Liverpool FC fans - the different types

[ToffeeDoug]

I live in Kent, my near life long love of Everton FC comes solely from my grandparents moving to near Formby in the late 60s and my grand-dad having an Everton season ticket throughout the 1970s and taking me to my first game in 1972. There are clearly going to be a lot of over-generalisations in what follows.

For a lot of people on here, they are naturally going to know a lot of Liverpool fans because they are family, friend, neighbours, work colleagues etc and as such, these Liverpool fans are local to the city and go to matches. Banter and a bit of mickey taking is all part and parcel of the relationship between our clubs and I have read recently on here about the respect for Liverpool fans who know what they are talking about. Liverpool fans I have met who are scousers have been great.

In the part of the world where I live, Liverpool fans are often young lads are chavs who couldn't find Liverpool on the map, weren't even born when they last won the league, watch the games from a pub on a Margate sink-estate while comparing their forearms full of YNWA tattoos. It is likely that very few of them have ever been to a Liverpool match but of course they know it all, they are full of it, they are aggressive in their support of 'their club'. They are delusional in their sense of self-entitlement. They like to wear the 2nd away kit while shopping in ASDA.

Why have Liverpool got so many of this second type of fan...Herne Bay, Reading, Crawley, Dover, Basildon, Slough...the list is almost endless of the places these fans reside. Why have they chosen to support Liverpool? Do they think that attaching themselves to a once successful brand identity / club gives them a sense of superior status that they wouldn't otherwise have had in their lives? I'm now seeing the same thing happening with Eastern Europeans working in the area, who spend their weekends handing over their hard-earned in Sports Direct for Liverpool shirts.

You get the gist, I could go on for hours, and yes I know, I live in Kent.

 

[AndyC]

I live in Kent, my near life long love of Everton FC comes solely from my grandparents moving to near Formby in the late 60s and my grand-dad having an Everton season ticket throughout the 1970s and taking me to my first game in 1972. There are clearly going to be a lot of over-generalisations in what follows.

For a lot of people on here, they are naturally going to know a lot of Liverpool fans because they are family, friend, neighbours, work colleagues etc and as such, these Liverpool fans are local to the city and go to matches. Banter and a bit of mickey taking is all part and parcel of the relationship between our clubs and I have read recently on here about the respect for Liverpool fans who know what they are talking about. Liverpool fans I have met who are scousers have been great.

In the part of the world where I live, Liverpool fans are often young lads are chavs who couldn't find Liverpool on the map, weren't even born when they last won the league, watch the games from a pub on a Margate sink-estate while comparing their forearms full of YNWA tattoos. It is likely that very few of them have ever been to a Liverpool match but of course they know it all, they are full of it, they are aggressive in their support of 'their club'. They are delusional in their sense of self-entitlement. They like to wear the 2nd away kit while shopping in ASDA.

Why have Liverpool got so many of this second type of fan...Herne Bay, Reading, Crawley, Dover, Basildon, Slough...the list is almost endless of the places these fans reside. Why have they chosen to support Liverpool? Do they think that attaching themselves to a once successful brand identity / club gives them a sense of superior status that they wouldn't otherwise have had in their lives? I'm now seeing the same thing happening with Eastern Europeans working in the area, who spend their weekends handing over their hard-earned in Sports Direct for Liverpool shirts.

You get the gist, I could go on for hours, and yes I know, I live in Kent.

Fully understand where you're coming from.
I was raised in Salford and 99.9% of my mates were Manu fans, and on rare occasions I would go with them to OT... And even then, back in the late 60's, OT had lots of people from other than Manchester. In later years, I lived near the cricket ground and the coaches used to park up on Warwick Road, buses with signs in the windows saying Exeter Reds, Bus 4 etc, they were from all over the place and they were the most obnoxious of people.

All clubs have some fans from afar, but the RS and Manure attract far, far, far more hangers on, glory hunters than the rest put together.

 

[davek]

It amazes me Liverpool can still attract support outside Merseyside. They haven't won the title for two generations. Those people have to go and ask their grandads what it was like to see Liverpool lift it.

They must attract support in the same way as there's archeologists who have a passion for antiquities.

 

[Seamus Colemole]

It amazes me Liverpool can still attract support outside Merseyside. They haven't won the title for two generations. Those people have to go and ask their grandads what it was like to see Liverpool lift it.

They must attract support in the same way as there's archeologists who have a passion for antiquities.

It's nothing to do with whether they've actually won the title or not, and everything to do with how they're marketed.

Plus they've still won everything else since so if you're told they're still one of the top clubs and are winning trophies people are gonna support them.

Not look up the fact they haven't won the league for 25 years and say nah i'll pass thanks.

 

[roydo]

It amazes me Liverpool can still attract support outside Merseyside. They haven't won the title for two generations. Those people have to go and ask their grandads what it was like to see Liverpool lift it.

They must attract support in the same way as there's archeologists who have a passion for antiquities.

Being semi serious for a mo. No league titles for ages, no, but the 70's and 80's they were by far the most consistent accumulators of trophies. And since then, they have had just enough occasional trophies/ace players to sustain the illusion that they are still top drawer.

Not for much longer one senses.

 

[Del]

You have two types of Kopite, Nobheads and bellends

 

[Deleted member 28206]

You have two types of Kopite, Nobheads and bellends

All from Huyton.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

Being semi serious for a mo. No league titles for ages, no, but the 70's and 80's they were by far the most consistent accumulators of trophies. And since then, they have had just enough occasional trophies/ace players to sustain the illusion that they are still top drawer.

Not for much longer one senses.

