Walk On and "We Go Again"

The final whistle had just been blown at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. The first leg of the Champions League Semi-Final between Barcelona and Liverpool had just ended. It was 3-0 and Liverpool had just lost. It had appeared to be the end of the season. The Liverpool players had their heads in their hands and slowly walked off the pitch after losing a game that they played so well in. It was just one of those days where the other team had taken their chances and were almost flawless. It was heartbreaking and hard to watch as a Liverpool fan. The Premier League was done and dusted with Manchester City going to win it all and now the Champions League campaign was surely over as 3-0 was a scoreline that was synonymous with defeat. 

In the locker room, after most of the players had backed up and left, two remained in the ice-baths. One of them was Sadio Mané and the other was Fabinho. They both sat there, looking up to the ceiling, reflecting about the game. Mané looked over at Fabinho asked about a teammate of theirs named Georginio "Gini" Wijnaldum and said, "Gini told me that we are going to qualify, what do you think?" And then Fabinho said, "I think we are going to qualify." Mané responded with "Good, then we are three." One week later, in the Liverpool locker room before the players went on to the pitch for the second leg, the manager, Jürgen Klopp said to them, "It is impossible [to win] but because it's you, we've got a chance." Liverpool won 4-0. The whole team, staff and trainers, stayed after the game and sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" with the Kop.

About a decade and a half earlier, in late May of 2005, Liverpool heard the halftime whistle and headed to the locker room with their tales tucked between their legs. They were losing 3-0 to A.C. Milan in the Champions League Final. The whole world was watching them be humiliated. Then manager, Rafa Benítez, said that the team just needed one goal to get back in the game. The team stretched out and cooled off during the remaining minutes of halftime and began to think about what they had to do to get that goal. As they came back out onto the pitch, the Liverpool section of the stadium was covered in red smoke and flares with the scarves held up high and the fans belting out that same anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone." That goal came nine minutes after the second half started. Liverpool won the game on penalties and the game and it is considered the one of the greatest comebacks in the sports history.

Fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" as the players return from halftime

Jamie Carragher celebrates with the fans after winning the Champions League final

When Liverpool had beaten Manchester City 3-2 on the anniversary of Hillsborough in 2014 to go top of the Premier League with only a handful of games left in the season, it was emotional. The game was close, psychical, and incredibly tense for both teams. The team was huddled together around club captain, Steven Gerrard, who had been trying his whole career to win the Premier League. With tears in his eyes he told his teammates to forget what had just happened and go into the next game against Norwich City with the same intensity. He then said, "We go again." Liverpool ended up losing the league title. They had the trophy practically in their hands and tied one of their last games to a weaker side named Crystal Palace, 3-3 after leading 3-0 with ten minutes left. There is something about Liverpool and the scoreline isn't there? Even though Liverpool did not ultimately taste glory that season, the catchphrase, "We go again" became a battlecry amongst fans. To this very day, regardless of what the outcome or result of a certain game is, the mindset of every Liverpool fan and player is, "we go again." Meaning we move on to the next challenge. The past is the past and now it is time to focus on the task at hand. Get up and dust yourself off, it is time to play again. 

Team huddle after beating Manchester City 3-2

Luis Suárez cries after tying Crystal Palace 3-3 

To say that this is the attitude of Liverpool would be an understatement. It is the culture and identity of the club. At the end of each game, regardless of what the score is, the fans sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" beginning right before stoppage time ends and is typically sung through the final whistle. If you ask me, I think it is that is the identity of the city as well.

What comes to my mind when I think of the city, besides soccer, of course, would be a multitude of different things. The city has produced some of the best music in history like The Beatles, as we all know, as well as, Echo and the Bunnymen, A Flock of Seagulls, The La's, and plenty of other first wave alternative groups. The flourishing art scene mixed with the club's dominance during the late 70s and early 80s and the fact that the city was a major trading port for most of its existence made the city and therefore the club undeniably attractive. That is not to say that there were low points.

When I say low points, I mean incredibly low. It is hard to pinpoint an exact moment as to when the city and club saw their own downfalls. It is perhaps best to start with the city. When Margaret Thatcher was elected as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, she implemented a number of regulations that saw the decline of many working-class and industrial cities in the northern parts of the U.K. Liverpool, being a port city in the northwest of England, was directly feeling these effects. The citizens of Liverpool rioted in the streets demanding change, especially the black community, in what became known at the Toxteth Riots. Liverpool was literally burning from the inside. Unemployment had reached depression level numbers and many fled the city looking for other jobs and opportunities. Yet, the club was somehow still finding success domestically and across the continent of Europe so the city, or at least the part of the city that supported Liverpool and not Everton F.C., had something to sing about. 

