21 Dec 2017 12:13:20
The human nature of the modern fan.

Now i won't for one second claim that i am above all this as i do swing emotionally from happiness to despair most games. however as a number of times the ed's have sighed at how we react each week i thought i would give my two cents on 3 main issues i have.

the fickle fan

no one knows where he was first created however, for as long as i can remember we have been subject to fans going from "we are going to win the league" to we "are the worst team to play in the premier league" (i say this as an extreme but you get the picture) .

We are so quick to throw away all confidence in a player with one moment of madness. we look at Moreno a player who has significantly improved he has an awful game against Sevilla and everyone is calling for his head.

Lovren, not for a second am i saying he hasn't warranted criticism for his play, but in the everton game bar the unfortunate penalty can you really put him at any fault he played and he defended and defended well. yet people were calling for his head due to one moment of some could say naivety, but i think it was unfortunate whilst he shouldn't be that close to a player heading away from goal he was also jumped into. against west brom he played well dealing with rondon who isn't the smallest of players to deal with and kept him quiet for the majority of game. against bournemouth he scored a cracking goal which a lot of players would rarely go for as they are afraid of being hurt, not him he is someone who, regardless of if he messes up, will give his all and try his hardest for the club. so in all yes he does deserve criticism from now and then but a witch hunt and escape goat is unfair.

exhibit B our games against Everton and West Brom. both easily winnable games that we should of won. i read after those from various people saying we aren't worthy of challenging for the top, our team is a joke and this rotation is a waste of time. the list could go on! in looking at the big picture yes it was 4 points dropped but firstly against everton we dominated 80% of the game with fine margins against us, we could argue all we liked about the penalty and the mane miss, but at the end of the day the team just couldn't get that definitive goal.

deadwood/ cast offs

this is something as well i don't know where it came from. maybe football manager/ maybe fifa but to call someone that is very inhumane. yes they maybe a player who isn't considered for the first team or not at the level we need but to call them that is rude. as i saw people pointing out both Salah and Coutinho to name a few were being called this at some point so we should think twice before throwing those words out. now whilst i don't condone laziness from players who just aren't bothered, the nametag isn't warranted. if we look at someone like flanno what we don't see is that i bet he works his socks off in training and maintains his professionalism throughout both on and off the field. does he deserve to have comments of "lets get rid of this deadwood at the club like flanagan" absolutely not! these are people like all of us and deserve more respect than that.

"they get paid enough they should play perfectly each week"

finally we come to this ever growing debate of players get played too much they don't need a rest etc. Christ can people act more envious! let's consider the simple facts these guys have a job contract at Liverpool football club, that is their job no different to all of us working. we all have off days, there may be underlying reasons of why we have not been up to scratch at work this is no different for them.

this leads onto rotation, where did we crumble last year. january when our players were exhausted from the fixture list and were flat. what is klopp doing, rotation are players looking more fresh! yes is this going to pay off in the long run, hopefully its the right thing to do. a few weeks back everyone was complaining salah didn't play the whole game and neither did i think firminho everyone was ranting and raving to then find out that there was a worry of injury. so after everyone had complained there was a logical reason for the decision.

we only see the front cover of this book, we only see the matches. we don't see all the training, the physio, the medical stats, the personal issues other factors that might come into play.

whilst i don't blindly follow Klopp as the ed's say he has his issues and he hasn't brought in a trophy we must believe that what he is doing is what he feels is the best decision.

all i can say is i'm just hoping we get to see an arsenal fan TV classic after Friday to prove that we are better fans than the rest. we used to be the best. let's make enough noise in Anfield so that those boys in Manchester can here us and remember who we are! because every time Anfield is quiet we are slow, yet every time Anfield is bouncing we are crisp, quick and lethal. and i don't think that is a coincidence!

YNWA.

1.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 13:22:21
Excellent post southern!

The origin of this kind of fan can be linked to social media's influence on the game, more media coverage.

When the good content is being consumed its fine, when the content is heavily flawed the opinions are flawed. Same is the case with politics and political opinions these days. Lack of educated and logical opinions being consumed leads to the need for instant results. One more thing social media has given a rise to are the armchair faceless critics, who feel they are immune to being called out on their crap coz they are sitting behind a monitor.

2.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 14:16:31
One of the best posts in a long while mate.

