
Why preface any sympathy with those words? What has football got to do with offering commiserations of this kind? Here’s another…
“I’ve never liked the twat but…”
WHAT? Bring the word “twat” into an RIP message? Well done for @ing him, too. He’ll want to read that. Well in, lad. You’re doing a nice thing by saying that you’re sorry for him and everything but as long as you told us that you hate Man U first…
At the match itself the QPR fans sang “Rio” for a bit and, because they were mostly inaudible, the Kop gave a small round of applause. Before the game Steven Gerrard gave Joey Barton and QPR flowers as we offered our condolences. Then we got on with the game. That’s how it should be. Ignoring it would have been appalling and overdoing it would have been saccharin. We got this right.
I have a mate who works for QPR and was with the first team on the day. He tells me that both Rio and the club were touched by the gesture.
The next day I had a look at Facebook and around a few sites for views on the game. There were plenty of pictures of Gerrard handing the flowers over, but with the wrong type of headline. “Liverpool show their class.” “Stevie hands over wreath in an act of class.” The true narrative was about how great we had been, how nice and how appropriate LFC fans were. How we “look after our own”. The posts forgot one thing. The death of a young mother. The names Rio and Rebecca were seldom mentioned. What seems to have been important was just how Liverpool are good at this stuff.
I get that we cling to the ideal of being different. Rio did indeed receive some disgusting tweets because many are vile. Not us though. We went the other way. Massively. So much so that we forgot what the true meaning of “class” is. Class is about acts of selfless kindness with no request of reward or thanks. It’s not about pointing at your own chest when you’ve done something good. That negates the entire deed. Yes, it’s better than calling the poor man for everything but it doesn’t make it right.
Applauding the champions is a class act. Well done. But, doing it before you face them is just stupid and weakens your camp before hostilities commence. It’s us being ‘nice’ again. Being seen to do the right thing. We’re above the common herd and it gets us absolutely nowhere.
You can still be classy and be snarly, bad bastards on the pitch. I want that round of applause to be begrudging, to be hurtful. I want those Liverpool players to be furious that they have to do it. I want them to show Chelsea that. I want a nice round of applause after the game as they lift their trophy, and I want them to raise it with a rare home defeat behind them and with bruises on every limb. I want Liverpool to draw a line now and take it into next season. It’s time we realised that being nice doesn’t always bring home the bacon. Not all the time.
This season we made it to Wembley and surrendered a goal lead with a grand total of 10 tackles and five fouls. That’s nice Liverpool. That’s ‘hope we’re not getting in the way’ Liverpool. That’s Liverpool not wanting to cause a fuss. That’s a Liverpool where our captain-in-waiting advertises moisturiser. I’m tired of that Liverpool.
So I’d like some of our fans to stop treating modern day tragedies as photo ops, our club to be furious at our defeated season and our team to remember that the opposition are playing with our ball and that will never do.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda-Photo
If the Liverpool teams of the 70s or 80s had to do the THE GUARD OF HONOUR you know it would be the perfect kick up the ass for the following season because of the embarrassment of having to do it in the first place. With this team….im not sure if they feel the hurt. This should do as under Rodgers tenor in charge Chelsea has cost us Two major titles and cups and a defeat on sunday would cost us a CL place. So For me this game is a good indicator for next season a bad defeat could be the final nail in Rodgers coffin and a win can be a fresh page of a new chapter for Rodgers team.
It’s not a case of showing ‘class’ it’s simply a recognition that it is a game. Surely Hillsboro taught us that. Respect is something every side should be given. It doesn’t change how you approach the game and your competitiveness on the pitch. We don’t have to actually hate the opposition. Take Rugby and the way the game is played and the handshakes/acceptance of the result at the end. Get real…..we want a side to play to their potential…to please us AND other fans of other teams. That’s what I want and what we achieved last season. Chelsea were the best side this season…..but whilst winning it I don’t like lots about their style/system but it worked this season. They deserve a pat on the back and then a beating by a hungry and motivated team. That’s what we look for every game and the more of that the better. Ken
“Show me a gracious loser and I’ll show you a loser.”
