WE’VE won a cup. I’m happy. Genuinely, I am. It’s good for fans. It’s good for the club. It’s good for Dirk Kuyt and it’s good for Kenny Dalglish. Like I say, happy. But some things about Sunday’s final are still gnawing away at me. Hopefully, this post will prove cathartic…
It’s not the stupidity of Virgin Trains as such, as baffling as the decision to tit about with train tracks hours before thousands were set to travel south on those very tracks was.
Even the performance of the team, which so enraged many, didn’t get me too hot under the collar either – it was painful but predictable and not out of character for either the current side or Liverpool in general in finals.
I was steeled for a nailbiter, what I wasn’t so prepared for was being so underwhelmed by Wembley.
New Wembley. Super duper, all singing, all dancing Wembley.
Only, er, it’s not that good.
That arch, well it’s no Twin Towers is it? For a stadium steeped in tradition, wouldn’t something traditional have helped?
It felt a bit identikit. It was OK, but the Millennium Stadium was better.
And what’s with the stage-managed atmosphere? Nothing new, admittedly, but it seems to get more cringe worthy by the year.
We would have coped just fine without the ramped up to the maximum (shite) music thanks – after all there were 90,000 people in the ground.
Sack the plastic atmosphere off, try the real one.
Flames and fireworks? No need.
Songs to help the celebrations? No ta.
Crap B-movie soundtracks played just before a penalty shootout? Get a grip.
And the fans. Our fans. Well, some of them at least.
Sorry, but I didn’t recognise the behaviour of large swathes of the people I was rubbing shoulders with at Wembley.
In a stadium of that size, other people’s experiences were undoubtedly different.
Maybe I unwittingly bought a ticket in the designated ‘whopper zone’.
But judging by conversations I’ve had with people in different parts of the Liverpool end, I don’t think my experiences were untypical.
It wasn’t just the cliched ‘whopper’ fan either.
If the jester-hatted, foam-fingered, flag-as-a-cape brigade back the team, well you know what, fine. Many of them did.
After all, dressing up for a final’s nothing new – it’s always been part of the fun for many.
No, bollocks to what they’re wearing, or where they’re from – it’s the mindset that’s important.
And too many there on Sunday didn’t have a clue.
For some, it was the sit back, say nothing, ‘entertain me’ pose.
For others it was moaning. Constantly. For two hours.
Many seemingly didn’t have the first clue about the words of the songs. Even the easy ones. Others made up their own versions.
Some called players in red ‘cunts’, ‘twats’ and ‘tools’.
There’s no supporters’ charter to adhere to (thankfully), but common sense should suggest that that’s bellendery of the highest order, particularly in a cup final.
Ditto getting off early with a cob on.
Supporters support – the clue’s in the word.
Ripping players for not doing their job while not doing your job – genius.
Not all acted the twat of course. And the thousands of Don’t Buy The Sun posters were testament to what can happen when supporters’ energy is put to good use.
And at least we won. At least there’s a new cup in the cabinet. And next time?
Well, at least I’ll know what to expect.
I also had four supporters scrapping at the side of me – that shocked me and kinda ruined the second half of the game :(
c’mon, cheer up owd lad ffs (know what you mean though seen it at Anfield sometimes)
I have too agree about the stadium. But added to that are the supporters who seem to think that they are the professional Liverpool supporter who just because they are the fortunate few who have a season ticket and haven’t been on the waiting list for 10 years plus feel the need to constantly distinguish themselves from others. Pathetic
Also what spoiled it was the vile behaviour of pockets of welsh fans who treated the whole affair as an England v Wales event. Why is it that certain fans behave like rabid dogs even when children are around. Disgusting
Big sections of Cardiff fans are thugs Im afraid. I went to see Austria v Wales a few years ago and me and my mates got started on by Cardiff ‘soul crew’ because we were from west wales and that obviously meant we were Swansea fans! On saying to one of them that I thought we were all here to support our country he said to me ‘ F*#k Wales, Im Cardiff ‘. Thats the mentality.
