The Liverpool Way

I've been going to games since 1987, I like to think I was brought up the Liverpool way. One of the first things I learned as a kid was to always clap the visiting keeper when they were defending the Kop ..if he claps back, we clap more...if he doesnt...booo the tw*t  . That along with things like clapping visitors goals (seen some world class ones down the years), never boo a player wearing the Red shirt, sing louder when (which was very rare) we went a goal down etc.All these things add to the reputation we built over the years.

Unfortunalty, due to the type of "fan" that sometimes attends games these days, some of these old traditions have waned slightly, not amongst the proper reds but as a result of the more and more daytrippers and corporate types.

The tradition and Liverpool way is still there, its just never been tested to this extent before. Yes the Souness era was bad but I dont remember the negativity being this bad even at the end, from what I remember there was still support for Souness from the Kop until the very end (until he sold his story to the S*u anyway).

We know the Liverpool way, so did Rafa and Houllier before...Hodgson just doesnt come close to understanding it.

I've been going to games since 1987, I like to think I was brought up the Liverpool way. One of the first things I learned as a kid was to always clap the visiting keeper when they were defending the Kop ..if he claps back, we clap more...if he doesnt...booo the tw*t  . That along with things like clapping visitors goals (seen some world class ones down the years), never boo a player wearing the Red shirt, sing louder when (which was very rare) we went a goal down etc.All these things add to the reputation we built over the years.

But this is key, what would you call the reaction Konchesky got when subbed? There weren't boo's but there were jeers. That's not the Liverpool way. I'm sure the fans of this club down the ages have seen their fair few of sh*te in a red shirt but I'd be willing to bet they didn't boo the lad at a game when he's tried his best despite the lack of ability. I don't hate Konchesky but nor do I think he's good enough for Liverpool. He did however get abused and despite the fact that perhaps the performance of the team as a whole deserved booing, I'm not sure Konchesky personally deserved all the vitriol he got from the crowd.

Whatever is happening now with Hodgson does not mean we should abandon the old ways. I think Liverpool fans are great because they appreciate good football, even in the opposition. Yes we all think Hodgson is a stooge and needs to be ousted, but that doesn't mean we should lose the old values that were set by the knowledgeable old guard.

We know the Liverpool way, so did Rafa and Houllier before...Hodgson just doesnt come close to understanding it.

Spot on mate. Especially the bit I quoted.

There's a huge disharmony surrounding the club these days and it will only get worse the longer Hodgson is manager. The huge majority of reds who are in agreement that Hodgson is the wrong man can't be wrong. 

We have to get back to the Liverpool way of having everyone on the same side! Otherwise, we will not progress.

 This is a private FORUM , all have  there  own opinion on players, managers, etc etc
 At a match its a different scenario, THE LIVERPOOL way is attacking football, never give up , never sit on a 1-0 lead
credit to the opposition have been given ,even in this forum , 
 And IMHO the liverpool way is for ALL , when a manager blames the fans, and the players  for his own  wrong tactics  is NOT the liverpool way
   YNWA
    PS .A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MEMBERS AND REDS ALL AROUND THE WORLD ,lets hope its a better one for the greatest club

Only when a manager who knows The Liverpool Way takes over will be able to return to a time where we see the support like at half time in Istanbul. Even then at our lowest ebb the crowd sang, maybe not in hope, but definitely in support of the team. To lift them up, to carry them back from the abyss. We had a manager that made us belief. A manager that made the club a feared force across Europe. Now not even the teams at the bottom of the league fear us at home.

Hodgson's attitude is the complete opposite of the Liverpool way.

Its ironic how i started this thread on the liverpool way only to realize, what the Liverpool way preaches cannot apply to Roy's ways i.e tactics, demeanor, utterances etc. What can i say, these are different times we live in. In my 12yrs supporting LFC, i've never been this frustrated, angry and ashamed of a Liverpool manager.

The Liverpool Way is tradition, humility, UNITY and family.

Well Roy has on humility and, increasingly, in his interview he distances himself from the players. Far from unity in his MO

Players used to get jeered in 70/80s difference being if you played bad you got dropped, my main problem with Hodgson and what he has done is talk to press about Torres form, J Cole form, Glen Johnson form, etc this is not the Liverpool way bollock them in house say F**k all to press, drop the players who are playimg sh*t and play hungey players pacheco, jovanivic not given a good run, at least Joe Cole is trying o and sack woy and bring in Dalglish with Carra

Think the Liverpool way is same as it always has been by the match going fan, I am all for people having an opinion on a forum thinking they are super fans, but it's the match goers that have a voice and should be listened to.