We are all guilty at times and let our heads go down (even the beacon of positivity that is Ron Keague, is not immune) . But we don't need to fuel fires against our own players/ club.

We are supporters; supporters who claim to live by the mantra of "YNWA". So whilst we are all susceptible to the odd knee jerk reaction, or moment of anger, let's not forget who we are and what we stand for.

3.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 14:31:14
That is the most brilliant post I have read for months on here. Take a bow, Southern mate as you sir, are a star.

In addition to what Waqas added, I think the problem is that our societal discourse has been infested by people who are just interested in being right w/ o going into detail and nuances behind societal issues like politics, sports and the like. There is so much nuance in football that if you do not or cannot look past the obvious, you will simply not get it.

The media ha a lot to do with this as they are paid to promote narratives that either favour or discredit a certain team or manager du jour. The fans are falling for that nonsense w/ o having any desire to engage in any form of critical thinking and trying to know much more than what is bleeding obvious. Parroting other people's comments in the media or in SM makes one a follower, plain and simple. If football was an exact science then how did Utd get smashed by the mighty Bristol City, then?

I love Klopp and admire him first as a person b4 a manager as I have read articles about him and watched subtitled interviews on youtube when he was a younger BVB manager, describing his belief system which govern his managerial decision-making. This has allowed me to have an idea why he makes a certain decion that may look wierd on the outside. Yes, he has not won a trophy and neither did Woy or BR so in what way is he different? He is not perfect and makes mistakes BUT again, who has not? He is taking us forward and that is for now all that matters to me and the trophies hopefully, will come. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Your choice.

4.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 14:45:49
thanks all, can't say i reviewed my writing so hoping that it was fully coherent!

i get frustrated as much as every other fan but always take time to look at the bigger picture.

the bigger picture is we are through to the knockout stages of champions league, currently in the top 4 on a 12 match unbeaten run. salah scoring for fun, squad players are putting in shifts!

im just hoping we see a big difference in intensity in games come January versus last year with our team fresh!


also i know he hasn't scored but Solanke does impress me! his work rate, off the ball movement and desire to get involved will be a good base for hopefully a successful career!

being cheeky i really hope we snatch another chelsea player in the summer in the form of Loftus-Cheek think Klopp could work wonders with him!

5.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 14:54:16
I don’t know why I’m being dragged into this.

My position is clear, I support my club and manager through thick and thin but there are lines in the sand for everyone which should not be crossed.
Klopp’s derby antics crossed a line for me, it’s as simple as that.

6.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 15:04:40
Very good post mate, bravo.

7.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 15:06:29
Disagree slightly on point one as being fickle as you say or emotional is the word I would use isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's part of why football is great is the emotional rollercoaster throughout the season. Some take it over the top but I think a more apt group to criticize if we are criticizing groups is the people who will never be happy and moan regardless after games. I would suggest there is a large overlap between these people and the "deadwood" users which I agree is inhumane. All in all good post mate.

8.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 15:27:28
Couldnt agree more southern, every fan gets frustrated with dropping points, as long as reaction to losing points is not over the top and well articulated no body has a problem with it. Its when you harp on about the same thing over and over coz some players you want were not bought or the team wasn't setup to your liking is when it gets ridiculous and childish. Or as BROVER said brilliantly just to say I told you so, you are wishing your team drops point.

9.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 15:58:51
Ron, who dragged you into this?

10.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 16:00:11
Spot on, Waqas. As if people saying I told you so after we DROP POINTS, will suddenly make us a better team and win the PL. Utter delusion, really.

11.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 16:02:17
Apologies if you've misunderstood, Ron. I meant it as a compliment in your favour. I was trying to explain that even the best, most die hard fans can have wobbles when they feel disillusioned. It was actually meant in defence of people who moan. I was implying that we are all as guilty as each other at times, and therefore should not judge one another when we are going through a patch of anger.

Completely agree on Loftus cheek by the way, Southern! Literally said the exact same thing at the weekend in a conversion with a mate. He will be done player in a couple of years.

12.) 21 Dec 2017
21 Dec 2017 20:30:36
Agree on loftus-cheek mate. Very strong player would be a great signing.

13.) 22 Dec 2017
22 Dec 2017 06:22:58
A fan that definitely has there head screwed on, good post.