Moaning at people moaning, isn’t that a glorious oxymoron. People will pay money and ‘support’ the club as they see fit, feeling the need to write a piece like this just smacks old man… (seen the club in it’s heyday and can’t get with the times, etc etc). Enjoy the fact we have supporters attending games, without them we would be…. Everton.
Everyone at a football games moan. I do mine under my breath. I’m amazed that you picked out moaning as being the focus of your displeasure with this article. Did you just want to use the word oxymoron? Shouting abuse like that, particularly at your own players, isn’t acceptable. If people do want to do that, they’d be better ‘supporting’ some other team.
I waited 15 years for a season ticket and got one this season. Do I still qualify as ‘professional’? Ooh, I hope I do.
Like most things TAW does, I enjoyed that. It was okay where I was in the heavens of 523, no fannies, at least. But not a lot of noise. We seem a right disjointed bunch quite a lot of the time, at Anfield too. I have my theory of why, got less idea of how to fix it, but pretty sure it could be improved.
The ‘entertainment’ was an absolute disaster!
@coops No mate, not really. I don’t support moaners.
Was up in the clouds in block 525. Really loved being there. I was always aware of how many Liverpool fans tried and failed to get tickets for this game. Felt I kinda owed it to them to give it my all. Most people around me were sound. A few young lads insisted on standing up lower down my block. An old fella behind them asked if they’d sit down. The torrent of abuse he got in return really pissed me off. Thankfully they went to the very back to stand up for the 2nd half. Been on the ST waiting list since 1997. Just over 1000th on the list now, so you did well to get offered one this season. Not that i begrudge you getting one.
I could only get tickets in the Cardiff end. What a fucking nightmare. We soon found out what would happen if we were rumbled as Reds.
I would have paid to have been moved to sit with the Whoppers in the Liverpool end let me tell you!
It is a difficult situation as we have such a wide and varied fanbase and as a supporter who, due to geographical location (Saudi arabia), can only attend 1 or 2 matches a season at most, I certainly feel there is a real divide growing between those who obviously attend matches religously, sing all the time and your more infrequent visitor, like myself (dare I say daytripper?). The bottom line is until you have a situation at anfield and in finals where sections of fans are grouped together then this will always annoy people. Saying that, I used to get the same seat in the kop from a friend and the people around that section who are quite clearly season ticket holders, never used to sing a word! It was quite disappointing!
Fair point, Gareth – the singing is almost a separate issue, it’s the OTT abuse aimed at Liverpool players by people calling themselves Liverpool fans that really does my head in!
I’m from Dublin and get over to Anfield fairly regularly. I was at the semi-final second leg in the Main Stand and the amount of twats screaming abuse at the players was unreal. One tool behind me was banging on to his mate about Stevie G not ‘trapping the ball’ (as if he was a better player than our Stevie) and the whole first half hour was non stop criticism of the team.
I finally told him to shut up, or fuck off. Support the team.
Can’t stand this new breed of ‘fan’!
Yes, agree mostly, but being a true fan doesn’t mean unconditional love…. I’ve supported Liverpool for 45 years but that’s not going to stop me calling Henderson a ***** everytime he kills a move because he doesn’t have the balls to pass the ball forward.
In theory everyone that pays their hard earned has a right to criticise.But there is a line you shouldn`t overstep…. I`ve been going to Anfield over 40 years and there is a definite change in the support. The ones mentioned above who moan and hurl abuse at the players are our equivalent of the “bitters” from across the Park.There`s no age limit though on being a tit.I`ve seen 20 year olds pissed as farts moan incessantly but also granddads who were worse! In general for anyone who knows the game it pisses you off if you are next to a “whopper” because you know there are people who could not get a ticket. LFC are a corporate entity with a world wide fan base which wasn`t the case in the past so we have to put up with “whoppers” i`m afraid.
P.S. Gareth… Have to agree about the New Wembley….doesn`t even look the part on the telly!…… And lets get the FA to drop the stupid FA Cup semi finals at Wembley. It devalues the Final itself in my opinion.
I pulled up a Cardiff ‘fan’ for calling me an English C***, his mate told me not to worry as it was only ‘banter’, silly me eh?
To be honest it was what I expected, I actually live in Cardiff and Wembley Way just resembled St Mary st on any given Friday/Saturday night.
