Champions League 2007 - 2008 - Euro Red Diary 30

by Joel Rookwood

Inter Milan v Liverpool UEFA Champions League

Liverpool Football Club is in a period of transition. I remember reading that statement for the first time in the summer of 1992. More than fifteen years later, Liverpool fans are still waiting to experience an era of stability. It would require a series of PhDs to unearth the reasons why a state of normality has eluded the club for so long, although some truths remain undeniably evident.

The club has undoubtedly struggled with some of football's recent trends, commercialisation and marginalisation serving as two notable examples. Indeed, whilst at boardroom level, the managerial appointments in the post-Dalglish era have been misguided at best; the economic and socio-cultural developments at the club have proven almost as worrying.

The achievements of Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish, although dissimilar in many respects, are all inextricably linked by one undeniable barometer of success - each of them has won the league title. Sadly, messes Souness, Evans, Houllier and (thus far) Benitez have failed to do just that. The simple truth is that this ongoing period of instability, uncertainty and 'transition' will endure until this club is once again crowned league champions.

In the build up to last season's Champions League climax, Liverpool fans responded to jibes about the current baron spell of eighteen title-free campaigns with the song: "Oh campione, the one and only, we're Liverpool. They say our days are numbered, we're not famous anymore. But Scousers rule the country like we've always done before. Oh, Campione". For less we forget, Liverpool are still top of the pile with eighteen championships. And under the current managerial regime, Liverpool look closer to mounting a genuine challenge for number nineteen than we have done at any point since the one man demolition job that was Graeme Souness took charge of the club.

Yet whilst the league title is, as Bill Shankly once remarked, 'our bread and butter', and although the fans are still desperate for that very honour, the club has in recent years come to be defined by its continental rather than domestic exploits. The four European and two UEFA Cups won between 1973 and 1984 ensured Liverpool's duality would remain unparalleled by any other English club, and in 2001, Liverpool's triumph in the UEFA Cup (in conjunction with four other trophies we won that season), for many signalled the club's re-emergence. However, it proved to be little more than yet another false dawn.

Wake Up Italy. When Benitez succeeded Houllier in 2004, that dawn ushered in an era of golden skies. Curiously however, it is this period which has also brought considerable instability. Within nine months of taking over, Rafa secured a fifth European Cup for Liverpool.

He followed that with an FA Cup the following season, and then got us to a seventh European Cup final last year. And amidst the re-appearance of this famous institution, the club has undergone extensive change. World class players such as Reina, Mascherano and Torres have replaced mediocre predecessors.

Almost as significantly, the ownership of the club has changed hands, something most Liverpool fans are not old enough to have experienced before. Again, this process was characterised by worrying mismanagement, as somehow a financially limited pair of Americans were allowed to purchase the club. The failure of the new owners to deliver on certain promises has seen a number of angered outbursts from supporters, aimed predictably and understandably at Hicks and Gillett.

The globalisation of fandom, which has seen Liverpool's unique footballing culture diluted and restricted in recent years, recently resulted in the collective pooling together to fight against the marginalisation of the supporters, for which the Americans are only partly responsible. Before the stewardship of the club was re-channelled west, the club surprisingly legitimised this process, with the then current regime effectively admitting their own portion of blame for the reduction in atmosphere. The fan group initially named 'Reclaim the Kop' was given 2,000 seats in the middle of the famous stand. Now a central block of supporters, popularised by some supportive local media networks (i.e. Tony Barrett in the Liverpool Echo) has a voice.

Spurred on by a combination of more regular 'success' (ten trophies since 2001), continued denial of the league title, related financial mismanagement, and further marginalisation of local supporters, the Kopites have become more vocal in expressing their opinion – whether in support or in dissatisfaction. The club granted us a vehicle to protest and reclaim our passionate expressive tendencies, and much to their now obvious annoyance, we are taking full advantage.

Currently, the main point of friction is played out at every domestic home game between Kop block 306 and the increasing number of stewards assigned to 'police' us. They are insistent that everyone remains seated during matches. This may appear an insignificant point, but as anyone will tell you, he who sits does not sing. And when there is no atmosphere, the opposition feel less intimidated than they should do. As a consequence, recent home games have seen more collective disregard for the stewards' interventions.

In a characteristically humorous and unique expression of anti-establishment views, Kopites have recently taken to bouncing whenever they are instructed to sit down. The motion is signified by the chorus to the new Fernando Torres song. The bouncing motion is now spreading to the rest of the (be/a)mused Kop. Needless to say, the stewards are not impressed.

This movement came to a head last week when block 306 and a few from the surrounding areas travelled to Milan for the second leg of our Champions League knock-out tie against Inter.

Vendetta dello Shankly. Just as we had done on our last visit to Inter Milan in 1965, Liverpool took a two-goal lead to the San Siro. This time around we had Kuyt and Gerrard to thank for the goals. In this second leg however, the Italians had forgotten to bribe the referee, as Liverpool's lead was supplemented rather than overturned in a famous night in the Stadio Meazza.

Europe's finest marksman was on hand to grab the game's only goal, as 8,000 screaming Scousers bounced in unison to they cry of 'Fernando Torres Liverpool's number nine'. The dozen token Liverpool stewards in the corner sheepishly looked on, only too aware that their foolish attempts to restrict the Liverpool fans at Anfield had rebounded on the continent.

I gave a couple of interviews for British television networks before the game, in which I predictably and regrettably unleashed another rant about how Liverpool would destroy Inter Milan, which fortunately came to pass. I should have gone on to make cocky references about having already booked my flight to Moscow, the location of this year's final. For such was the gulf in class and control between Liverpool and the lowly Italian champions, no team would relish being pitted against Liverpool in the quarter-final.

In his bid to re-establish stability at the club, Benitez will have to achieve the one thing he has failed to do thus far in his reign as Liverpool manager, namely overhaul Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League. Intriguingly, with the champions League having reached the 'last eight' stage, the Spaniard faces a similar challenge (albeit in reverse order) if he is to lead Liverpool to European glory once again this season. If he does, the Kopites will be bouncing all the way to Moscow.

Joel Rookwood

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Reclaim The Kop