BIT of background first. My season ticket is in the Upper Centenary Stand. It has been since it opened in 1992. My dad took the opportunity to buy two when the new tickets were released, and luckily we’ve had them ever since. They’ve shoved us back a few times when they’ve increased the corporate allocations, and wanted to give them the better seats, but seemingly have settled on us being row 19, Anfield Road side.
I like it, it’s a good seat and the people round us, apart from my father of course, are largely alright. But it isn’t exactly a hotbed of atmosphere. About once every two seasons a song breaks out, waking up the older fellas who have drifted off. The rest of the time it’s football supporters telling footballers, and managers, what they should be doing. And me shouting “MAN ON!” or “TURN!”, depending on the situation.
That’s probably always been the case. Behind the goals for the rabble-rousers, and the side of the pitch for the fellas who think they are Bill Shankly re-incarnated. Maybe it shouldn’t be? Maybe it’s up to all of us create an atmosphere when in the ground? Maybe ‘an atmosphere’ is more than just singing anyway, and we are all currently playing along, whether it’s chanting the team, or clapping good play.
My friends who I go to away games with are on row 60 of the Kop. I get a bit jealous sometimes. Or is it guilt that I ‘retired’ to the Centenary Stand at the grand age of 10, when I should have been supporting the team more vocally all these years as a young man from The Kop? Perhaps. Anyway, this has all been a long-winded way of saying I am aware, before I write what I am about to write, that I am as much part of the problem as part of the solution.
Last Thursday my dad asked for my ticket so he could take his mate, so I took the opportunity to buy a ticket in The Kop. It was Jürgen Klopp’s first home game and I wanted to be part of the collective ‘get on us’ feeling amongst the fan base. We had a good go, rubbish on the football pitch accounted for, but I was rather surprised the songs hadn’t moved on much since the last time I was there, especially considering the playing staff had changed so much. So I went home and tweeted this:
Luis Garcia. He isn’t here. He came from Barca. 10 years ago. Half of you hated him. When he was in red. So please take that shite song away
— John Gibbons (@johngibbonsblog) October 22, 2015
Loads of people agreed with me, and lots of others constructively told me why I was wrong. Only messing, this is the internet, they called me a twat. Which is fine, it was a glib throwaway tweet that didn’t really explain what I meant. So I’ll do that now.
Firstly, I liked Luis Garcia. Plenty didn’t. Overall he’s certainly a lot more fondly remembered now than he was when he was here. He liked scoring big goals. He also liked giving the ball away. The latter was very much picked up on, by the crowd and his team mates. So the idea his song is sung now more than any other ex-player is generally a bit mad. Other names pop up as part of other songs; Steve Heighway, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush; but not on their own.
It’s not just on a European night as well, as people claim, it pops up all over the place. Luis Garcia, probably around the 100th best player to play for Liverpool, getting his name sung away at Sunderland whilst Martin Skrtel, who has played three times as many games for Liverpool, runs round wondering if there are any hopes. Steven Gerrard would make some sense, as he himself probably thinks as he watches on the TV. Luis Garcia, not so much.
We sing it because it’s a nice song and it bounces along and we know the words. It gets in the way of other songs though. When you aren’t on the Kop you imagine silence until a song emerges as one from the crowd, with one area orchestrating the way. The reality when you are on the Kop is very different. Lots of areas competing to start a song, and one of them sticking, presented as complete to the rest of the ground. Many others fail. Not getting the support, or getting lost in the noise. Anything new or not known suffers to the greatest extent. People give up.
Collectively we’ve stopped singing songs for the lads on the pitch, and I’m not sure why. It’s not just because they aren’t winning things, because in the 1990s we didn’t really win anything, and they all had songs. We also weren’t singing about players from the 1980s during that period, and they won flipping loads. It’s not just a lost part of Kop culture, it’s diminishing what should be the role of the supporter.
The team at the moment need a boost, and the best way we can do that is by singing their names rather than Luis Garcia’s. Let’s use Adam Lallana as an example. He had a tough time on Sunday, he wasn’t playing well and the Southampton supporters were singing about how much they hated him. We just sat there and let them abuse our footballer and said nothing. Surely that is a time you support your player? I was back in my seat in the Centenary but was happy to take it on myself to start a chant for Adam Lallana, but I couldn’t remember hearing one that had been sung before. There had been an obvious opportunity on Thursday night as well when he had fronted half the Kazan team, fighting for Liverpool. When he was getting slaughtered by his former club, Liverpool could have sung for Adam Lallana. But there was nothing.