Eventually, things calmed down a bit in Liverpool and across the United Kingdom. However, the club was starting to face their own adversities. In 1989 the Hillsborough Disaster happened leaving ninety-six Liverpool supporters dead, the 90s witnessed Liverpool decline and drop in the league as they were finishing the seasons in mid-table regularly. A club that was once considered the best in the land was now viewed as mediocre and underwhelming to watch or support. The 2000s brought financial troubles to the club as they were hundreds of millions of pounds in debt with no where to turn and faced what seemed to be certain bankruptcy.

Today, Hillsborough still lingers on in the minds and hearts of all associated Liverpool but they finished in second place last season with a record breaking 97 points (only point off from first place), have been to the Champions League final four times since 2005 and have won it twice, and are currently seeing financial success under new ownership. Some might call this reliving the glory days but I think these present moments are adding onto the history of the club, not recreating it. The club decided to not roll over but instead, to walk on.

Even when the city was decrepit and falling apart, fans died at games, the squad had become shambolic and washed up, and the club was seemingly about to fall apart, the fans and club still walked on. Whatever was thrown the club's way, they marched through it and came out on the other side. 

When I think of this club, my club, I think about the fortitude that it exudes on a daily basis. Reflecting on all of the challenging moments that the club has faced, it was not those moments that defined them, it was how they responded. I know that there are going to be more rough patches up ahead and it will not be pretty to watch, but I know how the club will react to those testing times.

In a little over a week the Premier League season will kick-off (8/9/19) again and Liverpool have the opening game under the lights at Anfield. I will obviously be watching it and I am excited for the new season to start. I know players will get injured, memories will be made, and there will be both plenty of highs and lows to come. As a fan, I know what I have to do and that is get behind the club and support it each game regardless of their outcomes. The players will also give it their all every match. I also know that the fans will still protest for the justice that the ninety-six victims of Hillsborough deserve. Many trophies and rewards are on the line, some players will be retiring at the end of the season, some will be starting their careers next week. All of them will get to hear the rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone." Next Friday's opener should be a great game. It is against Norwich City, the team Gerrard said we have to go against with intensity. So, the only thing I as a fan can say to that is, "We Go Again."

The Kop End

For 127 years Liverpool have called Anfield home. Countless players, managers, and opposing teams have passed through the grounds, each leaving their own mark on the stadium's history; including sensational goals, last minute drama, controversial decisions, success, failure, ecstasy, and disappointment. Yet, there is one part of the club that has seen everything: the Kop end. If there is one part of the stadium that is alive, besides the fans inside, it would the famous Kop end. When Anfield was opened in 1892, it was tiny, wooden and had four stands surrounding the pitch for the fans to watch. Today, the stadium is massive, made out of mostly steel and aluminum and is quite high tech. All of the four stands have gone under massive reconstruction but the Kop still stands out.

The Kop end today

The Kop was originally a standing section only and was a one massive terrace. Fans would sway back and forth, singing songs and celebrating goals. It truly was a living being from 1892-1994, until the Kop was remodeled after Hillsborough and in my opinion, rightly so, even though others still believe that the Kop should have been left untouched. No one should lose their life at a sporting event though. Psychically, it looked different, but the spirit was and still is there. Many of the fans in the Kop are season ticket holders and are locals. They are commonly referred to as "Kopites." Though the atmosphere of the Kop can be deafening, encouraging, and to opposing teams it can be terrifying, there is a sense of community on the Kop. I had the privilege to interview a Kopite myself and he said that on match days he reunites with old friends and they share sweets that they made for the game. 

The Kop 1983

Even though regulations now make it mandatory that all sections have seating, the Kopites still stand during the entirety of the game. Many banners, flags, and scarfs are still seen waving as the players enter the pitch for the game. The rules might have changed but the tradition still lives on. I always wonder what will happen at the Kop end each season. Something special always happens, whether it would be the last minute goal that bounced twice off the cross bar to beat local rivals Everton F.C., goals that counted even if it the ball may not have crossed the line, seeing goals that defined a career, etc. The Kop is rumored to have sucked in goals with the noise that it generates. I have seen it happen and I will see it happen again.

Luis Garciá's "Ghost Goal" in the 2005 Champions League Semi-Final

The Kop end minutes before the Garicá goal

If you are looking for someone that has seen it all, it won't be an old fan or former player. It would be the Kop end and all of those moments are still engrained in its seats, like sunshine in a bottle. The Kop is waiting for more incredible moments to come along so it can soak it all in and add memories to the club's history. The way I see it, the Kop is like a time capsule and each seat has its own piece of memorabilia waiting for someone to discover it.

