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What can Liverpool do to change the Flatmosphere?

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Liverpool fansTHE tingling down the spine, the pent up energy of the crowd in anticipation and the buzz before the first boot touches the ball to signify kick-off.

This is how the build up to a football match should be. Sadly, on 26th August 2012 in my first home league game as a season ticket holder, there was no such fervour.

Sure, it was exciting on a personal level but surrounded by people who were looking to find reasons to criticize the Reds rather than support them, the atmosphere was a disappointment.

It hasn’t improved.

It would be fair to say that since the incredible title challenge in 2009, Liverpool FC have been at a static level. 7th 2010, 6th 2011, 8th 2012 and this season LFC will likely finish somewhere in that region again. Obviously, to fall from the brink of securing the title to upper/mid-table is tough to ingest. The team looked to be one that underperformed rather than one that was not up to the task and frustration has been vented at every corner of the club ever since.

It was the owner’s fault, it was the manager’s fault, it was the players’ fault, it was the director of football’s fault and it was the ground’s fault. But whatever the reason might be, the team and the fans have remained deflated.

In the heady days of Champions League campaigns that went deep into the season, the atmosphere at Anfield was pulsating. The chants were boisterous and positive, new songs were witty and taken up quickly and, in response to the ‘Reclaim the Kop’ initiative, inventive new verses were composed for the stars of the game. Optimism pumped through Scouse veins, it was a great time to be a Liverpool fan.

Now, Anfield is a much cooler environment. Of course, it can be hard to get impassioned by a team that doesn’t reach expectations. Fans have been more muted and grumblings have become persistent and louder as a result. The energy in the stands is diminished and it needs to be addressed.

There is no doubt that a lack of success has contributed to the flatmosphere that has permeated this season’s games but perhaps a dose of realism would help. After all, even in these times of poor league finishes there have been trips to Wembley for the League Cup and FA Cup Finals and under Rodgers’ command, Liverpool have handed out some football schoolings, Suarez has ignited the season with moments of incredible genius and we have been treated to a sack full of goals.

Though that’s not to say we should not aim for more.
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Some have pointed to the win in Istanbul as a watershed moment for many of those who have been match day regulars for decades. After seeing what were wilderness years in the 90s, compared to the domination of the 80s, fans reached their climax at the Champions League Final 2005, where the club rose from the dead to seal one of the greatest victories in football history. However, the prospect of a league title kept the appetite whet and voices at Anfield full.

The argument therefore reverts back to the disappointment in the post-Benitez era. The lack of longevity of a manger has definitely contributed. Without a central figure to rally around, it is easy to lose direction as well as faith but there are other issues which have silenced the roar of Anfield.

The difficulty in obtaining the holy grail of a season ticket means that there is a lack of new blood on the terraces. The loyal supporters are disenfranchised by the quality on display leaving little to stimulate the atmosphere outside of the ‘hardcore’ in the Kop. There are many who are hungry to attend and support the Reds in droves and lend vocal support to the team even in the face of the comparative mediocrity on the pitch.

This is compounded by the inability of younger fans to get season tickets where they are sat with friends. In my current seat, I am a solitary voice singing the whole of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ as it is piped through the stadium. Any attempt to begin a chant falls on deaf ears. There is a smattering of isolated young fans amongst a huddle of older heads, hoping to ride out the dross in the hope that Liverpool can rebuild to their former glory.

They have no interest in singing in support of the team now, they continue to pay their money for fear of being unable to return to the stands if the Liverbird takes flight once more. This is not a criticism of those fans, merely an observation as to why Anfield is not the hostile environment it once was.

So what can be done to alleviate this? The obvious is for the club to bring back the success of old but that is more difficult than it seems. After all, Liverpool Football Club has spent a fortune without delivering the expected returns, which coincidentally has also bolstered fan resentment. Now more than ever a vibrant atmosphere is necessary to provide any extra help to lift the club from its current state.

The club could offer a scheme in which isolated season ticket holders can ask to be placed with other people. The club could then attempt to move fans next to each other when a season ticket isn’t renewed. The back of the Kop remains a hotbed of noise but the club could consider bringing in an additional ‘singing section’ elsewhere in the stadium for those who want to make as much noise as possible (this is not advocating a standing section) or reduce ticket prices for ‘less fashionable’ competitions to make sure the stadium is filled and more youngsters get to see the game.

Failing that, we may have to accept that Anfield just isn’t going to be the cauldron it was until success is brought back.
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27 comments

  • JOhnno says:

    Spoken like a true plastic.

