Stuff I learned on Twitter about LFC: Petitions, New Stadium and “Man Ure Style fans”

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To keep up with all the rumors that have been swirling around about any upcoming LFC transfers, I keep a search out on LFC through Twitter. Any time anyone puts LFC in a post, that comes up on my search.

It’s a good way to get breaking news and to gauge popular opinion. Then again, you must consider the sources.

I haven’t seen all of the LFC tweets in the past few days–not even close (all the begging for a retweet from Charlie Adam has been insane and, to be honest, desperate)–but there have been a few that stuck out.

The fan petition to sign Juan Mata: 

One of the positions of need for Liverpool in this upcoming season is left wing. There are three main targets for this position: Stewart Downing, Michel Bastos and Juan Mata.

Mata is the preferred option for many LFC fans and there isn’t much to not like about the player.

Unfortunately, some Twi-tard started a petition for fellow LFC Twitterers to sign in hopes of getting John Henry, who has been more active on Twitter in recent days, to sign Mata.

It doesn’t get more embarrassing than this. Henry and Damien Comolli have been doing diligent work on trying to find and sign the right players for Liverpool. It doesn’t matter who started the petition: Liverpool fans come off looking like children.

If you’re on Twitter and see this petition, speak out against it. It’s shameful that it even exists.

FSG’s plans for a new stadium

It came out a few days ago that FSG might be favoring planning for a new stadium instead of renovating Anfield.

Something has to be done one way or another because we need ticket revenues to keep up with the likes of other teams who have huge stadiums that regularly sell out.

There has been an obvious backlash–“this is not Anfield” has been a popular rallying cry for those against a new stadium–but there has been more support for a new stadium.

I thought that staying at Anfield would have been the preferred option for FSG considering their regard for history. They are in the midst of a renovation of Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox have played since 1912.

Maybe that says something though–maybe FSG learned something in renovating Fenway. Upon completion, the process will have taken 10 years and it remains to be seen if the budget for the project ($100 million) was met or not. Given the much longer baseball offseason, it stands to reason that an Anfield renovation would take even longer than 10 years if similar work needed to be done–but that’s just speculation.

There is plenty of history at Anfield. If Liverpool are playing in a new stadium in a few years’ time, bet on a few things: There will be a Kop End and history will follow. It’s not the shirt, the player, the house: it’s the spirit that is most important.

“Man Ure Style fans”

I try not to let things people say on Twitter get to me, but one got me.

I didn’t respond to him or anything but I did retweet him just so I could save this particular fan’s opinion. Here’s the tweet, verbatim, directed at this very blog:

@dannylevey “@empireofthekop the only downside to winnin the euro cup in 05 is it attracted a load of man ure style fans that dont understand the lfc way”

He’s talking about me, in a way, and that irritated me.

Being an American, I didn’t see many European soccer games in 2005. It just wasn’t being played on television over here and at the time, I didn’t know much about it.

I was at home and the 2005 Champions League final was on television. I was doing something else, not paying that much attention to the television through the first half. But I could not tear myself away from the television from the second half on. I witnessed the greatest single-game comeback, bar none, in the history of sports. I vividly remember thinking “This Gerrard guy doesn’t quit. Down 3-0, scores, and he starts waving at the fans to get up. Might be meaningless though.” Six minutes later, I was eating my words and happy to because I was seeing a once in a lifetime sort of event.

I researched the team a little more and started to follow them. Now, six years later, I’m monitoring Twitter to keep up on transfer rumors for LFC. I even watched England’s U-17 World Cup quarterfinal match so I could see Raheem Sterling play.

There’s a stigma to becoming a fan where there’s already an established, die-hard fan base. You’re not as good because you’re new. The same happens to a certain degree for the MLS here: The fan base is much smaller, but newcomers just don’t get it. The die hards don’t want to have to deal with the new fans because they don’t understand what the club, the league, all that the die hards have been through. Basically, it comes down to the die hards hating new fans because they’re new.

Now, I’m assuming that this fan means by “man ure style” that I’m a fairweather fan, that I’m only interested in winning and I only ever liked Liverpool because they won something.

He’s guilty of generalization. There are probably those fans, but there are plenty of exceptions too.

There are fans, like me, that saw that game and understood the “Liverpool style” to use his term: there is no giving up, there is no quit. The fans were singing at halftime and the players walked through the storm. They were walking on, with hope in their hearts. Not every club is like that.

