What Tom Hicks and his supporters don’t understand.
There are some, on here as well as elsewhere, who argue that Hicks isn’t all that bad for Liverpool. That his business approach to the club, his attitude to Parry (wanting someone else in to “take the club forward”) and his money, is a good thing and that so long as “we win trophies” well, what’s wrong with him, isn’t it about time we invested in Liverpool, didn’t he pay for Fernando and so on?
They would also point out that Bill Shankly himself said “coming first” was all important, and (with perhaps a modicum of truth) that most of us agree that so long as we win, who cares how we play or who writes the cheques..
Well to a degree that’s true. We all want to see Liverpool win; we mock the Arsenal fans who would rather see lovely football than be in the semi-final of the Champions League if we win 1-0 in a final, the cup and the history books tell us all we need to know, Liverpool won.
But I’d like to say to these people, these hard-headed fans, these Thicks, sorry T. Hicks apologists, you’re wrong and you’re wrong for one reason.
We are Liverpool.
Now, before you all start calling me an old sentimental idiot, one who yearns for the pre SKY days and that all football is a business, let me put my argument forward why I believe the statement in bold, above, makes all the difference.
Firstly, I believe that football has always been a business, from the business decision orientated day of the formation of Liverpool, “Take your ball and piss off” said Mr J Houlding; to the days of the maximum wage, to today’s minimum wage being more than my dad would’ve earned in his life.
So its not that I think there was a golden age when football was run by kindly local businessmen who wanted the community to have something to be proud about.
No, what I truly believe is that I happen to support a unique team in the world. One that has (but sadly is rapidly losing) a direct connection with the community, with the fans and that a spiritual bond exists between the fans and the ‘Club’ whatever you take that word to mean.
Parry himself said that no individual is bigger than the club, and he was right. I and many others on here have written before that what Liverpool means to us, is individually unique, intangible and a wonderful concept that is ‘Our Club’. Certainly not anyone elses.
Liverpool has always been my club. Not David Moores when he owned it, not even Shankly or Bob’s club, it was the club I supported and followed and it accompanied me through life, above all else it was and remains the one thing that stays constant throughout my life.
Now, I don’t doubt fans of other clubs will think that too, that to them, all of the above holds water for them. But without saying “We’re the best fans in the world” because we’re plainly not, what is true is that Liverpool fans do have a unique and strong bond with that concept that is our club.
Think about it, even Arsenal players talk of the atmosphere, of playing at Anfield, even John Terry talks of how the noise and the home support scared him, how he was envious of Liverpool’s 12th man, the Kop, the ground, the man and woman in the street.
Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live pundits talk about how they think Liverpool is different, even though they support other teams, how Liverpool has a proper link with its fans.
And there lies the rub Tom…
You see the supporters, create what Liverpool is to the rest of the world, for without us, the club would be just another football club. Without the fans, Liverpool FC wouldn’t be the Liverpool FC that you bought, that the media talk about and that other players and fans secretly envy.
Look at the all the Liverpool fansites, how many threads talk about games where the noise, the support, the flags the fans raised the hairs on the back of your neck.
We have flag days, threads on how to make your banners the size of a football pitch, Chelsea have a thread telling you what time to pick up your plastic flag.
The Kop is but a set of seats without us. The Anny Rd too. The Lower Centenary, well I’ll stop there but you get the idea.
The world of football knows our anthem, they love to talk about and listen to Anfield on a European night, even our players talk about it. And that would be nothing, NOTHING, without OUR voices singing, shouting and chanting. It would be like the British Museum on a European night, or even worse, Chelsea v Rosenborg.
Tom, this isn’t a franchise of soccer. Each football club in the world claims to be individual, but Liverpool is the epitomy of that. It isn’t a commodity to be bought and sold – well to you it is, but you are missing the point. You are playing with my emotions, my history, my memories, my hopes because I love my club. And Liverpool fans, as hoodwinked and seduced by your patter as we were (well if Parry and Moores fell for it, can you blame the fan in the street?), each have that connection to the club and that sentiment and that emotional bond.
So for you to come out and in public tell the world how terrible things are, its like shitting on my living room carpet, taking a photo of it and showing everyone else. You don’t do it. I can slag off my mum and dad, but not you. And if Liverpool FC is what it is, because of us the fans, then you are de facto, criticising us, the fans. Well fuck you for that you ignorant shit. Because no-one, NO-ONE, tells me or other Liverpool fans how to support our team. We know how to and we’ve been fucking good at it since 1892.