Changing the timing of You’ll Never Walk Alone probably hasn’t helped with all this. It used to be when the players were in the tunnel, but Benitez wanted the players to see it, so moved it to when they were on the pitch. This was traditionally the time The Kop would run through the songs of the individuals on the pitch. The players would wave their appreciation. I think they liked it more than waiting for You’ll Never Walk Alone to finish before they could kick off. It also helped the Kop realise who didn’t have a chant yet.
Maybe a switch back could resurrect the player song? Force us all to write some more songs about the lads in front of us? We’d know what to sing when the players needed us most. Then we could retire the Garcia one to the pub.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda-Photo
Would be great if they moved YNWA back to when the lads are in the tunnel, but not just for the reason above.
Remember seeing the faces of some of the opposition on telly when they were in the tunnel, listening to it, then having to come out as it was towards the end and at it’s loudest. Suspense, fear, whatever, it had an affect. I’ll take any advantage going.
Could be something to do with YNWA being played whilst the players are on the pitch. Previously it was played before they came out meaning that the time spent from coming out to kick off was spent serenading the different players. Now YNWA can continue up to and after kick off so no individual chants are sung.
For me I’d rather YNWA reverted to its traditional spot.
I remember the Kop chanting Lallanas name against Swansea last season, not heard it happen since.
Maybe the performance of the players is part of this? Garcia scored goals when it really mattered, has Lallana? Sakho regularly gets his name chanted despite relatively few perormances. Lucas’s song gets the odd airing when he does good stuff on the pitch.
“Adam Lallana! *clapclap clapclap clap*” shouldn’t be too taxing. I don’t know. I’ve been ripping the atmosphere while bringing next to nothing to it as well. Jurgen Klopp’s Hypocritical Reds.
In recent years we’ve had songs for Torres, Suarez and Gerrard that have been world famous. Coutinho has a song, Lucas has a song, Balotelli has a song. We’ve had a huge influx of players in and out recently, it takes time for songs to become well known enough to sing.
Just chant Wolf J Flywheel’s pink and purple army for 90 mins. It will both annoy and perplex the vistors
Skrtel, Sturridge, Sakho. Skrtel, Sturridge, Sakho, LALLANAAAA, LALLANAAAA!
(Let’s all have a disco tune).
There you go, knock yourself out…
There does seem a fixation with creating songs with a full chorus or verse when a simple song catches on better….Danny Ings for example got a song straight away.
I was sat in the Main Stand on Sunday and there were a few lads behind who don’t usually sit there, bless them they tried to join in with the Kop and get things going and and fair play I thought, I too am part of the problem, my mind wandered during the game as to what can be done to fix it…I came up with nothing…at least I didn’t get off on 85 though!
Martin Skrtel, Martin Skrtel, Martin Skrtel knock em dead.
Takes down runners, f***s the Gunners, scores a brace with his big, bald head.
to the tune of hey jude… La la la la lallana, lallana, hey you… La la la la lallana, lallana…
Maybe that’s dumb? …but it seems obvious…
It’s a good shout mate but my personal opinion on that is I don’t like songs that other teams sing (except, when the reds go marching in – under rated song). Ok, they don’t sing Lallana but it’s heard in grounds around the country. I like to think we’re above those peasants who steal songs. I suppose Rangers would claim Every Other Saturday and have a case. YNWA is definitely ours despite what a few Celtic fans claim or the odd nutter of a pensioner in Manchester who claims Utd were singing it in the Stretford End in 1878. No, I’m not keen on us stealing songs. I think we should be looking through the back catalogue of Boney M. Danny Ings and We are Liverpool are ok. Maybe Da Da Danny Sturridge, Liverpool’s greatest goal machine, it was a shame how he carried on. Rasputin obviously. I think you raise a good point though. I’m the least creative person I know so have failed in all my attempts to make a song. But, the only music I look to is the Beatles. I feel Liverpool should have more than Yellow Submarine from the Beatles (which I always despised). A song has to be easy to sing so I’m not thinking of the Kop singing ‘number 9, number 9’ (White album). Appropriate but wouldn’t work as wouldn’t anything to the tune of the brilliant While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Some of those early ditty’s could work though. Love Me Do, Can’t Buy Me Love. maybe sing it to for the transfer committee and replace love with goals. Don’t suppose they need one though. Nowhere Man could definitely work, it’s a great bouncy tune (as long as no one writes it about Joe Allen). I wrote one the day after the Stoke game last season, Yesterday Brendan Rodgers seemed so far away, now it looks as if he’s here to stay…..why he didn’t go I don’t know, they didn’t say.