Ours is. That’s the Liverpool style. That’s why I’m a fan, a self-proclaimed die-hard fan that has never been to Anfield, that will gladly welcome any new fans there are because I know the rewards of being a fan of Liverpool Football Club.

Lastly, a fair warning: watch what you post on Twitter. You never know who’s watching.

(Shameless plug: follow me on Twitter at @cheedelt)

48 Comments

  1. Well said Carden,don`t let anyone put you off supporting our magnificent football club. YNWA

  2. Get a fucking grip, its a petition and a bit of fun, you have a nice platform to write something interesting and this is your best effort, pile of piss.

    1. I agree! why do you guys take the petition so seriously its not like we’re blaming Comoli for the bad signings and telling who to sign! We are simply letting our thoughts be heard that we would really love to see Juan Mata in a Liverpool shirt is that really too much?!?!

  3. I’m a Liverpool supporter of some 40 years I live not far from Anfield and find it reprehensible that any so-called Liverpool supporter would treat another in this manner.

    It’s what’s in your heart that matters, not just how long the feeling has been there. The way we treat each other, is what sets us apart from the manure, blueshite etc.

    YNWA.

  4. Re: the Man Ure style fans… When my kids started in primary school, it was the beginning of the Morinho/Abramovich era at Chelsea and suddenly the vast majority of the boys in the school had Chelsea shirts. At the age of 6, I doubt most of them could name more than a handful of players in the premiership but they knew Chelsea were top of the pile. So I think this is the common way it happens. Does it make them fake supporters? I suppose it depends upon whether they stick with their chosen team.

    Obviously, there were boys in other shirts, where parents had certain preferences – my boys, for instance. As, primarily, a Leeds supporter, I didn’t want to inflict that kind of pain on them. However, I gave them options: a) support Chelsea and leave the house, or b) choose from a list of acceptable premier league options (a short list – Liverpool). They chose Liverpool (go figure?) and have immersed themselves in its history (I seem to know a large number of scousers who provided the necessary background material).

    1. You have completely missed my point i didnt once mention anything about how or why people follow a team

  5. I have to say you hit it dead on the head with your “Man Ure” style fans bit. I too, am an American and I fell in love with the Liverpool way when I saw the Final in 2005. I went back and researched the entire history of the club and I never miss a match. Our passion is second to none and I’m planning my first Anfield pilgrimage this year, no matter the cost.

    YNWA!!!

    1. Being American you would never understand what i ment by ‘man ure style fans’ it is not about where you are from or how long you have been a fan

  6. I think as a Liverpudlian who has supported Liverpool for more than 47 years that anyone is welcome as a true red. There is some truth in the view that globalization and the branding that go with it have ripped the heart out of part of the experience – I doubt that I’ll ever go to a match in the ‘Standard Chartered Stadium’ that will match the raw passion of the game against Saint Etienne in the quarter final of the European Cup in the 76-77 season but times and places have to move on and the fascinating thing is how Liverpool adapts – it and Fenway just need to pay attention to the history of the club and its fanbase – it’s absolutely unique without the terrible arrogance of the MU crowd and people have to remember that…a good article Carden – well done

  7. There are indeed many ways of looking at this “fan” phenom. It’s not new at all; the Jews thought they were superior to Gentile Christians due to their being there first. It’s human.

    There’s a related aspect to you being called an American glory hunter, seeing you started supporting LFC after Istanbul. How about we Scouse gentiles being seen as second class Kopzens because we hail from outside Liverpool or Merseyside?

    Who is a fan? Merely a passionate follower of anything, from the word “fanatic.” Does it then matter at what stage you developed the passion? It’s majoring on minors.

    I have about 30 years of following this one of a kind club. I come from Africa but my passion is second to nobody’s. Support this team with all confidence. The club was built for the people. Like Christianity, it’s greatness had to spread. You see, it was inevitable. We all share the same faith, belief, sense of family as the awesome Shankly.

    One more. None of Shankly, Dalglish, Houllier or Rafa came from Liverpool or Merseyside. They are more passionate than most. It’s not a competition for loving this club, just a fact of life.

    We are part of the Red family. There’s none other anywhere in this world. We are in it for the longest haul. YNWA!

