Anfield has again been in the headlines over the last week for pushing the team over the line, but ticket frustrations for fans remain in the midst of it all.
“The loudest crowd since I’ve been here,” is how Arne Slot described the atmosphere after his side came from behind to defeat Brighton.
Three days later, against Leverkusen, the Reds’ boss was again highlighting the role of the fans in the stands: “Today the atmosphere, I said last Saturday ‘this was impressive’, I think this was even more impressive today.”
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler conceded his side maybe got “a little bit attracted by the atmosphere,” while, Xabi Alonso said it’s “much more difficult to control it on the pitch” than it is to explain in words.
Liverpool supporters have risen to the occasion over the last week, and with just one game before the final international break of 2024, Slot’s side sit top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.
Anfield has played its role in getting them there.
Fortress Anfield
There was understandable concern about the Anfield atmosphere at the start of the season, with Slot’s controlled style and risk management not instigating the wild moments that underpinned Jurgen Klopp‘s reign.
The time and nature of the opponents always feed into an atmosphere, and that too has come into play.
Some may not like to hear it, but a 3pm kickoff against Bournemouth, for example, is not going to conjure up the same cauldron of noise as Real Madrid‘s impending visit will.
If it did, the atmosphere would not be as special or memorable. Unlike the constant noise we hear across mainland Europe, the reaction of fans to moments in real-time is what sparks the fire.
The players need the fans and the fans need the players, and Slot recognises that, saying in his programme notes before the 4-0 win over Leverkusen:
“Energy in the stands brings energy among the players and vice-versa.
“It is a virtuous circle that I know has served this club incredibly well over the years so the more that we can bring it to the stadium the better.”
Anfield has a huge role to play this season. With Man City showing signs of faltering and Arsenal already dropping points on five occasions, opportunity beckons – and that is not lost in L4.
The great Ian St John once said, “There’s no noise like the Anfield noise.” At its best, it’s feral and unrelenting – it has seen the very best this game has to offer stumble.
Pep Guardiola’s been on the receiving end, much to our enjoyment, and he’s said: “They score a goal and over the next five minutes you feel that you’ll receive another four.
“You feel small and the rival players seem to be all over you.”
Anfield is a weapon no one else has. It’s unique to Liverpool, and the victories over Brighton and Leverkusen was something we all needed to see and be part of.
Having access to contribute in the ground is a different matter entirely, though.
The struggle with tickets
Whether it be NFC ticket problems, online sale issues, unsuccessful ballot entries or an unclimbable credit ladder, the barriers to entry are plentiful.
Not one solution to any of these issues will suit every fan, but there is a growing disillusion with the whole process that is restricting access to Anfield for everyone.
The stadium has grown in size but hospitality seats, priced at eye-watering amounts, dominate the seat map while the club collect membership fees – starting from £26.99 – for fans who never successfully obtain a ticket.
Miss one sale and the credits you so dutifully tried to build up are gone in a flash. There are few winners.
If Covid taught us anything, it is that going to the match should not be taken for granted. It is a privilege, but fans do not always feel valued by the club they give so much to.
Supply will always outweigh demand, but the ballot system continues to frustrate fans, as it did in the lead-up to Aston Villa‘s visit on Saturday after results were emailed to supporters for the second half of the season:
Sound @LFC when do we get our membership money back? pic.twitter.com/UF2CGtryIl
— James Lyons (@HamezLyons) November 7, 2024
LFC Ballot results, no surprise at all, yet again unsuccessful, the ticket process is an absolute joke! pic.twitter.com/w6QPsItbf0
— Dean Kennedy (@deankeno25) November 7, 2024
Unsuccessful on all members ballot submissions again. Once more proving it's a flawed system. Won't be getting it again. Paying the club money for the chance at tickets is absurd. #LFC
— GXM113 (@gxm113) November 7, 2024
Ah yes the 6 monthly ballot rejection love letter has arrived from @LFC. The Members Ballot remains a joke whilst we have a ridiculous number of hospitality seats. #LFC #YNWA
— Kanza (@ChallengeKanza) November 7, 2024
The club proudly advertise the Anfield atmosphere – and rightly so – but all fans ever want to feel is valued, and that is not always the case with a ticket system that will happily allow for empty seats and for you to pay over the odds.
The victories against Brighton and Leverkusen were the latest examples of how fans directly affect what happens on the pitch, and there will undoubtedly be more moments throughout the season.
But it is Liverpool fans who make it so the game is played in beautiful colour with a cacophony of sounds, and not the black-and-white existence we experienced in 2020 and 2021. It’s important to remember that.
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