Are we now a totally soulless club?

[Rosco]

The romantic version of LFC is dead and buried for me. There's nothing interesting, remarkable or different about the club now.

We're simply another Premier League Franchise trying to succeed. Commercialisation has changed the game so much now that it's not about what it used to be about. The struggles if a group of men playing in red that you could somehow identify with has been replaced with the preening and moaning of a bunch of halfwit millionaires who I can't stand.

The owners, the manager, the players - there's nothing about them that reminds of the Liverpool way.

 

[hmmmmm1]

What is the Liverpool way?

 

[Rosco]

I don't know any more?

Be a retard and idolise Rafa?

 

[Modo]

You cant have one without the other.

 

[rurikbird]

IMO you guys need to switch to German football system ASAP to save the soul of English football. Things like forbidding foreign ownership of more than 49% of the club, reducing ticket prices, encouraging fan ownership of the clubs etc will go a long way to restoring the sprit of football back. For me Liverpool is still special, compared to most other teams in the EPL, but I understand your feelings too.

 

[rurikbird]

What I can't stand is some of our own fans crying for some rich Arab or a Russian mobster to buy us and turn LFC into yet another Man City or Chelsea. If there ever comes a day when I quit being a Liverpool fan, it's going to be because of this happening.

 

[6TimesaRed]

I feel myself slowly falling out of love with football, with every passing season.

Money is what brings you success, not what has been built from the ground up.

If we didn't have the Chelsea and Man City's of this world, Utd would win it every year at a canter.

Everyone says the events of Hillsborough is what changed this club and was the beginning of the end. The failure to move with the changes that where made in the 90s to football commercially for me was more the reason. Building this club for the future, is where it's struggled. The biggest issue being the stadium.. If it was built when it was first proposed in the 90s then I'm sure we would be on par to Utd now.. The truth it has been one boardroom disaster after another..

Tradition is a great thing this club has been built upon, but in this day and age tradition does not bring you success. Not whilst the money moguls have control.

The longer we are out the Champions league the worse it will get. You can't compete without money, since we don't have the stadium and the new ffp rules are in force, where fooked without the revenues of the Champions league and the additional commercial revenues it brings.

Yes in answer to your question football has lost its soul? But if you go in the lower leagues, football's soul remains..

Sky made football to what it is today, in return it killed its heart n soul..

 

[LarryHagman]

I don't think I've seen a game in 2013. One thing about modern footy is, you can pretty much afford to lose chunks of seasons and not lose the thread of what's going on. Man U will win the League, Chelsea will be in management turmoil, we will underachieve and promise much for the following season of further underachievement, England will win a load of qualifiers and get the rabble rousers going. Barca are great, Lucas is crap.
All very formulaic and tedious.

 

[gkmacca]

Yes. What makes the club worse is that it continues to baste itself in the warm juices of romantic self-regard. It's like a cheesy quiz show host, all grins, tears and cuddles until the show's over, when the face goes blank and he sets off alone. This is the club whose fans reduced the young Lucas to tears with their constant sneering abuse, and who now keep inviting him to praise them as special because they deigned not to kill him. It's like Thatcher's disciples sugaring every savage act by calling it 'caring' capitalism. LFC acts like every other greedy, cynical, soulless club, but what makes it worse is the insistence on parroting YNWA as it does so.

 

[Fabio]

Correct

 

[StevieM]

I'm quite enjoying football these days.

It could be a lot worse.

 

[keniget]

So you all got into football as young kids because you could identify with the clubs working class roots, huh?

Football is a game to be enjoyed for what it is. If it takes all kinds of cultural, societal and economic conditions for you to be 'in love' with it, perhaps you should simply consider following something else.

 

[gkmacca]

So you all got into football as young kids because you could identify with the clubs working class roots, huh?

Football is a game to be enjoyed for what it is. If it takes all kinds of cultural, societal and economic conditions for you to be 'in love' with it, perhaps you should simply consider following something else.