This success helped create a huge number of Liverpool supporting 'second teamers' up and down the land i.e. glory hunters who attached themselves to the club. But why the current generation? Is it all down to Istanbul? Or are the offspring of 70s / 80s second teamers and the get the link that way?

 

[davek]

Being semi serious for a mo. No league titles for ages, no, but the 70's and 80's they were by far the most consistent accumulators of trophies. And since then, they have had just enough occasional trophies/ace players to sustain the illusion that they are still top drawer.

Not for much longer one senses.

It's defo the historical artifact angle. That's their USP in the market place: they dont win stuff now, but they are historically important. That's how they're marketed. United, Chelsea etc are sold as present day giants.

 

[roydo]

This success helped create a huge number of Liverpool supporting 'second teamers' up and down the land i.e. glory hunters who attached themselves to the club. But why the current generation? Is it all down to Istanbul? Or are the offspring of 70s / 80s second teamers and the get the link that way?

Dunno. I cant be arsed looking at their cups in the last 10 years. Can recall the obvious CL. FA Cups, what 2? (Arsenal & West Ham), and a LC, (Cardiff?). It isnt a disaster for a glory hunter is it? Lob in Rafas 2nd place, a few other near misses, it has sustained the cult perhaps.

And I would have taken it as a Blue ffs!

 

[blue61]

It's all down to the brand these days, they're marketed so widely abroad. As for these shores, I think it's all down to the high percentage of kopite tv kids are still being fed with these days, however, a few more scathing attacks like the one from Caralar today will hopefully see these numbers dwindling from hereon in. Plus, when they're in the championship next season, that will be that.

 

[Khalekan]

It amazes me Liverpool can still attract support outside Merseyside. They haven't won the title for two generations. Those people have to go and ask their grandads what it was like to see Liverpool lift it.

They must attract support in the same way as there's archeologists who have a passion for antiquities.

It's nowt to do with football, Dave.

Some people call out of town "glory hunters" but as you say, there has been precious little glory to be hunted in nigh on a quarter of a century.

These people are buying into the group mentality which we on here identified years ago as being a cult.

Years ago, we used to refer to LFC followers as Liverpudlians.....we were Evertonians.

The term Kopite was reserved for that breed of fan who watched the game from his speck on the Kop.

Just as our most ardent fans stood in the Gwladys Street.

Street Enders and Kopites.....that's what you had.

But as the "brand" was expanded, the term "Liverpudlian" became too localised.

Brain dead teds in Kettering, Kuala Lumpur or Kilkenny couldn't very well wear tee shirts claiming they were "Liverpudlians" hence the term Kopite came into widespread use as a generic term for LFC fans.

It really has become a cult.

 

[toffeejack]

It's nowt to do with football, Dave.

Some people call out of town "glory hunters" but as you say, there has been precious little glory to be hunted in nigh on a quarter of a century.

These people are buying into the group mentality which we on here identified years ago as being a cult.

Years ago, we used to refer to LFC followers as Liverpudlians.....we were Evertonians.

The term Kopite was reserved for that breed of fan who watched the game from his speck on the Kop.

Just as our most ardent fans stood in the Gwladys Street.

Street Enders and Kopites.....that's what you had.

But as the "brand" was expanded, the term "Liverpudlian" became too localised.

Brain dead teds in Kettering, Kuala Lumpur or Kilkenny couldn't very well wear tee shirts claiming they were "Liverpudlians" hence the term Kopite came into widespread use as a generic term for LFC fans.

It really has become a cult.

they've still been winning a fair amount of trophies up until 10 years ago tbh, just not the league.


the main thing is commercial, there dad's half arsed supported them when they were successful and most have pushed that onto their kids (i'm basing this on south wales now as an example). basically the "i don't follow football but i suppoer liverpool". all of their merch is everywhere, as well as united and these are the two teams most people in wales "support".

 

[hullefc]

They get massive amount of publicity from the RS dominated media. The selling of the CL as the 'big thing' with those 'special European' nights generates its own momentum. You can watch 'your' team on TV giving it loads in the CL, just enough to dangle the carrot in front of their noses, keeping LFC fans interested and that is why they knew it was important to qualify for the CL. Istanbul gave them a big boost for the cling ons to hang on to.

Before Hull City got in the premier league it was all Manu and RS shirts the kids wanted with the odd Chelsea and Arsenal. The Sky 4 dominated the football scene and could be followed on the TV with the subsequent arguments about this or that game and how far they may go in the CL. As far as the league went the RS were always there or thereabouts again enough to keep them interested. The older generation that started following LFC in the 70s come out the woodwork and wear the shirts depending on how well they are doing. Now the youngster want to wear the Hull City shirts and follow their team. Places that don't have a premier league team will probably have more LFC 'supporters than those places that does. Someone wrote that last season, or was it this season, that in Bristol there were loads of big advertisements for Sky sports showing LFC. The same was in Hull but they are nowhere to be seen this season.

LFC are marketed as a 'brand' and a 'badge' of honour for others. Last season the tag alongs couldn't wait to tell the world they supported LFC now they are thin on the ground. In fact, a lot of them don't want to talk football.

This season will be quite pivotal for them. Get knocked out of the CL and struggle in the league and the interest will go down. Whether they will go and support their local team is another matter.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

.... Whether they will go and support their local team is another matter.

For me, I think that a lot of these LFC 'fans' come from towns where there is no obvious local team without delving deep in non-league. But they could have chosen to support Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal or whatever. From other observations, a lot of these types aren't very bright, they are quite oikish in their demeanour and attittude, so why does LFC become their club of choice for someone from this type of background? Because it is a choice that they have made, there are plenty of alternatives they could have gone for.