Through the Eyes of a Local Fan

One of the things that I love about supporting Liverpool is the fact that the fan base is tight-knit. I reached out to a fan who lives half way around the world, who runs a blog of his own and being a fan of his content, I was elated that he responded and agreed to do an interview over email. His name is Adam and he was able to share his views of the club as well as give me an insight to the everyday life of a local Liverpool fan.

Q: First, if you could tell me who you are and where you live? Then, how did you become a fan of the club and describe in your own words what Liverpool F.C. is to you?

A: My name is Adam Smith and I’m an actor (under the name of Adam Stevens) and a writer. I live on the Wirral, which is the other side of the water to Liverpool. In the 1960s a band called Gerry & The Pacemakers had a hit with a song called ‘Ferry Cross The Mersey.’ The Wirral is where the ferry begins its journey to head to Liverpool. What Liverpool is to me is a tricky question to answer. It’s my love, my lifelong passion and my connection to my family and friends. My dad got me into Liverpool and it’s him that I think about when anything important to do with the club happens. I was so happy to get to watch the Reds win the European Cup with him, for example.

Q: What role do you see yourself in as part of the club community?

A: I don’t really see that I have a role in the club community other than being a supporter, someone who is there to get behind the team and to offer constructive criticism when necessary. I suppose there’s an extent to which that’s me being slightly modest. I run a Liverpool-themed blog of my own and I regularly contribute to The Anfield Wrap, a Liverpool-themed podcast, so I suppose I also try to articulate what a section of supporters is feeling about the club at any given moment.

Q: Liverpool is a club full of traditions and history, if you could, tell me your favorite tradition(s) and why it is your favorite?

A: That’s a great question and one that I’m not sure I’ve got an equally good answer to. The singing of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before the match is unquestionable high on the list, though. It’s not just a song but an anthem and, arguably, the most appropriate anthem in football. The club and support base has been through some incredibly testing times over the years and You’ll Never Walk Alone has been variously a lament, a song of celebration and a call to arms. It feels a little twee sometimes but when Anfield’s at its most powerful you see the song’s genuine importance both to those that sing it and those that hear it.

Q: We have witnessed one of the best seasons Liverpool have played in recent memory and certainly in the Premier League era, as a fan over in the U.K. describe to me what it was like to watch it all happen over there with your own eyes. And how does it make you feel as a Liverpool fan?

A: It was a genuinely incredible season. It was one of ups and downs, highs and lows. It’s the first time in my memory as an adult supporter, and I’m 36, that every single game felt like it meant something right from the off. Watching it unfold was incredible bit also emotionally draining.  Normally, when the season ends I can’t wait for the next one to get back underway, but I haven’t felt that this summer. I didn’t even know how much I needed a break from football until our pre-season games were being played and I didn’t feel like watching them. I’m fatigued from the emotion of the season, I think!  Unfortunately, we live in the ‘banter era’ of football, so if we hadn’t won the European Cup I’m not sure how I’d have coped. I don’t think I know how Jürgen Klopp would’ve got his players to recover from a trophy-less season after playing so incredibly well. Watching that pan out on social media was hard to take, but the win ultimately made it all the more satisfying. 

Q: The club is connected to tragedy. Though it may be something that happened years ago, it is still very much deeply rooted within the Liverpool community. Has Hillsborough affected you in any way? And why is it important to keep those who are younger aware of this painful moment in the club's history?

A: I’m very fortunate that Hillsborough hasn’t affected me directly in any real way. I know people that it did affect, but I wasn’t one of them. I think the importance of keeping the story of Hillsborough alive can be seen across the world in so many ways, far more often than it should be. In the UK, for example, we’ve seen with the Grenfell Fire and the government’s response to it and what can happen if victims are made out to be an ‘other.’ Young people need to know why it’s so important to refuse to allow the authorities to paint their own picture or tell their own story at the expense of the truth.

Q: Liverpool, are without a doubt one of the best teams in the world at the moment. Yet, no club doesn't go through struggles. You witnessed the club have great success, then have an awful period with financial difficulties where they were on the brink of bankruptcy, and now success again. What has it been like to go through these moments? Would you say that the struggle has been worth it for the glory?