  8. We are all LFC brothers together and like millions around the world, love the club. Let’s enjoy this period in our history as it’s gonna be fun!, the dark days of H+G are gone and we march on without their debts. KK is back and good football too, a fantastic academy producing class youngsters also helps………….YNWA

    1. Where did I say FSG weren’t doing a good job? They obviously want to stay in Anfield and they’re doing due diligence on a new stadium as well as renovating Anfield. I think they see themselves as caretakers for the club. I couldn’t be happier with FSG right now.

  9. What do you care what others think? we all started supporting our team at some point for one reason or another-
    Just answer one question, how can you possibly be a fair weather fan if you are still a supporter after the first half of last season when we looked like possible relegation candidates under a totally incompetent manager?
    We all love our club, whether you are in the US,South Africa, Iran,Japan or in Bootle makes no difference.
    So I say go forth, spread the word & love for LFC, the more fans the better. I have supported our club for 35rs,& my 11 yrs old son(ironically) since 05! it does not make either of us a better fan than yourself. We live in London and my son wears his Gerrard & Suarez shirts very proudly amongst his friends most of whom support Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham …
    I THINK THERE IS A VERY LOUD MESSAGE THERE- ALL THE BEST

    Sharde – YNWA

  10. Carden, It just goes to prove that every club has it’s idiots even ours. Don’t take it to heart and as a fan for 60 years I say welcome to the LFC family.

    1. So would that make me an idiot then Bill because i don’t like the plastic fans which are about? You are right though about not taking it to heart as it was never about him or where anyone is from or how long they have been a fan

  11. Think you took that to heart when they wouldn’t be unlikely to have meant someone who’s become as obsessive as you.

    More the sort who would claim to be a fan but would only watch the massive games. Those that couldn’t name more than a few players of the first team, who maybe even think Torres still plays for us. Or the worst ones those that flit between teams.

  12. agree with everything you said mate an i’v lived all my life in L4!!!!!!!!! i know season ticket holders who know nothing about the club,i’d rather have blokes like you find an love our club than follow anyone else.

  13. brilliant read mate i agree with you fully. That mata petition is ridiculous can’t believe anyone would do that.

  14. I absolutely agree with you. I’m from Australia. Followed the reds since mid to late 90’s, I’ve never been to Anfield and I absolutely can’t wait for the opportunity. I get up, extremely early morning every single game (usually 2-4am) – like you, that’s die hard!

  15. Very well written mate.. but I for one dont understand the diff between a new and a old fan! How does it make a difference to anyone on why when or how someone became a fan of LFC? And the biggest crap I have ever read is that one is a “true” lfc fan only if he has visited anfield!!! I live in India and to come to Liverpool and watch a match at Anfield will cost me approx 2000 GBP. 2 days back i got a call from an agency telling me they are organising a trip to Old Trafford to watch the Man U vs Arsenal match for 800 GBP which includes a talk with Gary Neville. Now my point here is, i dont see Man U fans questioning each other on why you someone became a fan.. but why does this exist within us? its shameful!!!

    1. i don’t believe i mentioned anything about being an old or new fan or how they became a fan?

  16. As a fellow American LFC supporter, I salute you sir. Coverage over here of the Premier League and European competitions is finally getting to the point where I can watch most matches with a good satellite package. I may have only been following for a few years, but that does not prevent me from loving the spirit of the club.

  17. AMEN! You re-wrote my story and reasons for my love of the Reds. In my case I didn’t see the CL game live, I saw a replay a month later on FSC and fell in love with Gerrard’s game and mentality on the spot. I’ve been a die-hard Liverpool fan since, and read every rag online in hopes of a new signing or realistic rumor daily. History aside, over the last 5 years I feel as confident in my ability to talk Liverpool as anyone else could be. I live in California which means I wake up at 3am to watch games live at times.

    Just because we’re “new”, don’t hate, embrace! YWNA – from this side of the Atlantic too

  18. Supporting Liverpool is a calling.

    You just happened to be called in 2005.

    I’m proud that the reason Liverpool has such a big international following is because we are unique. There are clubs, don’t get me wrong, who have fantastic loyal support. Whether its Stoke or Real Sociedad.

    But when you’re called, you have no option but to answer.