Come on, choice never came into it with most fans. It's part of the culture into which you're born, and it's entwined with so much of your family and its past. You must be thinking more about middle class kids today making hyper rational decisions as to which club is worth a certain amount of emotional investment. For most of us, it's not like changing the brand of coffee you buy in a supermarket.

 

[peterhague]

I don't think there's ever been any romantic notion of LFC for me. It was just an attachment I formed early on, from an attachment to the city, and ever since I've wanted us to win. All the stuff about YNWA and The Liverpool Way was just tinsel.

I've found my interest waning the last couple of years because I've despaired at the direction the club seemed to be going in (in terms of running the club, not of upholding any particular principles). That's slowly coming back now - I think Rodgers is bascially promising and I'm very excited about the academy.

 

[gkmacca]

When your grandparents, parents and all other members of the family have been passionate fans of the club with a passionate love of the city as well, you can't just walk away. I wish I could. It feels these days like an old family home that strangers now live in. But beyond my personal feelings about the club, I think it's also, more objectively, embraced the ethos of the Premier era, but, as I said, unlike other clubs it's done so whilst still trying to hang on to its old romantic image. So you get Henry talking about the 'Liverpool Family' just as he bombs a great servant out the door. It makes me want to throw up.

 

[keniget]

Come on, choice never came into it with most fans. It's part of the culture into which you're born, and it's entwined with so much of your family and its past. You must be thinking more about middle class kids today making hyper rational decisions as to which club is worth a certain amount of emotional investment. For most of us, it's not like changing the brand of coffee you buy in a supermarket.

Yes, my dad is from Liverpool, he and his family all supported them and that's why I support them too. I'm not trying to detract from family and friends aspect of support, however in my experience I think that those that really get into it and stick with it just really enjoy the game.

 

[gkmacca]

Oh well. I sometimes think it would be easier to enjoy being a supporter if there weren't any games! More than the broad-brushed hype these days it's the accumulation of witless details that wear me down. Watching a game is like being stranded for 90 minutes on Planet Stupid. For example, if I have to waste many more minutes of my life watching players try to sneak the ball out of the arc at corner kicks I think I'll go completely crazy!

 

[peterhague]

I suppose it's just a matter of what you identify as 'LFC'. I also had little choice in who I supported, but it being a 'family club' (whatever that means) or embracing some kind of socialism in one football club was never part of its appeal, of what made it LFC.

Playing at Anfield is one of the things I do link it with, though. I've never liked the idea of us leaving, and I think something would be lost forever if by some unlikelihood we ever did build a new stadium.

 

[the_khl]

Liverpool is a very special club still, simply because it's Liverpool.

When I first watched the team play as a little kid I knew (felt) straight away that this club was something special. I knew nothing of the clubs history, YNWA, origin of the owners, the balance sheet, the players or much else back then, I just knew this club was great and one that I instantly felt greatly connected too.

That has over the years, and there've been a few now as I am nearing in on 36, never changed.

Nothing will for me ever change that I guess.

 

[hmmmmm1]

IMO you guys need to switch to German football system ASAP to save the soul of English football. Things like forbidding foreign ownership of more than 49% of the club, reducing ticket prices, encouraging fan ownership of the clubs etc will go a long way to restoring the sprit of football back. For me Liverpool is still special, compared to most other teams in the EPL, but I understand your feelings too.

How will this work in England when most clubs are owned by foreigners.

Ticket prices wont drop either.

 

[localny]

What I can't stand is some of our own fans crying for some rich Arab or a Russian mobster to buy us and turn LFC into yet another Man City or Chelsea. If there ever comes a day when I quit being a Liverpool fan, it's going to be because of this happening.

oh yes.

 

[localny]

IMO you guys need to switch to German football system ASAP to save the soul of English football. Things like forbidding foreign ownership of more than 49% of the club, reducing ticket prices, encouraging fan ownership of the clubs etc will go a long way to restoring the sprit of football back. For me Liverpool is still special, compared to most other teams in the EPL, but I understand your feelings too.