Let's not  forget the team you are supporting is Liverpool FC first and foremost. A lot of the ex players think of it as a family and until recent years they got treated as a family by the club, that has changed over the past five or so years so a lot of players turned on the then manager in the press. The club is starting to heal from the inside at present, but it will be voice of the match goer that will eventually lose Roy his job when the kop turns against you there is no going back I'm afraid. that's the Liverpool way

Its been such a long long time since i last had the privelidge to visit Anfield, so to be fair i cant really comment on how the modern fans of today behave, when i did go, form about '83' to '91' 'the Liverpool way' was most definately in existence, we always respected the oppo's keeper and applauded good passages of play, most of the time i stood on the Kop but towards the end most probably be in the paddock, but wherever i watched it was just fantastic to experience the atmosphere, i will never forget those times and the memories i have will stay with me until i get planted, but the one thing that always stood out for me was the 'Liverpool way' of getting behind the lads no matter what, we have been fortunate enough to say that our low points throughout the years were minimal, at this juncture i believe we are at one of our lowest points that most fans have ever experienced, i'm sure there are plenty of elder generation fans who still attend that can re-establish THE Liverpool way to get behind the players and support them in ways of old, it has been mentioned that the atmosphere differs because of day trippers and such like, i'm not so sure it would because they all have pairs of hands and some might even have eyes, but whatever is lacking maybe it just needs mentioned that as Liverpool fans you are expected to show the upmost respect where its due.   

Think the Liverpool way is same as it always has been by the match going fan, I am all for people having an opinion on a forum thinking they are super fans, but it's the match goers that have a voice and should be listened to.

Let's not  forget the team you are supporting is Liverpool FC first and foremost. A lot of the ex players think of it as a family and until recent years they got treated as a family by the club, that has changed over the past five or so years so a lot of players turned on the then manager in the press. The club is starting to heal from the inside at present, but it will be voice of the match goer that will eventually lose Roy his job when the kop turns against you there is no going back I'm afraid. that's the Liverpool way

Your right in a sense, but weren't some of the ex-players treated like sh*t when Souness was in charge and that was by Graeme himself, no wonder Tommy Smith hated him during his managerial reign.

To be honest I felt the whole ground turned on Roy during the last five minutes of the Wolves game when the ball went out of play towards the corner of the Centenary/Kop. Usually with five minutes to go drawing or even losing, the whole ground would be urging them on, yet on Wednesday, there was nothing.

And that for me is the most damning thing about Roy's reign, nearly everyone, whether they go the game or not are so utterly fu**ed off with the man now.

Its been such a long long time since I last had the privelidge to visit Anfield, so to be fair I cant really comment on how the modern fans of today behave, when I did go, form about '83' to '91' 'the Liverpool way' was most definately in existence, we always respected the oppo's keeper and applauded good passages of play, most of the time I stood on the Kop but towards the end most probably be in the paddock, but wherever I watched it was just fantastic to experience the atmosphere, I will never forget those times and the memories I have will stay with me until I get planted, but the one thing that always stood out for me was the 'Liverpool way' of getting behind the lads no matter what, we have been fortunate enough to say that our low points throughout the years were minimal, at this juncture I believe we are at one of our lowest points that most fans have ever experienced, I'm sure there are plenty of elder generation fans who still attend that can re-establish THE Liverpool way to get behind the players and support them in ways of old, it has been mentioned that the atmosphere differs because of day trippers and such like, I'm not so sure it would because they all have pairs of hands and some might even have eyes, but whatever is lacking maybe it just needs mentioned that as Liverpool fans you are expected to show the upmost respect where its due.   

Billy  the respect for opposition goes back much further than that,Gordon Banks and Gordon West (the handbag )  in the 60s and Charlton had a goalie Sam Bartram who always played a blinder at Anfield and Ted Sagar of Everton..There have been plenty more who were appreciated by the Kop.Also I must give special mention to Ray Clemence when he played for Spurs against us.

When I go to the games I always sing my heart out and support the team. I never boo them
off the pitch...ever. But I think when it get's to the stage our beloved club is in at the moment people love the clubso much we are angry about where Roy Hodgson has brought us down too. I will alway's encourage our players aswell, but trying to get the best out of Konchesky is virtually impossible, as it's non exsistant talent aswell as Poulsen. But overall I think it's just anger and dissapointment and it show's how much passion and love we have for the club even if i'm not one of the people booing etc. Although until Hodgson leves things won't get any better.