It’s all about “the product” though isn’t it? It sells the game around the world.
If we didn’t do the guard of honour can you imagine the publicity! It would be worse than the no handshake from Suarez. The club would be pilloried.
So, do the “right” thing and then play them off the park. We need the 3 points and now would be as good a time as ever to take them.
At the end of the game shake hands and get off the pitch. Leave the plastics to get on with their celebrations.
As far as the away support goes – ignore the pre and post match shenanigans.
Do you remember that scene in Peep Show when Mark had to buy condoms so Jeff could bang Sophie. Well, watching this will make me feel like Mark must have. I think it’s pathetic.
Starting to think it was all meant to be since we allowed them to cost us the title with their timewasting shtick last year. Think the last guard of honour was by Arsenal for a United side fired to the title by Van Persie as well, which is even more insane. Nice of City to go on gap years either side of pipping us though, ey? Y’know, just for Mourinho and Ferguson’s benefit like…
Anyway, thanks for the article to keep my annoyance at the footy ticking over, Karl. Takes my mind off the actual despair of that election and what it means for the most vulnerable people in society and what it says about the humanity or lack thereof of most cunts outside Merseyside, Scotland and the North East. If there is a god he hates Liverpool’s politics even more than it’s football. Smug, moneyed twats winning in football and in life, forever…
Being outside of Merseyside and voting Conservative doesn’t make me a c**t as you seem to imply.
Most people don’t agree with your politics of spend spend spend and letting my kids kids kids pay for your social needs.
Get a fuckin’ job, there’s plenty of work outside Merseyside, the Tories have created 1000 jobs a day over the past 4 years, get better educated, leave home and move to where you might find a job.
Vulnerable people are cared for, council houses are being built (far more than under Labour) thousands are being lifted out of paying any income tax.
What you want is want The SNP want, a return to spending more than we earn
Try to think for yourself and not vote Labour cos your Dad did… Most of Britain get it, and voted accordingly, and stop making Liverpool a laughing stock
You actually believed all that horseshit?
hmm – what don’t you believe.
We are £1,483,204,000,000 in debt !!
We pay £123,000,000 per day in Interest only repayments
We have to pay per household £1,872 a year, just to pay the interest
http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/oct/18/deficit-debt-government-borrowing-data
Liverpool isn’t a laughing stock. And on that basis alone, fuck off you absolute bellend.
TAW is widely acknowledged for analytical content and well thought out argument… not sure your comments hit those standards…
I’m from Liverpool too, born and bred, and I love the place and its people, but needed to move south to find work after 1 year on the dole.
I know I won’t convince you here but next time you’re away from Merseyside, ask people what their overall impression of Liverpool is, in a non-aggressive manner, if you can, judging by your last comment
“Most people don’t agree with your politics of spend spend spend and letting my kids kids kids pay for your social needs”.
Here’s a quote from today’s Guardian
we (Labour) inherited a debt-to-GDP ratio of 42% from them in 1997 and had got this down to 37% by 2008; and, under 18 years of Tory rule before 1997, the deficit averaged 3.2% of GDP, whereas it was 1.3% from 1997 to 2007.
“Tories have created 1000 jobs a day over the past 4 years, get better educated, leave home and move to where you might find a job.
Vulnerable people are cared for, council houses are being built (far more than under Labour) thousands are being lifted out of paying any income tax”
Interesting that you mention our kids. Yes, 1000 jobs a day have been created but half of them are self employed. Most analysts put this down to the lack of well paid jobs available. A high percentage of the jobs created are zero hour contracts. For 18 year olds wages have fallen by nearly £2 an hour as a result. Your kids will be made up.
Are these vulnerable people you mention the disabled of our society? Speak to them and see if they agree.
