My Lad Meets LFC

Just catching up on some blogging time before the flurry of Christmas and New Year fixtures, can't believe I haven't uploaded these sooner.  I took my lad to the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington (Chelsea) before the Carling Cup QF. Thanks to all the players below who ensured my lad (and me) were buzzing for days..

New South Wales Reds

What a wonderful instrument social media can be sometimes.  Touted myself for business and found the Official LFC Supporters Club of NSW and Sydney needing a revamp of their logo..

Merry Christmas to all the Redmen in NSW

Is there a Fire Drill…???

For my reflection on the Swansea game I’m not going to focus on the football, I said it, KD said it, and everyone on the internet has said it.  Not good enough, the level of desire and want has to be greater.  That is the Swansea match report.

Instead I’m going to use this opportunity to reflect on a growing issue, one that is not helping the team, not helping us as the 12^th man.  The ‘too cool for school’ attitude and the growing problem of the ‘day-tripper’.  Now I use the word day-tripper to describe an attitude.  It’s not an OOT v Scouse issue, in fact some of the worst ‘day-trippers’ are season ticket holders from the Merseyside area, however the majority are single match attendees.   I posted on twitter last Saturday that it doesn’t matter where in the country or world you are from, if you come to Anfield you need to be vocal and contribute, day-trippers aren’t welcome.  Some people got it; others just read half a line and thought I was ‘wool bashing’, which I’m not.  Also I’m not professing to be Liverpool’s Number 1 supporter.

So what is the ‘too cool for school’ fan..? It’s the fan who comes in, bit of a jack the lad, man about town, wears all the latest gear, is well known around the area, well respected.  Normally very knowledgeable about the game, everything a Liverpool fan should be, apart from they’re too cool to be caught singing.  You won’t catch them belting out “Every Other Saturday”, “Fields of Anfield Road”, “Poor Scouser Tommy” or any of the player’s songs.  Why..? I don’t know, but it normally leads to an answer of “behave lad.” when I ask the question.  The response of “behave lad” is only one step below “do you know who I am.?” And the answer to that is, “yes mate I do, you’re the fella who paid £42 for a match ticket to sit there and contribute nothing apart from looking good for the visiting ESPN / Sky cameras”

Who is the “day-tripper” then, well let’s get this one nailed down early.  It’s not a ‘where do you live in relation to the stadium’ issue.  It’s an attitude, and a very bad one.  We all have seen them.  They turn up 2 minutes after kick off, go for a pie and bevy on 41 minutes (to avoid the queue), get back to their seat on 48 minutes, then leave on 86 minutes  grumbling about how bad the team are.   Once again this fan wont sing, generally has the answer “I’ve been coming here XX years, this shower of shite are not worth singing to”.  Bear in mind they’ve been saying this since 1991, probably had an off season in 2005, but straight back on it after that.  That’s your first “day-tripper”, more arsed about being in the pub before kickoff and getting back to the bus stop / boozer / car before the final whistle to avoid queuing again.

Your second “day-tripper” is potentially the worst.  They bring a picnic, know only Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina (some may even be surprised Torres has gone to Chelsea) and YNWA.  This supporter can be found taking pictures of themselves holding up a scarf when the game is in progress, blocking the row with 15 bags from the club shop and then clapping when a goal is scored. They know, no songs, don’t sing and without opening Pandora’s box, they are generally on holiday and just wanted to visit Anfield as they have seen it on TV back home.

Finally we come to the Season Ticket holder who can’t be bothered with the lesser teams, sells their ticket on for all games bar: Man Utd, Everton, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea & Man City.  This practice cannot continue.  See above for where their tickets end up. 

My first game at Anfield was 28 Sep 1983, Liverpool v Odense in the old European Cup.  I can remember like it was yesterday.  My Dad and I were seated in the Main Stand.  The noise was overpowering, I can’t remember this bit but, my Dad said I was terrified when the crowd roared.  All I remember is from that day on my life was never the same again.  Liverpool won 5-0 by the way. 

My dad took me on the old standing Kop for the first time in 1987, Ian Rush’s last game before he went to Juventus.  Now I can remember this even more vividly.  What an atmosphere, the noise, Christ it was deafening.  From that day on, from the moment my Dad knew I ‘got’ it we never went anywhere else until the old Kop was knocked down.