A: I’m not sure it’s been ‘worth it,’ but certainly it’s made the glory more noteworthy. There’s maybe an extent to which Liverpool grew complacent during the 1980s and 1990s, assuming that success would always be there. We’ve seen first hand just how bad things can get if they’re allowed to slide. I’d argue that rather than making the successes more ‘worth it,’ the struggles we went through have taught us as supporters not to take success for granted and to keep an eye on the owners and make sure they’re treated the club right. It’s our club, not theirs, so it’s crucial that they don’t get given an inch if they seem to be doing anything other than what’s right and in the best interests of LFC.

Q: Anfield was one of the most historic and breathtaking grounds in the world. Having been in the Kop end numerous times, I would assume, is it possible to explain to those that have never been what it is like?

A: It’s a place of community first and foremost. Before the match you’ll see people shaking hands, saying hello, having a catch up if it’s been a while since a game. The two blokes I stand next to and I take sweets every match, swapping them and sharing them around. When it comes to the match, it’s easy to assume that the Kop is constantly behind the team and just making noise but that’s not really true. The Kop reacts to the ebbs and flows of the game, cheering on the team when it needs that encouragement and enjoying the game when things are going well. The problem with that is that the Kop is also not a great place to be if things aren’t going well. The supporters there feel as though the team is something that they own, so they feel just as entitled to let it be known when they’re not happy as when they are. Thankfully, we haven’t really experienced much of that in recent times and when the Kop’s in good form it’s a great place to be. Whether it be having a laugh and a joke, singing songs for the players or roaring them on when they need to get over the line, there’s a reason the Kop at its best is one of the most feared stands in world football.

Q: Comebacks seem to be synonymous with Liverpool now. There has been Istanbul, Dortmund, and now Barcelona just to name a few. You have seen all of these, which one would you rate the highest (unless you have another in mind) and explain what goes through your mind during the game?

A: For me, personally, it’s Dortmund for the simple reason that I was actually at the ground. I didn’t get a ticket for the Barcelona game and I was at drama school in 2005 so had to watch the match in a pub. The atmosphere inside Anfield was absolutely incredible, with everyone screaming themselves hoarse for the last 10 minutes or so. Istanbul, of course, is the greatest comeback in football. The Barcelona game was incredible because of the level of the opposition and the fact that we couldn’t let them score but needed to go all out attack, yet we had 90 minutes to do it. At the Ataturk we have just 45 minutes to score 3 goals against one of the best defences in world football. A.C. Milan had conceded just 3 goals in the 6 group games and 3 in the 6 knockout games, so surely they wouldn’t concede 3 in 45 minute. When the match is going on, though, you don’t think about those sorts of things, weirdly. You just have faith in the ability of the team to do the seemingly impossible. History has taught us that the Reds can do pretty much anything, so you just roar them on and believe that they’ll do it!

Q: Lastly, the future looks nothing but bright for Liverpool. Klopp, Van Dijk, Salah, Mane, Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, all here to stay and that makes Liverpool fans feel optimistic. How do you see the seasons ahead for Liverpool? Are they set to win more trophies? Can Liverpool improve in some areas? Is there something that could haunt us soon if we do not take care of it now?

A: I’m possibly what you’d call a ‘glass half empty’ kind of guy, so I must admit that I’m not overly excited by the lack of signings we’ve made this summer. I think the defense is excellent but it only takes an injury to Virgil van Dijk and suddenly it’s looking a hell of a lot more rocky. I’m also concerned about the lack of cover for the forwards, especially with Firmino and Mané having gone so deep in the Copa America and the African Cup of Nations respectively. Rhian Brewster looks like a brilliant player, but he’s literally never played a Premier League game so who knows how he’ll cope with the rigours of it? Add to that the injury he suffered early in his career and there’s no guarantee that his body will stand up to the tests of a full season. Of course, I’m excited about the year ahead and I do think we’re well placed to win more trophies, but we’re competing against the richest club (Manchester City) in world football with the wealth and influence of a nation behind it, so we need to do more than just tread water if we really hope to push them to the end of the campaign again. I’m very much always of the belief that we could do with one more signing, so the fact that we’ve made none of note ahead of one of the busiest campaigns in terms of games has me worried. That being said, I like nothing more than to be made to look an idiot, so hopefully that’s what happens this year!

I throughly enjoyed the answers that Adam gave me. He is an honest fan which is not something you see a whole lot in the sporting world as everyone has their own bias towards the team they support. I can talk to my friends and family over here in the United States about Liverpool all day but there is something different about hearing what a local fan has to say. You can tell that Adam cares not only about the club right now, but cherishes and respects the past, and has realistic thoughts for the future. It was refreshing to hear from someone that is from Liverpool. Now, each time I watch a game, I can know that he might be there in the Kop swapping snacks and catching up with old friends. One day, I hope to be there doing the same.