I think your idea and my lyrics could lead to something. Far better than the one I tried to write when Klopp arrived. I wanted a German theme and could only think of 99 red balloons but then I only got as far as Jurgen Klopp in a little tracksuit – then decided it wasn’t working. Have another think mate along those lines.
That was a fair write up that Gibbons.
I said to my Dad on Saturday, as we sat in the Kop, every player should have a song, and when any player makes a mistake, we should immediately sing their song as loud as we can. Show them that we’re rooting for them…
Good point regarding what time YNWA gets played. For me, I’d rather that wasn’t even played before games and was held back until important victories were achieved or classic games were completed. Then it sounds right, but it’s overkill before the match when there are so many home games and so few of them live up to expectations.
When the song is played after a match, it gets belted out and really works. I know that hell will freeze over before YNWA isn’t played before a home game, but there you go.
As for player songs, the chronological hierarchy system was something the players used to be well aware of, as Molby makes clear here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsVTr4SiBE
Lallana is never going to hear his name sung, though. He doesn’t do it on the pitch and the fans don’t feel any kind of connection anyway. If there is no connection, then you don’t get your name sung however good you are – as Michael Owen discovered.
Ings has already made that connection. I think that attackers make a connection with fans when they show a real hunger to get goals and then celebrate those goals in the right way. We don’t have many players who do both.
I used to go to the Mags’ aways around the North West with my best mate Newcastle Supporter for a few years in the 90s. In the bars before kick off, the new song lines were belted out by fanatics-sometimes just one madhead- , over and over as pints were sunk. Come the actual game, like Pavlov’s Pooches, we were all baying the words out on cue, when we heard the opening words again in the stands.
The only thing I took from this is that he thinks his dad is shite. Bit harsh(from his dad).
Ha ha ha! Just coughed my coffee all over my iPad!
Alright john,
On board with all this, used to post a few attempts on The Rattle most of them got shot down but had some success “Steven Gerrard is our captain” was one of mine.
I put one up here a while back for Sturridge to the Garcia tune
Oh Daniel Sturridge
Too good for the bridge
Too good for city
Cos hes a red
He takes his chances
And then he dances
Oh please dont take our Daniel away.
Probably will never get going because the Garcia one will get sung over it.
The lads lucky enough to go the aways and at the back of the Kop are the ones to get songs off the ground (or in the ground more like).
Need a few more basic songs for every player instead of everyone trying to come up with belters like the Torres and Suarez ones.
Please don’t suggest moving YNWA or even not playing it at all before the game.
Prior to being moved, it was often a damp squib as, what seemed like half of the fans hadn’t even taken their seats when it started.
Despite the generally very poor atmosphere now days at Anfield, YNWA is almost better than ever.
From one not at the stadium. Is there any organization on the KOP regarding all this? Is there a collective effort from the so called “core” to make new new songs, starting them up on cue? What I’m really asking for is there a playground leader who takes it on himself to lead the rest? Because I don’t see a lad on the barricade without his shirt and his back against the pitch getting everybody in line and on time. Maybe it’s time for some leadership in the stands as well. Get the supporter groups together as i imagine there must be a few and work together. None of this will come by chance. Going to a game just expecting it to happen feels a lot like the premier league of 2015, and therefore a lot like Liverpool of 2015. Where our famous atmosphere has gone? It’s probably lying around Anfield waiting to be picked up.
“Waking up old fellas who have drifted off?”John,it’s up to you now and your young fellas!
You have to remember that those days are long gone.In those days the match was the very highlight of our week.It was what we lived for.
It started with “Liverpool! Clap Clap Clap!” but that was after we’d heard “Brazil Cha!Cha! Cha!!!” after the 1962 World Cup and we copied it.It later became “St.John Clap!Clap!Clap!” and took off from there.
One of the best was against Nottingham Forest “Gerry Byrne Gerry Byrne Gerry Byrne feared by the bad,loved by the good.Gerry Byrne,Gerry Byrne,Gerry Byrne.(to the tune of the old Robin Hood theme from the 60’s tv show).There were loads of them and how they started?Well who knows.But we all got the gist and joined in.
