Topic: Are we humans or are we knobheads?

[Andy @ Allerton!]

I've been supporting Liverpool quite a while. It's a weirdy thingy with football that's not quite like anything else.

Firstly, it's tribal. It's "Your team" - so you immedaitely have contention and competition with those that don't like your team. Probably goes further than most other pasttimes - unless you're a dedicated nutter - see boy band/girl band/guitar brand/car band geeks.

Secondly, it's personal. If your team gets beaten then it can be upsetting and annoying. Quite often we'll want to blame someone or something else because we were not very good that day. People having a go at your team is people having a go at you.

Thirdly, it's a rich source of knowledge and detail and history and understanding and experience. It's ever-changing and ever-involving and there are endless debates you can have on the players, the managers, the fans, the City, the tactics, the formations, the training, the disruption for internationals and injuries


... and there is so much to think about all the time. 20-30 years ago I could have told you every single player in the squad - indeed, I used to go and watch the reserves and some of the Academy games. I'd be able to tell you how old they were, their previous clubs, their goal tally for the season and everything about other players in the league. Thesedays I don't seem to have time for anything, so I struggle sometimes to identify our 83 or 94 or 1,817 shirt when they come on.


It's a great pasttime, but is it 'fun' in the other way things are 'fun'. Going to the game, I quite often feel anxious or stressed as I worry about what will happen. Post-game I quite often feel angry or annoyed. Do we all sometimes take it all too seriously? Is it really a matter of life and death and as important as we feel? People that don't follow football - or just casually follow it probably don't get it and I can understand that.


Do we all take it too far sometimes? What steps can we do to try and enjoy it more? I used to love going to the game and reading all the stuff at build up and listen to the pundits and the experts in print and TV media. Everything about it I loved and now much of it makes me annoyed or angry.


What can we do to return what was a great, fun hobby back into a great, fun hobby and not something that drives you around the bend half the time?

When I've spoken about this to lower league sides their opinion is that  we are lucky - they only dream of the highs we can get to - and I get that - but the other side of the coin is that when you aren't challenging and when you aren't ripping trees up, it's kind of more fun. I remember some of the best seasons I enjoyed was because we were crap. I could go to games and just enjoy it - I wouldn't give a fuck about the ref or really the result, because we weren't very good. We were out of all the competitions and we were likely to finish a bit lower in the league. No pressure. No cares. Just enjoyed the game and tried to get behind the lads.

Obviously we all want success, but the stress of the whole thing is a bit much sometimes. I can totally understand why Klopp may have had enough. If it drives me this bonkers, then he's a 'heart on his sleeve', passionate, assertive and rigerous person - he must be on 100% simmer pretty much all the time just by standing still.


Is there a way to see us successful and yet enjoy it more. I get into arguments with people everywhere. I get angry. I get pissed off (Even when we win sometimes) - are we all like that or is it just me?

[Mahern]

You have to understand where football comes from. It is pure tribalism, always has been going back through the centuries. It's your young men against theirs. It's not supposed to be entertainment. You should be invested to the last degree, because they are representing you. That's the relationship between manager, players and fans that Shankly spoke about, which makes us more special than most.

Although I am more knobhead than human so that might be wrong.

[Terry de Niro]

Now I've got that Killers song as an earworm. Cheers..   

[rob1966]

Most of the time I'm human, at the match I'm a fucking knobhead and I fucking love it, as I get to get all my anger and frustration out by calling Tierney and Oliver cheating c*nts and going absolutely mental when we score. Never crossed that line though of being a hooligan, like some of my mates did in the late 70's and 80's.

Footy is not as enjoyable as the 70s/80s though. The commentators were miles better, there was none of this banter shite. There's hardly a decent comm now who just does the job, the majority of co-comms are fucking idiots, I'd fuck 95% of them off. Its a waste when you have the likes of Sturridge, who is great to listen to, not getting to do it much but have to put up with Jenas, Joe Cole, et al talking fucking wham. Mind you, back then, I was going to every home game and my Dad was spending less than £90 a year to do so, now it'd cost me about £4k a season to take the kids

[Son of Spion]

No, we are Devo.

[9 kemlyn road]

I’m human about it to a point these days now but there increasingly a lot of time I hate the the thing.
As a child getting into football late 60s early 70s adolescent days I loved it ,trouble was you couldn’t hardly get any in those days.
Football preview with Sam leatch on grandstand Saturday dinner time later to become football focus with Bob Wilson showing last weeks goals,on the ball Brian Moore on itv .match of the day that night ,highlights on Sunday afternoon,couple of reports in the mirror Monday and that was it for the week ..nothing till next week.
Season ends in may then football ceased to exist till day before the season started in august ,absolutely nothing about .
As Rob says the commentators were miles better ,no pre scripted agenda driven shite just said what was happening in front of them, on their own ,no co commentator or pundit.David Coleman ..toshak Keegan …one nil ..perfect .Barry Davies ,John motson ,Brian Moore and the great Peter jones on second half radio 2 commentary..wonderful ,the soundtrack to my youth until I could go to the games for real.
Nowadays the very thing I craved as youngster is here ,wall to wall coverage ,24-7 ,live games by the gallon …and I hate it I wish it would fuck off  sometimes with all the bullshit we have to endure ,banter ,carra , Neville ,so called controversy at every turn  ,sly sport ,by ,talkshite ,all this turns me into a knobhead.
Don’t get me wrong ,these last 9 nine years watching klopps reds giving us one high after another,classic days and nights that have added hugely to our great history and will go down in anfield folklore .it’s been a hell of a ride .all this turns me back to a human .
So tomorrow I will watch the game from precisely the point the kick off takes place ,with the sound muted ,go mental when we score ,switch off at half time ,same routine for the second half then ,win ,lose or draw switch it off at full time and just wish it was like it was back in my youth .