It’s not about bad PR Tom its about trying to understand that Liverpool is different, that it is envied and admired in equal amounts across the nation, partially because of its success, but also because of the its culture, which is us.
The title of my thread is why Liverpool is different, what you ought to understand about us. The link between the fans and the club at this football club is different to anywhere else.
You have bitten off more than you can chew Tom. And we’re not ending up in your spittoon.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I’ve never left a message on one of these before, but you really have hit the nail on the head. Fantastic point well made.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Great article. I have only been a Reds fan since 1960, but I have been through Hysel and Hillsborough, and you are right, the committed and dedicated fans of LFC take it to another level of support beyond the reach of any other English club.However football has been thrown to the market place, and nauseating though it often is, commercial factors rule.My view is that LFC has outgrown Rick Parry, that Rafa with more time and investment is currently best placed to get us to a Premier League title, that like Hicks or not, sooner rather than later, the impasse between the owners has to be broken, otherwise the Club will tread water without direction.There has to be one owner,who can drive the Club forwards, in whom Rafa can have trust, who can invest invest in the Club and players. Undoubtedly Hicks has little or no understanding of the concept of keeping financial and personal matters ‘in house’, but all Reds fans should not forget that it emerged late in the day that DIC were looking to sell or pass on their investment in LFC , seven years after their acquisition. They may not be the cavalry some believe them to be.The real problem now is, if GG will not sell, how does the present logjam resolve itself? One thing is clear in my view,that is if the Board are in place next season, and Rafa is not, all Reds fans should give them no peace inside Anfield.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Not a bad article, would’ve been better without the swearing and grandstanding.
I’m not a Hicks supporter by any means but the fact is that the only person that caused this problem was Parry. Parry was a problem before Rafa arrived and that was forgotten as soon as Rafa came on the scene and started to bring success. Parry is responsible for us not performing well financially compared to the likes of United and Real (with the level of support the club gets worldwide, it should be as easy as shooting fish in a barrel) and also for getting us into this crisis in the first place.
It’s ironic that you quote Parry as saying that “there’s is no one individual that’s bigger than the club”, if he truly believed it he would’ve:
a) sold to DIC in the first place even though he knew it would cost him his job
b) handed in his notice now in the interests of bringing calm to a situation that is only going to get worse if he stays.
This is not a fight he’s going to win, Hicks is the owner, Rafa is the Gafa. Parry has made a career out of sucking up to the head boys, now he’s finding that people are starting to measure him on what he’s achieved and not on his popularity.
It’s high time he left the gates behind and got on with the rest of his life.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
You are very right about the link between club and fans. But you are very wrong to conclude that we will lose that if we have Tom Hicks or another tycoon in charge.
What Hicks has said about Parry is very true and every supporter knows it, we lack serious commercial accumen and that is down to Parry. If MAN U has won the European cup in 2005 like we did then the whole world would know about it and massive sponsorship deals would be flooding in, but under Parry’s stewardship it was the same old deals.
I can’t say im Hicks’ biggest fan but im certainly not Parry’s either.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Liverpool fans are extremely patient (well most of us always have been ), loving and forgiving. Hicks needs to understand too that when the fans Don’t forgive, they never will. To some of us, LFC is well not a religion nor a nation, but what even intrigues me is the fact that I do feel the pinch and can’t sleep for nights when anything untoward happens to the players or the club. I could have the worst day in my life but watching Liverpool at the end of the day brings life back into me. I don’t own the club, and don’t even live anywhere near the UK but LFC has been a huge part of my life throughout. With that I strongly vouch that fans of Liverpool are not just fans like those of other clubs or franchises. We somehow have a bond which I don’t have words to explain. It’ll take Hicks and Gillett probably another lifetime to understand that when its so simple, but we don’t have the time. They are selfishly F-ing around. I don’t see them different from a dictator or Saddam who just simply don’t understand that the people DON”T WANT YOU> Its tough for Rafa and the players to have to live through all these throughout the season but so as not to distract them, probably an all-out mass protest should be carried out against them, all the way where it really matters to them - their franchises in Dallas and Texas. Do those fans know what is happening at LFC? Each one of them should. They need to get shamed in their own backyard.