Good Kop Bad Kop
By Dave Houlgate
Issue 72, Spring 2006
Things ain’t what they used to be you know. And certainly not the Kop. Gone are the days of standing, constant singing, noise, wit, humour, Scouse accents etc etc, infinitum. Take the recent Man City game. First, ‘taunted’ by the Citeh fans and then chided by some of our own, its true there was a distinct lack of atmosphere at the game. So why is it so poor now? All-seater stadiums? wools? or out-of-towners? Well actually – It isn’t so poor now. Some games undoubtedly are but haven’t we experienced some of the great Kop performances ever in the past 12 months – Olympiakos, Juve, Chelsea (not forgetting Arsenal last season). And prior to those games what about Barca and Roma, a couple more from our recent history. And all these games were played in an all-seater stadium with the same ratio of wools and out-of-towners that there will have been at the City game. These arguments are put forward by people too lazy to give the subject serious thought. How can we, the most famous supporters in the world, turn in such abject performances. Well there are loads of reasons for this, none of which involve wools or out-of towners.
We are always going to be up for big European games and matches against our main and local rivals but frankly West Brom, Portsmouth, Fulham etc just don’t float our boat. And our indifference about City actually says so much about them. Irrelevant.
The only chance these teams have of raising us from our slumber is if one of their players slags us off in the press or they come to Anfield with an advantage, ie a lead from a first leg game (the League Cup semi of 2001 against Palace met both these criteria and Anfield rocked. In the 1995 semi against the same team, we weren’t slagged and Palace didn’t have a first leg lead. Consequently that atmosphere wasn’t as good). Alternatively if one of their players was to piss in the Kop goal and then flick v’s at the crowd, immediately before kick off, its also likely that the ante will be raised).
Kick off times also have big influences on atmosphere. Night games are generally better. Morning games aren’t. The later the kick off, the more opportunities to have an ale or three. Whether this improves the atmosphere or not is anyone’s guess but I’d say it does. A crowd is definitely more up for it after a few bevies. No question. People become more aggressive and there’s no doubt that aggression (in moderation of course) makes a crowd more animated.
We also have loads and loads of fans who rely on someone else starting a song. The forums are always crowded with fans saying how shit it was at the game and how they always sing but how many of these actually have the balls to start a song. If most of the people who sing all the time actually….erm sang all of the time. Then this wouldn’t be an issue. So if those fans who do have the balls to get something going turn up and think I really can’t be arsed today, that’s fine with me.
And of course there’s the legend of the Kop to live up to. The Kop’s reputation is based on big matches and at pivotal points in our history. Nothing can ever live up to a legend. Reality is always different. It can’t possibly be like that for every game. They are the exception to the rule. Muhammad Ali’s legend is unquestioned. His fights against Liston, Frazer, Norton and Foreman ensured that. But most of Ali’s fights weren’t great. Indeed the majority were mismatches and easy. But some will live forever. The Kop’s the same.
The fact is WE remain the most famous football supporters in the World. And it’s as much to do with now as it is the 60’s and 70’s. Sure, Anfield can be like any other ground but when it matters, when it really counts, it can be the greatest place on earth. The banners are as good (if not better), the passion as strong, the wit as sharp and the noise deafening. We are the only supporters (Ingarland neanderthals apart) the press write about and its no surprise to me that after our ‘performances’ last season they’ve been dying to knock us down a peg or two this season. The United game was the opportunity they sought. At the time it happened, did anyone actually know Alan Smith had broken his leg? He’d been hit by the ball for Christ sake. Wasn’t it just a case of a few supporters actually singing about how hard Riise can hit the ball? Hindsight enabled the press to put a different perspective on things. Wasn’t Smith, a player who had antagonised Liverpool supporters over the years, clapped off the pitch by most fans? (and what about Van Der Sar being clapped to our end after half time. Unprecedented for a United keeper in recent times). And was that ambulance really attacked? I’ve got it on good authority that someone banged on the side of the ambulance ONCE as it drove past. Again the press trying to rubbish us. As for the shit story. Did that really happen? And whilst its true that the Munich song is sadly making a comeback (a new generation of Liverpool fan disconnected and unfamiliar with events involving Liverpool fans in the 80’s?) why was there no condemnation by the press of United fans singing Hillsborough songs? Quite simply, because it isn’t a story. United fans don’t have a reputation and aren’t there to be shot at. We do and consequently the press love to have a go. After all, we ARE famous. The famous Kopites.
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