I'm not in a good position to say who are right or wrong, and what should be done by people being there, being both a foreigner and an only armchair supporter since twenty years. I can hardly compare this season with the only two I've spent in Liverpool and sometimes in the crowd, as it was just after Hillsborough, where everybody had something else in mind than results or individual performances and naturally fully united behind the team, being Dalgish or Souness in charge. I think having been in this particular ambiance in times far to be the happiest ones, the feeling of sharing more than a football experience, was the reason I remained attached to this club despite returning in France.

Anyway back to actuality my impression is the most active part of the fans, attending away matches, are since a moment expressing their opinions in a way far from the Liverpool way of old, be it right or wrong.

Don't remember if this kind of things happened under Houillier or Benitez (read that Lucas was booed sometimes last year, but never noticed it), but clearly noticed that, far earlier in this season, Poulsen was booed in more than one occasion by the away kop, his substitution cheered against Napoli and "Hodgson for England", "Dalgish Dalgish" are nothing new as well, it was just harder to hear when sung by away fans. Someone even reported here that some fans had threatening gestures for Hodgson and Carragher after the loss at Stoke.

The only change seem to be that the less passionate kopites who only attend games at Anfield have now joined their voices to the chorus (and I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow the other stands join too).

I think it's just a natural move for any supporters group. The most active naturally decide what will be chanted, and somewhere they desserve to as they spend their money, time and energy to follow the team everywhere. More passionate they are also the first to react, sometimes in excess, to supposed problems, but if they are right end convincing the quieter part of the crowd to join them.

Considering (about) everyone here agree they are right about Roy, I hardly see a reason to worry too much about "Dalgish" or "Hodgson for England" chants (or even "Hodgson out", if they decide to be clearer, or some expressions of disappointments for his substitutions). People are just supporting the club by trying to decide owners to get rid of a clearly bad manager, the day he is sacked they will be back fully behind the team like always.

The only problem IMO is when these chants happen in the middle of an absence of any support for the team. Silence is the worst thing, with own players booing during play, that can happen in a football arena, destroying players confidence.  The worrying aspect of the last match support if there was one, wasn't the "Dalgish ! Dalgish !" it was the silent times between two "Liverpool ! Liverpool !" or positive chants (now can hardly say, if there were real, as Sky decided what I heard).

Your right in a sense, but weren't some of the ex-players treated like sh*t when Souness was in charge and that was by Graeme himself, no wonder Tommy Smith hated him during his managerial reign.

To be honest I felt the whole ground turned on Roy during the last five minutes of the
Wolves game when the ball went out of play towards the corner of the Centenary/Kop. Usually with five minutes to go drawing or even losing, the whole ground would be urging them on, yet on Wednesday, there was nothing.

And that for me is the most damning thing about Roy's reign, nearly everyone, whether they go the game or not are so utterly fu**ed off with the man now.

Aye can't disagree with any of that, this is not like the owner situation at all so people can feck off with the talk of Internet terrorism and all that. The Kop can hire and fire and as Huyton said it's starting to show it's unrest, the Kop is like no other and if the owners don't get it when we turn god help them.

"For a player to be good enough to play for Liverpool, he must be prepared
to run through a brick wall for me then come out fighting on the other side."

"Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes,
of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass.
It is terribly simple."

BILL SHANKLY

"For a player to be good enough to play for Liverpool, he must be prepared
to run through a brick wall for me then come out fighting on the other side."

"Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes,
of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass.
It is terribly simple."

BILL SHANKLY

Aye can't disagree with any of that, this is not like the owner situation at all so people can feck off with the talk of Internet terrorism and all that. The Kop can hire and fire and as Huyton said it's starting to show it's unrest, the Kop is like no other and if the owners don't get it when we turn god help them.

I too agree with what is being said here. Also, I sure as hell want the Roy era to end. Preferably yesterday! At the same time I fully understand Ryan Babels appeal to the supporters on Twitter last night:
"Support us tomorrow against Bolton!!!". That is the LFC way, so let us do our bit!

I do want to make one reflection though, Any booing experienced against players that I've observed, is against Poulsen and Konchesky. These are players I still feel never should have entered Anfield as home ground! Again, our incompetent manager to blame. But let's not take it out on the rest of the team. Roy needs to go, but we need to start winning matches!