I wasn't able to get to the match on Saturday. If the atmosphere was good it didn't come across through the TV microphones. But I noticed something else whilst watching the live broadcast which concerned me. It was to do with the look of the ground and the supporters. After encountering someone who seems, like me, to want to have a positive effect on the atmosphere of matches, I've taken a few steps to try and make a difference. So here goes...
One thing that made me proud of the supporters of Liverpool Football Club is how intimidating we can look as a crowd. Before I ever attended a match at Anfield I was in awe of the Kop. Champions League nights at Anfield were something to behold, even on television. I felt a reverent pride in seeing such a display of power and unity and knowing that this heaving mass represented my team to the world. Commentators and pundits could not help but acknowledge the Kop and its anthem as thousands roared You'll Never Walk Alone for the world to hear and be moved. Those lucky enough to be on the Kop wore their team's shirt and held their scarves aloft, everyone joining together to complete a 12,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. The impression you got as an observer was that these people, as well as trying to inspire their team, were revelling in the sheer joy of being able to say "We are the famous Kop. Our team is about to perform, but this is
our moment. You
will see us. You
will listen to us. You
will be impressed by us."
The following picture is well-used. I'm not sure when it was taken, though I'm pretty sure it was during our Champions League run of 2006-07 (or that of 2008-09). I look at it and want to be part of it. I am envious of those who were there.
But we haven't looked intimidating for some time. We haven't even looked impressive.
OK, that's a shot from an obviously buzzing European night, but things have certainly changed since that time. People turn up in their dark-coloured coats or hoodies, and many without scarves. I look around me in despair during our anthem as I see "supporters" on the Kop with no team colours on show and no scarf, arms folded, waiting for the singing to stop so that the match can start.
In the space of a few years we've gone from looking like the above vision to this:
Granted, this is a picture of a smaller section of the crowd, but anyone can see the difference between the two pictures. It's staggering. People outnumber scarves by an alarming ratio. Why? Is a scarf cumbersome? Is it unfashionable to wear a scarf to a football match? Will scarves at Anfield eventually become a thing of the past? We cannot let that happen, it's unthinkable. Now, imagine everyone brought a scarf with them. You can't bring a scarf to the match and not hold it above your head during YNWA. In turn, with a scarf aloft, you'll naturally be holding your head up ("high", some would say). I challenge anyone to hold up a scarf and not end up singing Oscar Hammerstein II's famous words.
This season we're seeing plenty of large flags being flown regularly, and not just on designated "flag days". Those who fly them are doing a great job. It's nice to see old banners and flags and it's equally good to see that new ones are being made quite frequently. But the Kop just doesn't look the same if those flags aren't being waved from the midst of thousands of scarves.
Secondly, why so little red? Neutral colours (overridingly black), pervade the second picture. The only consistent appearance of the colour red is the relatively few scarves that can be seen.
When I'm at the back of the Kop I look around Anfield to see the scarves of my fellow supporters as they sing. The back of the Kop is naturally flush with scarves, but it's practically invisible to the rest of the stadium. There's always a concentrated section of scarves in the lower Anfield Road stand, spilling over into that end of the lower Centenary. It looks great. The problem is that the visual support doesn't spread beyond that area with the same intensity. Scarves are, at best, dotted around the ground, and that includes the Kop.
Every Red reading this knows that Manchester City's
Blue Moon is a feeble attempt at trying to achieve an atmosphere similar to Anfield's when
You'll Never Walk Alone is being sung. But which crowd consistently looks best during their respective pre-match ritual? I hate to say it, but the answer is the one at the Etihad. Far more scarves are regularly seen there. If that's not incentive enough to shock you into action, nothing is.
I was at the game against Zenit St Petersburg last season. We created an amazing atmosphere. We dragged that team to a great win, even if the final result wasn't enough to see us progress to the next stage of the competition. I felt immensely proud of our team that night, but I was more impressed by the support the crowd gave. It was one of the most incredible nights of my life. But there's a reality check coming: the manager and certain players had, through the media, asked - yes, actively
asked - the fans to provide the historic Anfield atmosphere to help drag the team over the line. From what I know of the great man, Shanks would be so sad to think things had got that bad.
So, what are we going to do about it?
Positivity breeds positivity. Indifference breeds indifference. Negativity breeds... well, you get the idea.
Imagine, as you've done countless times, you're a Liverpool player. You've just walked out of the dugout to a loud cheer and a round of applause. You've then played a game of football. The people in the stadium want you to win and they make all the right noises when they're supposed to, singing some songs.
Now see yourself striding out of the dugout into a cauldron of noise. 40,000 people are bellowing their support and deafening the opposition to the point of fear. How do you feel, knowing that mighty throng are on your side?
We, as a crowd, can win Liverpool Football Club points this year. The team have had a great start to the season. Don't say it too loudly, but the most optimistic among us would say we may even be looking at a potential title race. We are certainly in with a good shout of making the top four. How sad it would be if we, the famous Kopites, don't make the most of this chance. It would be easy to let the team roll along picking up a merely respectable points tally. Imagine that we finish third this season, but that the atmopshere within Anfield never really took off. You'll live knowing that if we'd made a bit more noise, if we'd made Anfield look that bit more impressive and shown a bit more visual support, we might have achieved more. Remember, Coutinho is yet to come back from injury and there's a rumour of a big-name player making his way to Anfield this January. We can win this! Show that you believe it!
Those of you lucky enough to be on the Kop in 2004 when Stevie hit that "beauty" against Olympiakos, remember the passion you felt as you streamed toward him in the melee of ecstatic bodies. Well, close your eyes, dig up those emotions and feel them again, because we're going places once more, and we'll get there that much quicker if you can recall the fire you felt in your belly that night.
If, like me, you weren't at Anfield that famous night, remember the most passionate support you've given, remember the most elated you've felt watching the Redmen play. Imagine you
were there to see Gerrard's rocket of a goal. Imagine running towards him in a moment of blind joy.
Feel good?
We all know that when you look good, you feel good. If we know the Kop looks spectacular because it's awash with scarves and is a sea of red once more and that WE are contributing to that spectacle, the atmosphere will be incredible.
So, here's the practical bit (and tell you what, it's so simple):
If you used to wear red to the match but have got out of the habit of it, there's no better time to start again! Dig out a red shirt and wear it!
Is the weather cold? Wear layers. Keep warm. But make sure that your last layer is red. Wear a red coat or jacket, or wear a home shirt over your hoodie. Don't cover your red top.
Got a Liverpool scarf at home? Bring it to the game! Don't have a scarf? Simple! Buy one!
Make the Kop look good again.If we look good, we'll want to sound good.
WEAR RED. BRING A SCARF. SING.
I've started a Twitter account for this as I'm going to try and work together with a couple of Reds to get this established and recognised to help. Please follow and give your support. It's @lfcscarf
Also, please follow @TheFamousKop, a great Red who's full of practical ideas to get us roaring again, and the person who inspired me to type this. He's trying to get a crowd singing outside the ground before the match, encouraging people to join them, then those with Kop tickets will move inside the ground 30 minutes prior to kick-off to generate an atmosphere inside Anfield.
I've got a few ideas for drumming up support, but please do what you can to share this, as making the Kop look its best will mean the ground will sound its best and then the lads on the pitch will play their best.
#wearredbringascarfsing
weararedscarf@outlook.com