Regarding social housing, the Labour councils have built twice as many as the Tory councils over the last Government. Tory’s want to sell them off which is great for a few but is one of the reasons why rents are so high and kids can’t move out from their parents. We’ve 85k kids in temporary accommodation and over 2 million on the waiting list for social housing.
Interesting your Guardian quote only does up to 2007.
A 1000 jobs a day, half of them self-employed … I’m self-employed, I imagine many who write these articles on TAW are too. Self employment can lead to expanding businesses which create more jobs.
There has been a squeeze on pay, that’s right, Labour opened the doors to migrant workers without any controls on whether they are skilled or not, this contributes to low pay levels.
The Government don’t set pay rates, employers do, it’s a market.
Zero hours contract jobs actually amount to 20% of those new jobs, this issue has been cleverly magnified by Labour, you’d think ZHC didn’t exist under them.
It must be better to work than receive benefits, and it goes towards job experience, meaning other more permanent job opportunities come within reach.
The welfare state should be used for the elderly, disabled and those unable to find work. No Government gets it all 100% right. The bedroom tax is a hard one to square and probably a mistake.
Social Housing:
Since 2010 Labour councils increased their housing stock by 0.03%, whereas Conservative Councils& increased their supply by 0.47%. However both lag behind the Lib Dems, who increased the social housing stock by the most (0.63%). NOC (no overall control) councils decreased their stock by 0.4%.
Source: https://fullfact.org/factchecks/Labour_councils_social_housing_growth-28888
The Tories want to the sale of council houses to generate revenue to build more. Home ownership is principle to social mobility.
“Self employment can lead to expanding businesses which create more jobs”. I’m aware of that mate. If we could just get back to the point it was 1000 jobs a day created. Great though self employed jobs are, there’s an argument that they’re not the result of a strong economy but the opposite and people haven’t been able to find work and have to do ‘something’.
Regarding the zero hours, I do agree with you that it can be a gateway in to employment. It’d be hard not to. A few years ago my partner decided she fancied a job and took one at the council. Within 18 months she was on a contract and a management grade. It’s not the full picture though. A lot of her colleagues have been laid off and (through the back door) have been replaced by people on ZHC’s. Again, part of the reason my partner was able to vault the grade ladder – the place is run by imbeciles now.
You say the employers set the rate and it’s a market, well, when wages have fallen or been frozen at best what does that tell you about the Coalition. We both know they had unrealistic goals to cut the deficit and reduce borrowing. It didn’t work and they fucked growth.
But again, that’s not the full picture. Contracts at our council have traditionally gone to local businesses / trades. Now the McAlpines of this country are getting them. They’re the ones looking for the cheapest possible labour, regardless. Like you say, the employers set the wages (not the immigrants). The local firms paid their workers, doing the same job, far more. Market forces again, but too cut throat for me. I’d rather a party that considered employees as well as employers and didn’t give contracts based on donations to the coffers. I think we call it a fairer society. Everyone gets something rather than a few getting a lot.
Look mate, you’re not daft and for what it’s worth I agree with you about the PFI’s (further below) but I feel with your social housing quotes you’ve insulted me a bit. If you earn £10m a year and I earn £10k, but I increase my wage by 2% and you by 1% it doesn’t mean I’m doing better than you does it? Haha. Just admit it, Labour build more social housing, regardless of the % increase on the previous year.
Finally, you know quite well the Tories aren’t selling off council houses to build more. Look at the figures on that claim. Have a look how much it costs the Government to sell off social housing. The money from the council houses goes as a subsidiary to the housing associations so they can sell theirs off. It all looks good on the surface but dig a little deeper and…..
For the record, I’ve expressed concerns for 18 months that Labour were too weak under Miliband. Great bloke and good values but weak. They have to move more to the centre. Somewhere between Miliband and Blair but close to neither. One’s not Labour and the other one would never get in in this country. I liken it somewhat to Liverpool FC. These people who don’t like Nivea (Karl, haha) are all well and good being annoyed and as long as they don’t want success they’ve every right. If you want success though you have to do what you have to do, within reason. Second is pointless in an election.
