Why Does This So Called ‘Lesser’ Curse Still Remain?
AS 3pm drew closer on Saturday, the excitement, expectation and the good feeling of a new era for Liverpool Football Club was in full swing.
At 5pm, the harsh reality of another long, daunting and inconsistent campaign was on the mind of even the biggest optimist.
Pundits and fans alike predicted an ‘easy win’ against a West Bromwich Albion side that have always proven difficult to get a result against.
Many will have dismissed or simply forgotten that it was only in April that a Peter Odemwingie goal at Anfield gifted all 3 points to the Baggies.
Since the Gerard Houllier years it seems that we have found it difficult to get the results that everybody in the footballing world would expect. I often find myself wondering if this is complacency, lack of motivation, or just sheer lack of respect for the opposition that is placed in front of us, by both us as supporters and also the players.
I think a combination of all three plays a major part to our shortcomings. Match day, at Anfield in particular, has a totally different feel to it depending on the opposition. Against the top clubs, the atmosphere can be described as electric, vibrant and the only place to be for all our fans. On the other hand, against the ‘lesser’ opposition, Anfield suddenly becomes a dull place to be, with the general feeling that it is more of a chore to be inside the ground rather than a pleasurable experience.
I firmly believe that a lack of motivation in the stands filters down to the players as kick-off approaches. Against the ‘lesser’ sides the tempo is slow, the passing is poor, the creativity is non-existent with none or very little movement off the ball. This is where complacency begins to creep in. Simple passes become misplaced, and the harmony of the team seems completely out of tune.
People have often suggested that Liverpool sides only need to turn up and that the opposition will crumble and succumb to defeat at the sight of the famous Liverbird. This may well be true when speaking about Liverpool sides of the 70’s and 80’s. We are now in 2012 and we no longer have that impact on our opposition. We are coming up against sides who respect our history but realise it is exactly that. The last time we won a league title, the majority of players both for and against are either too young to remember, or were not even born.
As fans I feel it is our duty to make sure we get behind and support our team. Many players have openly talked about how we can act as the 12th man and help ‘suck’ the ball into the net. Rather than us just having this affect against the big teams why can we not do this against the so called ‘lesser’ teams?
I feel we should all change our mentality regarding the lesser teams. We need to stop taking for granted that we are going to come away with a comfortable victory. As fans we need to vocally back our team and in return our players need to dig deep, show character and resilience.
It is all well playing for a club that has a glittering history, it means nothing if you do not write your own name into that history. The glorious images that decorate the walls behind the scenes at Anfield only exist due to players putting their bodies on the line, shedding their last ounce of energy and going into each and every game with the same mentality. It is 11 men vs 11 men, the hungrier set of men will prevail and be on the winning side come the full time whistle.
No game is an easy game in the Premier League, every team needs to be treated with the same respect, be it our closest rivals or a newly promoted side. The sooner we as fans and also the players adapt this mentality, then just maybe will we be able to reach the heights that we all so desperately want to get to.
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August 22nd, 2012
I think the problem against West Brom was quite simple. We just didn’t take our chances. Nothing to do with the fans, lack of atmosphere etc. For the first 40 minutes we were the better side and should have been well in front. As great as Luis Suarez is, it is frustrating at times to see the many chances he misses. On the positive side, many of his chances are self-made so he has great creative qualities. Didn’t Suarez have 8 shots/headers himself? That is probably as many, if not more, than the whole WBA side themselves.
In short, ultimately it has to come down to the players doesn’t it? After all didn’t we lose a lot of games last season against the so called “lesser” teams like West Brom. Wasn’t Steve Clarke part of the management team that couldn’t beat the “lesser” teams. He gets sacked, moves onto one of the “lesser” teams and there we go, we still lose. So if Dalglish and Clarke were to blame for those defeats (they must have been in the eyes of the owners because they sacked them), then who is to blame for Saturday when Clarke was manager of West Brom? Surely not Rodgers or the fans?
Not enough players do it when it matters. Fair do’s as well, Dowd had yet another stinker. Where he saw 2 penalties is a mystery. How did he send Agger off, but not Richardson last season in our opening game versus Sunderland. He didn’t send Vidic off either in the League Final versus Aston Villa when Vidic brought Agbonlahor down for a nailed-on penalty and red card for himself.
In short the players need to contribute more when it matters. It is hard to be critical of Luis, but other than him who else looks a goal threat? No-one really. With Suarez creating many of his own chances, who else is creating? Not many others really and some not at all.
August 23rd, 2012
We are meant to be supporters not spectators. The silence in the ground when we play “lesser” teams is obvious, we need to get behind the team and sing/shout/stamp/make whatever noise to show our support. Blaming the players is easy but the oise in Anfield during a Man U or Everton game is tremendous but not there when we play WBA at home. This however cannot be leveled at our away supporters who, in my experience, constantly make noise supporting the team.
August 23rd, 2012
Good shout Frank, totally agree. Silence is deafening at times at Anfield and this has grown more evident over the Premier League era. Away’s are always buoyant though!