So true. The RurikBird is the special one (today).

 

[localny]

The romantic version of LFC is dead and buried for me. There's nothing interesting, remarkable or different about the club now.

We're simply another Premier League Franchise trying to succeed. Commercialisation has changed the game so much now that it's not about what it used to be about. The struggles if a group of men playing in red that you could somehow identify with has been replaced with the preening and moaning of a bunch of halfwit millionaires who I can't stand.

The owners, the manager, the players - there's nothing about them that reminds of the Liverpool way.

Mate, don't take this the wrong way. You make some good points, you always have. But your postings nowadays default to being somewhat negative, jaded, and just gloomy. I just can't enjoy the threads. The Rosco love has gone.

Do you see anything good in football these days (resist the temptation to make a back handed compliment about the game if you can!)

 

[stumc]

Havent posted on here for about 6 years as most of my views are covered by someone at some point.

I was born and live in Kent and have supported Liverpool since I was 6 I think, Dad was was a motor racing fan, no local big club etc.
I now have 2 boys, 5 and 6, their middle names are both Liverpool related as an insurance against supporting Chelsea.

Finding it hard to warrant forcing them to support Liverpool these days, anyone else with a similar predicament, or children who support other teams?

 

[Spionkop69]

Ian Ayre referred to football as a product the other day on the radio. When ticket prices were reflective for the supporters, ie before Sky and big money in the game, then people paid to come along and cheer their team. As supporters we were treated pretty poorly in terms of facilities and the authorities and Hillsborough was a reflection of that.

Now that ticket prices have inflated beyond reason, commerciality is the name of the game, and we are treated better with improved facilities and fans are now consumers or customers. In turn, some believe they have a right to be entertained, regardless of the conditions, the team we're playing etc.

So are we fans or are we customers?

We haven't become "just any other club" because despite our perceived lack of success over the past 20 years compared to Utd and others, we are still one of the clubs that people aspire to play, to beat and to join. This is because of our previous methods and success in my opinion.

In answer to the OP's original question, the answer is yes. Just not as much so as others. We can't moan that the reason we havent won a title is because we fell behind the likes of Utd off the field, then moan that we're now a soulless club. We had to sell our soul to keep up. Its not pretty but what other choice did we have? End up like some of the other buig names of the past like Forest, Villa or Leeds?

 

[6TimesaRed]

Havent posted on here for about 6 years as most of my views are covered by someone at some point.

I was born and live in Kent and have supported Liverpool since I was 6 I think, Dad was was a motor racing fan, no local big club etc.
I now have 2 boys, 5 and 6, their middle names are both Liverpool related as an insurance against supporting Chelsea.

Finding it hard to warrant forcing them to support Liverpool these days, anyone else with a similar predicament, or children who support other teams?

Welcome to the site btw..

Good first post.. you live in Kent where most football supporters would be supporting some southern team, so I can see how that would be tricky. As they grow up they will be influenced by freinds around them it terms of who to support, but then that depends on how strong a relationship you have with them, I guess. If they always look upto their Dad young & old you will probably find they will follow the team you support.
With that I am beleiver in letting the kids find their own feet. However if they end up question their support for Liverpool in favour of Manchester Utd, lock em in the shed for the night with a bunch of spiders. That should do the trick..

 

[nealmac]

Oh, look, another completely fucking depressing thread on how shit Liverpool are. It's been a while since we had one of these.

 

[StevieM]

The world hasn't been the same since George Lucas wrote his prequels, Marathon changed to Snickers, the Texan Bar disappeared, screw caps replaced cork, and Roger Moore's left eyebrow got too old to play Bond.

 

[Rosco]

Oh, look, another completely fucking depressing thread on how shit Liverpool are. It's been a while since we had one of these.

This thread isn't about how shit we are.

But it's been a long time since anyone took any notice of what threads were about before they posted in them, so don't worry about it.

 

[the count]

I can't believe that the most obvious and pertinent thing about this thread hasn't been said yet.
Welcome back Ross.
SCM has missed you