I know we’ll never get those days back, but I also know we CAN get near it.  The Champions League Semi Final v Chelsea in 2005 & 07 at Anfield took me back to that very first game versus Odense.  The Kop was on form, so were the other 3 stands.  On both nights the 12^th man made Chelsea freeze, you could hear the noise 4 MILES AWAY.

Every game should be like this, every game should be treated like a cup final.  We don’t need gimmicks; we don’t need plastic flags, tannoy shouts and Led Zeppelin when we score.  We just need the Liverpool fan to think, remember where they are and act accordingly. 

If the crowd inside the Atatürk responded like the crowd I’ve seen at home this season the Miracle of Istanbul would have never happened.   Visitors to Anfield are right to ask “Where’s your famous atmosphere..?”, “Is this a library..?” and, when so many people leave on 86 minutes: “Is there a Fire Drill..?”

When Liverpool play well, we sing: when we sing Liverpool play well, raise their game. When this happens we win things.

If the circle is broken, ask yourself this.  Is it always up to the players to mend it.  Or, in fact, when you enter those turnstiles do you actually have a job to do, a job as big as any player or manager.  The answer is YES you do.  If you don’t want to do that job, then like any player, maybe it’s time for you to sit on the substitute’s bench and rediscover your passion. 

WBA v Liverpool – 29 Oct 2011

OK, 3 points is where we need to start.  After two consecutive draws and 4 dropped points it was once again nice to welcome the full haul back to Anfield.

Liverpool started the game well and should really have been 1 up inside the first minute after Enrique picked out Luis Suarez with an inch perfect pass; however the Uruguayan bag of tricks was unable to bring the ball fully under his spell.  Liverpool continued to show their dominance under the wand of Suarez and were rightly awarded a penalty after 8 minutes which was duly converted by Charlie Adam.  

I’d now love to be able to unravel the story of 4 other goals that were hammered in during the remaining first half minutes but once again a lack of killer instinct means I can only reflect on a late finish by Andy Carroll.  The big man has been rewarded with his goal, but it will come as a massive release of pressure, especially as most of the crowd and the millions watching thought he’d taken it too far before a deft little poke took it underneath the hapless Foster.  Although it was a goal finished by a big Geordie the build up was solely made in South America.  Lucas to Suarez and then on to Carroll, two beautiful examples of one touch football at its best meant that KD’s men went in to the break with a deserved larger margin.

Unsurprisingly when the two teams came out for the 2^nd half I don’t think I was alone in thinking, hoping and wanting that the Liverpool team in front of me would rip apart an embarrassingly poor WBA.  Predictability though, as constant during the first part of this season it wasn’t forthcoming.  In fact to the latter stages of the game I was glad we came away with a clean sheet. 

This for me, is the major difference between us and those at the top of the league table at the moment.  Our inability to finish teams off and go for the kill could come back to haunt us come May.  Manchester City ripped apart a poor Man Utd team that should never have left Anfield with a point.  Norwich City battled well and came away from Anfield with a point they did deserve, but should never have got.  WBA were there for the taking today, I doubt Manchester City, Chelsea or the enemy from down the A580 would have left The Hawthorns with only 2 goals to add to the difference.

Liverpool rarely moved out of 2^nd gear tonight and to be honest many would say they didn’t need to, they were pitted against a very lacklustre side that played every minute like a team I saw 12 months ago, a team managed by Uncle Roy.   It would though have been nice to see the Albion net bulge another 2 or 3 times.  If it wasn’t for the woodwork (AGAIN) then Stuart Downing would have also broke his duck.

That is a nice little link into Downing himself.  He is proving to be an enigma.  A perceived lack of passion and ability is leading to many (me included) to question his desire to be at Liverpool.   He seems to be one of the first on the Anfield team sheet and I’m not here to question KD but I feel a spell on the bench watching Craig Bellamy rip down the wing and terrorise those in front of him, may, just may, bring a bit of hunger to his play.

Let us not though end on a negative.  Enrique, Lucas, Suarez and the combination of Skrtel and Agger were excellent, as was Pepe’s distribution after a very rare off night in Stoke.  Three points is 3 points, bring on Swansea and a return to the beautiful view from Block 222. 

The View From Block 222

Sunderland

Bolton

Norwich