But that was those days and sadly they’ll never come back.You’ll never know what it was like to be buffeted around the Kop singing Beatles songs and Cilla Black songs so don’t get so hung up about it.We were the centre of the Universe in those days because we believed we were.But now?Well, just let’s enjoy what we’ve got to enjoy.I think we’ve still got a lot to look forward to.
But singing and orchestrated songs? Well,that’s for the minnows now isn’t it?
We’ve been there and done that a lot better than they ever will.
So,now it’s your turn to invent something.And just leave us “arl arses” to nod off if we don’t get that excited about what you’re doing to show your support.
“He’s Big , He’s scouse , he’ll come and paint yer house.. Mamadou .. Mamadou “
Well that’ll put the fear of God into any team won’t it????
YNWA should be moved back to the way it was . Strike fear into the opponents. Remind them that this isn’t a routine fixture at Norwich or wherever (no offence) . Those two or three minutes of simple chants for Hyypia or whoever were great and got the crowd pysched up.
To the tune of rocking all over the world by status quo.
On the right, or on the left just watch him play. This young man should be on match of the day, heeere we goooo Lallana all over the pitch.
And I like him, I like him, I like him, I like him, llaaalllaallalllaaana lalllalllallana here we gooooo Lallana all over the pitch.
Needs some work but it’s catchy and simple!
Agree totally, cannot understand why the Garcia song gets sung so much, as you said half the crowd hated him.
Give the current players a lift by singing their names, and we’re likely to lift them.
Cannot understand why Klopps name has not been sang at either home game.
The only time I heard it was when I was at Tottenham and half were singing the Opus version and half singing the ridiculous Agadoo version, let’s all get one version and sing along tonight
The issue with moving YNWA back to the teams coming out is that we would have that, then a small interval while we all observe the premier league fanfare and high five, then the players come out.
I agree that the players need a song each…..and not just the good ones….but this appears to be happening less and less, and not just at Liverpool. No club appears to be showering players with praise and if they do its just an adaption of old tunes (every club has a player with name sung to the Mascherano tune). I tried to think of a player, especially a new signing, of anyone with an original tune but really struggled (and then i got that bloody Harry Kane song over and over again). Even the chants that we have are now old chants re-worked. Danny Ings deserves a song but it was just a new Harry Kewell. I kid you not i have heard someone attempt to sing the Courtinho song to Firminho.
Its difficult to make up a song when your sober and or have watched your 77th poor game in a row, somehow they all seem to be the same long match that started against West Ham. The Garcia, Torres, Suarez and poetry in motion songs were probably made up after we had won and everyone was dead happy and pissed. I’ve always felt that when i was dead happy and pissed I could put together any players name with any song and it was always boss (it wan’t but in my world in was). When we beat someone 5-0, Lallana scores a hat-trick and i’m entering double figures on the pints front I am sure there will be plenty of new songs about because it easier to sing when your winning and pissed.
“it easier to sing when your winning and pissed.”
Amen.
Posted this on the Rubén player rating forum last week but this seems to be a better home for it…..
(to the tune of 500 Miles a’la Proclaimers….so a guaranteed Kop foot stomper to boot)
And he will score you 50 goals
And he will score you 50 more
Just to be the man who scores a hundred goals for Liverpool, he’s our……
DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge), DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge)
Da da da dum dirri dum dirri dum dirri dum da da
DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge), DANIEL STURRIDGE (Daniel Sturridge)
Da da da dum dirri dum dirri dum dirri dum da da!
well……Waddayathink? :-D
And here was another one I posted….but it was met with a caustic comment relating to the fact that he didn’t deserve a song…. But he’s so young that I think a bit of encouragement wouldn’t hurt and I thought that it just fits so well!
(To the tune of Be Bop a Lula)
Divok Origi he’s our Belgian,
Divok Origi, he’s our new Redman,
Divok Origi plays up front for Liverpool-a-Liverpool-a-Liverpool!
waddayathink? :-)
For Adam – To the tune of Land of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett – the one that goes naaa nananana nananana nanana nanana …
La lalalana lalalana Lallana Lallana…
TURN! (shout out)
La lalalana lalalana Lallana Lallana…
TURN! (shout out)
Repeat … as many times as Adam Lallana turns …