This is Anfield, and how they knew it, in every European language. Visiting teams and supporters arrived at Anfield both in fear and awe, trepidation at the thought of taking on the Mighty Liverpool on their home patch, and wonder at the seemingly mystical aura of this famous old stadium. As Bill Shankly once said:

“This is to remind our lads who they’re playing for, and to remind the opposition who they’re playing against.”

The very plaque that he described, remains one of Anfield’s most famous artefacts, reproduced en masse across the globe for supporters to perform their own pre-match ritual. My personal routine has always been, when watching or listening at home, to change into my Liverpool shirt exactly 15 minutes prior to kick off, which traditionally always meant a trip to the wardrobe at 2.45pm on a Saturday afternoon.

The landscape of football, admittedly, has changed not only with gross commercialism, but also with technology. The days of Radio 2 and 5 Live are a throwback, as supporters just head to the nearest PC to watch a live stream and discuss proceedings in real time using Social Media. I have no idea what Mr Shankly would have made of it although his quotes would have made great twitter!

As football has changed, the transformation in the suburbs of L4 have been starker still. As it stands, this most famous of clubs is making more headlines off the pitch than on it, and even those made on Shankly’s ‘great, professional grass’ do not make pleasant reading.

“It’s great grass at Anfield, professional grass!”

The tragedy in this whole sorry saga is that football has become almost a secondary matter. If there is a battle to remain even close to the highest echelons of English, let alone European, football, the struggle for mere survival has taken the form of a crusade. It is a necessary campaign but one that continues to strip the club of its essence and dignity.

In terms of contemporary analogies, I doubt even that Jack Bauer has endured a 24 hours like those perpetually experienced by Koppites in recent months. Last weekend was a typical example of this for many with events preceding and after the Sunderland fixture all too reflective of the club’s current plight.

In between the – and I restate very necessary – protests and another Friday night of multiple rumours about the club’s ownership, there was actually a football match. Such has been the focus on the battle to save the club, the ninety minutes of frustration at on field events was almost a relief. Amidst a little controversy, and some referral to a ‘big fat head’, the Anfield faithful watched the Reds stumble to a 2-2 draw. For those ninety minutes, and at least a whole hour afterwards, the questions and in most cases dissatisfaction was aimed at the playing staff and manager.

This would not last of course, and somewhat predictably, by the middle of the evening we were being bombarded with yet more conflicting stories of the club’s uncertain future. That ninety minutes was a pure relief, which is potentially a health hazard since my pulse probably went through the roof whilst ‘uttering’ small pieces of advice to Mr Hodgson and his Red Men!

Quite frankly, who knows what the next 24 hours hold in store for us. At least we can lose ourselves in football for another short period this evening as the Reds take to the field in the Europa League. However, that will almost certainly be no more than the briefest of preludes to another 3 days of rumour and assumption before another hugely significant protest on Sunday.

It is a confusing time for the conscience, as I, personally would happily endure a mid-table finish and even the immediate deduction of 9 points, if it ensured that RBS were going to foreclose on the moneys owed by the clubs despicable owners. Yet for those precious few minutes where politics and finances are pushed to the back of the mind, I am possessed by the Spirit of Shankly, driven by the glorious history, and compelled by desire to implore and fully expect victory.

However difficult, and I believe that it is highly so, the players must take full responsibility for their performances, and to this point of the season they have been unsatisfactory. Fact! Were I being mischievous or slightly ironic, I would say that recent efforts have been lacking in quality and focus. More seriously, whilst a lack of quality can be forgiven, a lack of focus and effort is intolerable.

It is also quite clear that supporters have different opinions, not least about the new manager. There is unity in the goals that we seek, and that is success on the playing field, and the removal of the detested owners from the club. This is all so incongruous with the Shankly quote which continues to strongly resonate with me during this period:

“At a football club, there’s a holy trinity – the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don’t come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques.”

We know only too well that the cheques at Anfield are currently of the rubber variety, which leaves only the ‘holy trinity’ to maintain any type of equilibrium at the club. Now, more than ever, fans must wholeheartedly back the manager and the players, regardless of individual opinions. Likewise, the players must somehow put to the back of their mind the off-field distractions and remember, again in the words of Shankly:

“Fire in your belly comes from pride and passion in wearing the Red shirt. We don’t need to motivate players because each of them is responsible for the performance of the team as a whole. The status of Liverpool’s players keeps them motivated.”

The weeks ahead will be filled with rumour, passion and the most important journey upon which the Kop has embarked in the illustrious history of this football club. I assure each and every Liverpool Supporter, whether on the Spion or Armchair Kop, that if supporters and players unite as one, they will be an irresistible force for which the corrupt and crooked regime will be no match.

Rohan Kallicharan

I am the editor of hetoreahamstring.co.uk and also have a personal site at rohankallicharan.co.uk. I am passionate about all sports and would probably pay over the odds from a tout to watch the world tiddlywinks final. I was fortunate to grow up inside the dressing room of the legendary West Indian cricket team of the 1970/80s - this has, I hope, given me a real insight into sport as a whole and the mindset of successful sportsmen. I played cricket and rugby at representative level as a youth, and also have a UK College Bowl winning medal in American Football! My real passions are West Indian cricket and Liverpool Football Club but I will write about much more! I hope you enjoy the site.

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