saw this on a blog on the mirror website and thought it was an interesting point of view.
Anyone who has walked down Bold Street in the heart of Liverpool city centre will have noticed a large poster adorning the outer wall of the Burger King restaurant on the corner proclaiming 'the home of the Whopper'. Seasoned Liverpool supporters would argue that the sign would be more fitting if plastered across the exterior of Anfield.
With the Reds' failure to carry on where they finished last season, the club had to resort to marketing techniques frequently used by local rivals Everton by having to sell tickets for the match against Wigan over the counter at their official club store in the bustling Liverpool One shopping centre.
Given that this was the game where the club marked the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly's arrival at the club, one would expect this to be a sell-out. Only 41,116 supporters, 800 of whom were travelling Latics fans, watched Rafael Benitez's side run out 2-1 winners in a nervy finish.
The reason for the reduced capacity crowd and the over-the-counter sales was because the people who normally occupy those additional few thousand seats don't care about Bill Shankly, or what he did for Liverpool.
Furthermore, they aren't going to travel to Merseyside on a cold Wednesday night in December for all the hot dogs in Anfield unless Manchester United or Chelsea are playing at L4. This is because Liverpool Football Club has become a victim of its own success - and success, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, attracts more than its fair share of rats.
Many a glory-hunting rodent has strode up Walton Breck Road over the past five years as the club marched on to European finals and nerve-wracking title races but as soon as success dries up, they will spearhead the mass exodus out from Anfield. It happened in the latter days of Gerard Houllier’s reign and, given current events, it will happen during Benitez’s time.
They will crawl back to their familiar rocks of Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford once the good times stop rolling. However, they will be back, and in greater numbers once success returns, but real Liverpool supporters, regardless of their personal views on Benitez, will back the manager of the club to the hilt until he resigns or is sacked by a higher power.
It is not in their nature to pander to national radio hosts’ demands by calling for the manager to be sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho, turning a very blind eye to the Reds’ financial plight and the small matter of Benitez’s £20million pay-off should he be dismissed before his contract expires.
Nor is it in their nature to call for the manager’s head on the Kop following a frustrating draw, dressed head-to-toe in a jester hat, a Superman cape and home shirt with ‘comical’ slogans on the back; El Sexy 69 and Crouchenko to name but two.
However, those who maintain that Benitez should be supported, even if he is making an absolute pig’s ear of the season due to stretched resources, are accused of being personal apologists for the Spaniard; further evidence, were it needed, that the modern football supporter has lost his way.
As Liverpool prepare for a strong winter of discontent, a banner which proclaimed: "it's easy to support a team when in glory, but to support a team when in struggle…shows your character" could not be more apt for those who will continue to support their football club through thick and thin.
Anyone who has walked down Bold Street in the heart of Liverpool city centre will have noticed a large poster adorning the outer wall of the Burger King restaurant on the corner proclaiming 'the home of the Whopper'. Seasoned Liverpool supporters would argue that the sign would be more fitting if plastered across the exterior of Anfield.
With the Reds' failure to carry on where they finished last season, the club had to resort to marketing techniques frequently used by local rivals Everton by having to sell tickets for the match against Wigan over the counter at their official club store in the bustling Liverpool One shopping centre.
Given that this was the game where the club marked the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly's arrival at the club, one would expect this to be a sell-out. Only 41,116 supporters, 800 of whom were travelling Latics fans, watched Rafael Benitez's side run out 2-1 winners in a nervy finish.
The reason for the reduced capacity crowd and the over-the-counter sales was because the people who normally occupy those additional few thousand seats don't care about Bill Shankly, or what he did for Liverpool.
Furthermore, they aren't going to travel to Merseyside on a cold Wednesday night in December for all the hot dogs in Anfield unless Manchester United or Chelsea are playing at L4. This is because Liverpool Football Club has become a victim of its own success - and success, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, attracts more than its fair share of rats.
Many a glory-hunting rodent has strode up Walton Breck Road over the past five years as the club marched on to European finals and nerve-wracking title races but as soon as success dries up, they will spearhead the mass exodus out from Anfield. It happened in the latter days of Gerard Houllier’s reign and, given current events, it will happen during Benitez’s time.
They will crawl back to their familiar rocks of Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford once the good times stop rolling. However, they will be back, and in greater numbers once success returns, but real Liverpool supporters, regardless of their personal views on Benitez, will back the manager of the club to the hilt until he resigns or is sacked by a higher power.
It is not in their nature to pander to national radio hosts’ demands by calling for the manager to be sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho, turning a very blind eye to the Reds’ financial plight and the small matter of Benitez’s £20million pay-off should he be dismissed before his contract expires.
Nor is it in their nature to call for the manager’s head on the Kop following a frustrating draw, dressed head-to-toe in a jester hat, a Superman cape and home shirt with ‘comical’ slogans on the back; El Sexy 69 and Crouchenko to name but two.
However, those who maintain that Benitez should be supported, even if he is making an absolute pig’s ear of the season due to stretched resources, are accused of being personal apologists for the Spaniard; further evidence, were it needed, that the modern football supporter has lost his way.
As Liverpool prepare for a strong winter of discontent, a banner which proclaimed: "it's easy to support a team when in glory, but to support a team when in struggle…shows your character" could not be more apt for those who will continue to support their football club through thick and thin.
If he was only due £2m he'd already be gone, but it's served to benefit both club and manager until now. His high wages have kept him from the lure of Madrid but higher wages create a high payoff. Ergo, the £20m is our fault and so maybe it's our owners who are reluctant to exercise the clause. For all we know Rafa could be just as eager to go.
Rafa would NOT receive £20m if he got sacked! Only if he remained out of work for four and a half years would he receive the bulk of £20m. Clearly that's not gonna happen. He'd get about £2m if we sacked him.
Wondered about that myself before. Always pretty much bang on 60,000 and often lots of empty seats.
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