  • stevieG says:

    There is one thing we can do – Sack Rodgers and give the fans a proper manager we can ALL get behind

    Rodgers has divided the fans , many like me , sit there and applaud when there is some good play , sing YNWA etc etc … But my heart is not in it , because of Rodgers . We are wasting our time with this guy

    The great anfield atmosphere will never return as long as Rodgers is boss

    • joeyzaza says:

      @ stevieg stop being a hater n bais. J????? cuz u hate sm1 shdnt blind u 2 d obvious fact dat d man inherited a horrible team/set of players except 4 a few. Its rather obvious that success is a slow process n without patience n commitment u cnt get der. Rogers is committed 2 d cause by virtue of his optimistic words evryday. Learn 2 follow suit or better still take a cue frm borrusia dortmund mayb u’l undstnd wer W?????? r headed. YNWA

  • joeyzaza says:

    Eva snc we won d champions league n fell into obscurity I think this is the first tym I can boldly say we are rili on the right track of bringing the glory days to anfield.

  • Howard says:

    1. Sack Bodgers. He doesn’t inspire anyone. Most fans hate him anyway
    2. Stop putting the prices up. Get more locals going..less tickets for the day trippers

    • Real says:

      What MOST fans you fool. Fans like you are destroying the club and making it destined to fail with your negativity. Go support Man City

  • Samuel appiah says:

    What is d meaning of this,lets all get behind d manager,i recall we did d same to rafa,lets reclaim d success dat defines us not dis pull him down attitude

    • Raymond says:

      well said samuel , but rodgers deserves the criticism he gets because with the team we have even mourinho would have taken us to the top 3 .but BR should be given at least another chance coz d way we have played this season was really a joy to watch.there’s no doubt that next season the minimum target should be a top 4 spot.. and then we can start from there.YNWA

  • jim says:

    Rodger out

  • Tommy says:

    Stevie G is correct. There is no hope or belief inside Anfield cos our manager is second rate. And he is a arrogant idiot

  • red scouser says:

    Too many foreigners who don’t sing…..FFS I there were 2 Irish guys beside me last month who didn’t open their mouth the whole game

    There not much to get excited about nowadays either

    Our manager is hopeless and no sign of things getting better any time soon

  • DaveWestAus says:

    You want truth ; here it is ; True born and bred ‘ Scousers’ cannot afford the cost of going to a match week in and week out anymore! obviously because of sky high prices.I am not knocking LFC fans of non Liverpool ancestry,however there is a loss of ‘Scouse wit’ at matches these days because of the reasons I have mentioned! Lot’s of fans these days can only afford to watch games that are broadcast to ‘pubs’ throughout the city! It is fantastic for LFC to have such a large fanbase from outside the city who attend home matches,but I feel quite sure that a lot of the old Scouse wit is lost because a lot of the locals are not in the stadium because they cannot afford the the high prices.A legacy of the need to be in Europe etc. OWNERS who want to make millioms of $$$$$$$$$$$

    • Real says:

      There are support groups who need to get together and approach Ian Ayre. I agree. I think people from Liverpool should be given discounted tickets or even free for kids etc. and I’m a Londoner

  • callum says:

    Fsg are sucking the life out of Liverpool. There is little or no hope for the future

    • Real says:

      If you truly believe that then jog on to another club. Cos that’s just pure negativity bringing the club down

  • Mark says:

    The manager is ffing clueless .Get rid. He is making us worse.

  • Real says:

    2 draws and the SACK ROGERS brigade are out. Shallow fickle stupid fans. The beginning if the end for this club I see. Not because of the manager or the owners or the players. But a section of negative short sighted impatient immature fans. Whose negativity WILL be the end of the club.
    Try actually listening to the words of YNWA when you sing it, not just sing like a hymn you idiots.

    “Walk on, through the rain
    Though your dreams be tossed and blown
    Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart”

    If you think it’s stormy times, walk on with hope and be brave. Don’t be a wining moaning little girl. Be a soldier. A crowd of soldiers behind the team WILL overcome the odds eventually and make that success so much sweeter.

    Do you think Man City players or fans felt anything near the same LFC fans would feel if we won the prem league, NO! Cos they bought that success. Do you think Chelsea felt anything like we felt at Istanbul, No! Cos they didn’t overcome adversity.

    Be soldiers or leave. Better to have a few thousands MEN then a million wimps who are just a weight in the clubs back.

    • GAZ says:

      What a fool u are . It has nothing to do wit 2 draws.it has been our worst season in over 65 years..and Rodgers is our worst manager in 65 years

      I’ve seen u comment a lot…it is obvious u are clueless about football

      All u say is ….blah blah…go support someone else
      …well it’s apathetic docile fools like u who are ruining our club

      You sit back and applaud while a rubbish manager is making us worse

      We WILL get Rodgers out…and hopefully idiots like u will follow him back to Reading when he is sacked

    • Tommy says:

      Real. Get back in your pram

  • Tommy says:

    Sack bloody Rodgers. Then u will hear the atmosphere return !!!!

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