Compassion mate.
Woah there! This has gotten a bit tasty hasn’t it…
I know this might be difficult for your self-absorbed mind-set to comprehend, but by ‘most vulnerable’ I was not referring to my own prospects because I’m not totally consumed with looking after number one and letting everyone else not as lucky as me rot. Was thinking more along the lines of this government’s tax cuts hitting disabled people the hardest, to be honest. Not really acceptable that for one of the most well off country’s in the world is it, Tony?
Also, this: http://action.sumofus.org/a/nhs-privatisation/?sub=tw
And yeah, I think my dad went Labour for general and TUSC for local too, but that’s not to say I don’t have a mind of my own. I can only hope your kids grow up to rebel against your views. If any of my family shared a social conscience similar to yours I wouldn’t fucking speak to them.
‘…tax cuts hitting disabled people…’ doesn’t make much sense reading back. Was shaking with rage at how selfish and unthinking most of the English can be while I was typing, to be fair.
Must have been a ‘brain fade’. (Ha! get it, lads?! Because you see, I was commenting about politics on a footy website and… Ah, forget it…)
I wasn’t specifically talking about you, when suggesting those without work, move somewhere where there is work
(Polish people have been doing this for years)
The welfare state IS for the most vulnerable, it’s not me being selfish to try to cap public spending, so those who come after me don’t have to pay for my comfortable state funded excesses … that’s selflessness
Labour, it’s private finance initiatives:
PFI deals became popular in government from the end of the 1990s, under the then chancellor Gordon Brown, because they allowed ministers to secure large sums to invest in popular projects, such as new schools and hospitals, without paying any money up front.
Repayments are made over a long time scale, usually between 25 and 30 years but occasionally as long as 60 years, but at a high rate of interest.
That meant that large debts were stored up for future taxpayers – which now have to be repaid.
source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/8779598/Private-Finance-Initiative-where-did-all-go-wrong.html
Is that Tony as in Blair?
Whadderyagonnado?
Jesus man it’s not such a big bloody deal, move on!
This nice/empty/classy/meaningless gesture can be what anyone wants it to be.
Rugby players fall over each other to applaud each other off the pitch and knocking all shades of shite out of each other on the field. It’s just a show of respect. It doesn’t take away from how they perform on the pitch. Just like this shouldn’t take away from our performance in Sunday.
As you say, you can be classy and be snarly. Applauding the Champions is the right thing to do. I would be astonished if any players disagreed. Kicking seven bells out of them is also the right thing to do. I don’t get why the 2 are incompatible. I’m not sure you believe it yourself.
I don’t mind this per se, it’s just that we all know how unbearable the chelsea fans are gonna be throughout it. Singing their “slipped on his fuckin arse” song as Stevie G applauds them on. It’ll fire him up to 40 second cameo against Manchester Utd proportions. Keep him out of the firing line today, please Brendan.
The guard of honour is players giving respect to other players, which seems fair enough.
Today is unlikely to be a good day for Liverpool fans. The team (which isn’t good enough) will begin the match by applauding theirs (which clearly is good enough).
Then Liverpool will get beat, while Chelsea fans sing ‘5 more years’ or some similar political jibe. I doubt they have looked-forward to many other games more.
You have good and bad days in football. Today is probably going to be a bad one. The eternal sea is a term that could be used to describe football as well as politics. Right now, we are gasping for breath and trying to stay afloat. The waves are crashing into us and the biggest one of all has a great big Chelsea yacht at the crest of it which is about to smash us in the face.
Liverpool fans will hope that, one day soon, the roles will be reversed. Triumph and disaster may well just be impostors, but life seems less dull when it is polarised.
Lets just hope the tide changes soon.