Good read Gareth, discounting Wembley and all it’s hype. The one crux I found was with our support too, in Block 527 – a good few knobs acted like they were at an England away in Wales. When you have muppets like that more concerned with jeering the opposition fans than supporting their own team its a sign of what breed of LFC “uber” fan we have. As one scouser said to me people like some who were in block 526/527 give many OOT a bad name.
I am what is regarded an OOT – I have being done over a dozen games this season and season on season you know yourself Gareth especially as your magazine had we are singing anymore. Never a truer word and they loyalty has being rewarded by the club is nothing but a disgrace by flogging tickets to travel agents I know for a fact here in Ireland to companies for 5 times the face value price. Until this stops unfortunately like yourself I have a feeling if we get to the semi-final and final will my ACS loyalty be rewarded after what happened in the sales for the Carling Cup Final.
As for the criticism labelled at players, its modern society now where everyone wants their fix now and not later same with football. If people are not entertained they moan but don’t do anything to help the team by actually being a supporter and support the players and manager. Recent history has seen with our club how this has played out before with Lucas, Rafael Benitez and now the likes of Carroll, Henderson…modern day football as one man called it is a lie being spoonfed shit from Soccer AM and SSN day in and day out.
That was a ramble but Sunday like you Gareth annoyed a lot of Reds no end despite the victory.
What’s all this about? Liverpool always was and always will be a truly intercontinental and international and multinational team.
We’ve derided Manu for years talking about their hangers-on and fair-weather supporters.Go to that place and see them a goal down with 20 minutes to go and the place empties quicker than if you shouted FIRE!
Sorry My Mate!That’s the name of the game nowadays.People come from everywhere and just like Old Roman Emperors it’s either thumbs up or thumbs down.
You’ve got to remember that a lot of people just see football on MOTD and SkySh** these days and think they are obliged to perform some kind of critique on who should play 10 yards forward and who should play right instead of left.
Just do what I do.Scream and roar your head off when we attack and demand a foul every time somebody tackles a red shirt.
You’ll get the hang of it and feel much happier.And just ignore the people next to you-they probably won’t be there next week!
And just another thing to remember;there’s not a football trophy in the world that says under the winners name “Oh but they didn’t play that well and to be honest they were a bit lucky!”
So just smile and count the Cups!
The comments in this post regarding wembley is spot on ! It is a bit indentikit and really it could be any modern staduim anywhere in the world . there is nothing special or unique.
Could they have not sepnt half the money and just modernised the old wembley ? STill cant believe that they were allowed to pull the old twin towers down. That was where we won the world cup for gods sake !
As for the game , a win is a win and history books will always reflect that. i bet arsenal would love to have won it !
Great article and I agree, Wembley is shite. I described it as a bigger version of the Reebok!
What also added to the disappointment are the 10 or so Liverpool fans who managed to get in to our section, a section of £90 seats, without tickets. The stewards did nothing to remove them.
We all want to see our team, and I’m lucky to be a season ticket holder that travels to every home game from the West Midlands and beyond, but let’s not allow our selfish tendencies and inappropriate behaviour spoil it for others.
My biggest gripe was the fact that my ticket from the club, official and all above board didnt work at the turnstile and I was refused entry this was at half three and when I eventually got to the ticket office and got a new ticket reissued and got in my seat Cardiff scored!
It wasn’t only me mind there was a lot of Reds at the ticket booths going spare one mate went to the office had his ticket taken off him told to come back in half hour when he did they denied having his ticket and fucked him off saying he was a liar and was just trying to blag his way into the match!!! I would’ve gone fucking beserk!
That is my biggest gripe about Sunday 26th February 2012 – by far.
As it was when I got in I was surrounded by good Reds in all fairness.
Oh yeah wasn’t impressed by the NEW WEMBLEY at all, all these new bowl stadiums are the same the world over nowadays.
Let’s get there again this season though Redmen – please?!
The grumpiest of grumpy men.
Good article though.
Fully agree but when adam has a horrific Hollywood ball fly into the crowed I’m gonna make fun of him thinking he’s xavi or David silva. Some people go OTT but that match against bolton I was shouting all sorts of curse words