  19. Im from Anfield myself originally, everyone is welcome and fans in their millions all over the world are welcome, nobody is any better than another fan. Just look at the support we have and we haven’t won a trophy for 5 years now, Liverpool is a club that always bounces back, from disasters etc!!!!. The revenue brought in from our on-line store is huge, across Africa, India, USA, Australia, etc, they matter as much s anyone else. ………………I hope you people get to see Liverpool coming to those places, Im sure it will happen soon!!!!

  20. To Sam: don’t talk such vapid, kinda racist crap. Indeed, if you look on history, they were disenfranchised in the the UK until the mid-1850s and continued to be targeted by evangelical nutjobs because they refused to submit to a new faith – as if coercion and murder was a great tribute to god. Elsewhere in Europe, they were disenfranchised by countries like Tsarist Russia into the early 1900s. Of course that attitude continues in Africa, where traditional faiths are subject to persecution by the two largest faiths there.

    I know this isnt relevant to LFC, so apologies, but I didn’t want that ignorance to go unanswered. I

  21. that was so painful to read. Firstly nobody can call themselves a fan if they say the following ‘I missed the first half of the champions league final, I was doing something else, but I couldn’t tear myself from the second. what in gods name were you doing in the first half that you were not glued to a tv. its the world cup final of clubs, at least in importance. and your just ‘I don’t know ironing a shirt’ . sorry man but you live in a different world to me on football, you don’t really understand it . your kinda like a guy I know who became a fan one day!!

    1. That was 2005. Do you know how much European football the United States saw then? Little, if any. That was the first European game I had ever seen. I couldn’t have told you the difference between a Champions League game and an EPL game. I didn’t know it was the “world cup final of clubs”. To me at the time, it was a game to have on while I was studying for final exams or something.

      Everyone becomes a fan one day. There’s always a moment where you have to decide to become a fan. Mine came later than most and I’d argue, largely due to being raised in America. The important thing is that it happened.

  22. i believe that anyone who has showed undying passion for the club during the few turbulent years we have come through is a true liverpool supporter

  23. @ Dermot – LOL! Why take the high stand. Football is an amazing sport but not everyone watches it as their primary sport!!! Btw, did you follow the cricket world cup this year? Did you watch the finals?

  24. @ Dermot – do you remember the first match of soccer you ever saw? Were you as excited during that match as you were watching Suarez running riot on man u last season (let alone Istanbul!) that was the first match Carden watched. We were lucky that was the first match he saw! I am sure if the first match he saw was our loss to man u at old trafford he could be posting at rom rather than eotk. For people, whom soccer is not the first sport, luck plays a huge part on which team they support. I, for example, started following Liverpool because of Michael Owen. Now that he has joined man u, I don’t become any less a supportr than you are!

  25. @ Dermot – do you remember the first match of soccer you ever saw? Were you as excited during that match as you were watching Suarez running riot on man u last season (let alone Istanbul!) that was the first match Carden watched. We were lucky that was the first match he saw! I am sure if the first match he saw was our loss to man u at old trafford he could be posting at rom rather than eotk. For people, whom soccer is not the first sport, luck plays a huge part on which team they support. I, for example, started following Liverpool because of Michael Owen. Now that he has joined man u, I don’t become any less a supporter than you are!

  26. Right then seeing as a 3rd of that was based on my tweet here is my reply!
    Firstly my tweet wasn’t aimed at you or your blog, it was in reply to and aimed at the idiot fans who have been making petitions to sign players so your assumptions are completely unfounded and if you had have taken a second to read further you might have seen what it was in reply to.
    Instead you decided to get in a hump about it, my tweet also wasn’t aimed at new fans or non ‘scousers’ supporting liverpool i myself am a non scouser yet i still make every effort to attend games, eveybody has a reason why they started supporting a team and i don’t claim my reason to be better or worse then anybody elses.
    I still stand by my statement about man ure style fans, if you lived in England you would know exactly what i mean but you don’t so you will never understand.

      1. i am glad you agree, will be interesting to hear his reply concidering the song and dance made over it all

    1. Fair enough. I should have read further. It struck a nerve and I wrote about it because I’ve had my fandom called into question before in a very similar fashion. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

      I think I can understand Man U style fans without living in England, though. They’re the fans that show up after a championship, late in the run or when a team is packed with stars. My guess is that they’d be like fairweather Yankees fans–the ones who can’t name a lineup 1-9 and still think they’re fans because they have the hat and a bumper sticker. But they’re the first to cheer in your face obnoxiously when they win anything. Is that close to your definition of Man U style fans?

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