Klopp Wunderbar Factor

Following Liverpool Football Club has been an important part of my life since I was a kid. Even before I set foot in the old Boys Pen at the Kop end I was mad about the Reds. I don’t know why, as we were so frustrating in the old pre-Shankly Division 2 days. Note to younger LFC fans – there was no Premier League then just Divisions 1 and 2 plus Division 3 North and South. The ‘Pool were frustrating because we always seemed to fade away at the end of a season when earlier in the season  we were so well placed to gain promotion to Division 1. We had Billy Liddell a Liverpool legend and he deserved to play with the best for LFC in the top division. I like many of my fellow Reds’ fans also deserved some respite from the Everton fans constantly reminding us of our inferior status! Then Shankly arrived and changed the club out of all recognition laying down the foundations to establish Liverpool as one of the most famous football clubs in Britain, Europe and worldwide. That not only hushed the Bluenoses but completely overshadowed Manchester United until Sir Alex made good his promise to knock us off our effin’ perch!

Jurgen Klopp has now arrived to try to bring back the European glory years but primarily the league title which (whisper it) we haven’t won since 1989-90. No wonder fans of the nouveau riche rival clubs mock our penchant for history!  Klopp’s awareness of our history showed when he likened that past to  carrying it around “like a 20kg backpack.” Klopp will no doubt mould Liverpool’s playing style on the pitch to mirror that of Dortmund with a high pressing game, many sprints and shots on goal. It should be exciting to watch.

For me Klopp got right to the point of why fans love football and why this fan loves his team in red LFC when he said –

“It is our job to let people forget their problems for 90 minutes and then they can talk for three days about the last game and talk for two days about the next game. That’s how I want to live.” – Jurgen Klopp, October 2015

The way Liverpool have played at the back end of last season and the start of this added to my “problems” rather than help me forget. I know it’s almost childish but seriously I don’t care if it is as I don’t wish to control every single emotion in my body. LFC playing the right way – “the Liverpool way” – with fight, spirit, high emotion and not a little skill gives me the “feel good factor.” That’s in my DNA. It is physically nigh impossible for me to get to Anfield these days being domiciled in the Philippines. Maybe that’s a good thing as the last few occasions I have been there on match day has always left me longing for the “good old days” in terms of the passion and noise from the home fans. It’s simply not good enough to ramp up the decibels and trot out all the famous anthems at full belt on European nights. If we really want that title we truly have to reinvent the fabled “12th man” and spur on those lads on the pitch to perform at 150%.

Below I have inserted a table from stats available on many web sites. For me it serves as a reminder as to how I felt when a new manager was appointed.- happy, sad, indifferent or just plain gobsmacked! That is the issue I intended to deal with in this article and prompted by the huge fanfare that has greeted the arrival of Herr Klopp following his sabbatical from the game after his great achievements at Borussia Dortmund. However the “Normal One” completely sidetracked me into my take on the arrival of one Jurgen Norbert Klopp the “Normal One.”

So here in the proverbial nutshell is my summary of initial personal feelings on hearing the appointment of a new manager:

1. Shankly – impressed and excited as we needed a breath of fresh air
2. Paisley- wasn’t at all sure about an introvert taking over from the extrovert Shankly
3. Fagan – no feelings registered
4. Dalglish – massive excitement owing to his outstanding record as a player
5. Moran – knew it was a temporary appointment post Hillsborough
6. Souness – happy as he was one of my favorites as a no-nonsense player
7. Evans – happy only as we jettisoned Souness
8. Evans/Houllier – this won’t work!
9. Houllier – optimistic
10. Benitez – enthusiastic as we had seen what he had done at Valencia
11. Hodgson – *****@@^^%%%%#####
12. Dalglish (again) – total respect for the man and the player
13. Rodgers – truly initially thought he may be the second Shankly
14. Klopp – Excited, optimistic and ehrfürchtig  plus I hope he never gives the Mancs cause to experience a case of Schadenfreude

C’mon Jurgen deliver us that title and all will be Wunderbar and not just for 90 minutes!

 

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts.	Ave. Pts.	% W	% L
Shankly	783	408	197	178	1307	766	1421	1.81	52.11%	22.73%
Paisley	535	308	131	96	955	406	1055	1.97	57.57%	17.94%
Fagan	131	71	36	24	225	97	249	1.90	54.20%	18.32%
Dalglish	307	187	78	42	617	259	639	2.08	60.91%	13.68%
Moran (caretaker)	10	4	1	5	20	16	13	1.30	40.00%	50%
Souness	157	66	45	46	248	186	243	1.55	42.04%	29.3%
Evans	226	117	56	53	375	216	407	1.80	51.77%	23.45%
Evans/Houllier	18	7	6	5	33	20	27	1.50	38.89%	27.78%
Houllier	307	160	73	74	516	298	553	1.80	52.12%	24.10%
Benitez	350	197	74	79	585	302	665	1.90	56.28%	22.57%
Hodgson	31	13	8	10	41	33	47	1.51	41.93%	32.26%
Dalglish (2nd period)	74	35	17	22	115	72	122	1.65	47.30%	29.73%
Rodgers	166	83	41	42	293	201	290	1.75	50.00%	25.30%
Klopp	0	0	0	0			0	0	0.00%	0.00%

 

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