"The Liverpool Way"

[sutty]

One thing that the Gillette and Hicks debacle has done has done has made people talk about "The Liverpool Way". Washing your dirty laundry in public? Not the liverpool way. Undermining the manager? Not the liverpool way.

 

So a question - irrespective of who owns the club

 

What do you think the liverpool way really means?

 

And what would you be prepared to sacrifice in terms of the liverpool way or the soul of the club in order to make give us what we want? We want success. We want to win the league. In order to do that we need to compete with the manchester united and chelsea financially. But united are widely derided by reds for their commercialism, for "selling their soul". Are we prepared to have LFC beans, LFC shampoo for example? We want success but we want cheap tickets - would you be happy if our ticket prices were brought intop line with the rest of the league (believe me, we are cheap to watch at Anfield, relatively speaking!). Would having a bunch of seats available to day trippers with organised trips at premium prices be acceptable?

 

And the new stadium? Anfield is home. The one thing the Americans did seem to realise in the designs shown for the new stadium is the significance of the kop - what makes Anfield Anfield and is probably the most recognisable thing about Liverpool Football club. They stuck a large single tier stadium behind the goal with that in mind. What do you think about naming rights and stadium sponsorship? Or moving at all?

 

What are your thoughts on this stuff? What is the liverpool way? And what is acceptable change? Because whether it's Gillette, Hicks, DIC or Uncle Tom Cobley, things are going to change.

 

I'll add my answers shortly...

[Guest Prongsy]

It's pass and move isn't it?

 

 

 

 

Oh..

 

No..

 

Wait..

 

That's the Liverpool groove. Sorry, I always get mixed up.

 

 

 

 

... Carry on with sensible answers now.

[muleskinner]

The thing about realising the Kop is the most important thing in the ground, if not the club as an entity, is so obvious that had they not made it the main feature there would rightly have been uproar.

 

As for The Liverpool Way, its lots of things and different things to different people I suspect. I'll get back on that.

[Kahnee]

We already have Official LFC sweets/chocolates, baby clothes, an entire fashion range with the Liverbird as a logo - are we actually not so far behind in the "selling the soul" stakes?

 

The Liverpool Away has always been about doing the right thing, certainly in public anyway, both on the pitch and off it - something we've lost since last summer.

 

But the Liverpool Way is also about how the fans behave. For years we were labelled The Most Intelligent Fans by visiting managers and players. Don't hear that so much these days, do you?

 

And as for day-tripping fans - why not? It's ultimately about bums on seats, no matter what those with a more romantic notion may say

[Tosh]

Some words that spring to mind

 

effort can make up for lack of qualityin some areas (Carra, Kuyt, Keegan)

desire to win

sportsmanship - not gamesmanship

appreciation of good play, regardless of who does it

doing the right thing off the pitch - be it "liam" banners, the club quietly helping those in need

family - look at the loyalty of ex-players...

[AE]

We already have Official LFC sweets/chocolates, baby clothes, an entire fashion range with the Liverbird as a logo - are we actually not so far behind in the "selling the soul" stakes?

 

The Liverpool Away has always been about doing the right thing, certainly in public anyway, both on the pitch and off it - something we've lost since last summer.

 

But the Liverpool Way is also about how the fans behave. For years we were labelled The Most Intelligent Fans by visiting managers and players. Don't hear that so much these days, do you?

 

And as for day-tripping fans - why not? It's ultimately about bums on seats, no matter what those with a more romantic notion may say

 

 

Agree with that.

 

And for the day trippers most of these fans have shed out a lot of money to travel and see a team that they too support. Ok they may be a bit uneducacted in some of the traditions etc, but we are happy for the club to take their pounds, turn them into profit and buy the likes of Torres with that money!

[johngibo YPC]

Bit of a non descript answer but i still feel i follow a football club, rather than a corporation, and would retain this at all costs.

Quite how this is done, i need to have a think about i guess.

But i certainly feel ticket prices need to be kept at affordable levels so working class lads can go. I feel that the club needs to keep close links with the city, rather than it being simply somewhere we happen to play. And i would like the club to have a certain class about the way we operate, rather than what has been going on this year

[fred milne]

It's pass and move isn't it?

Oh..

 

No..

 

Wait..

 

That's the Liverpool groove. Sorry, I always get mixed up.

I'd say the way we play is a part of it - e.g the emphasis on retaining possession, defensive solidity and teamwork.

 

Sides like Utd and Spurs have a different ethos. (John L would be in his element here.....)

[Senrab_nhoj]

Translating what 'The Liverpool Way' is into a set of rules or guidelines is pretty nigh on impossible.

 

It would be full of contradictions to anyone other than someone who has lived there life immersed and surrounded by older generations and siblings demonstrating it in their day-to-day (or should I say match-to match) actions what is 'The Liverpool Way' or someone who has been priviledged to 'have seen the light' while learning what it is the be one of the lucky many who support LFC.

[johngibo YPC]

Translating what 'The Liverpool Way' is into a set of rules or guidelines is pretty nigh on impossible.

 

Ok then, to put it simpler, if we got new owners for example, and they say 'how do you want this club run' what do you say?

Edited April 24, 2008 by johngibo YPC

[Bao]

But the Liverpool Way is also about how the fans behave. For years we were labelled The Most Intelligent Fans by visiting managers and players. Don't hear that so much these days, do you?

You hear it a lot from our own fans! In years before, nobody was really bothered about it we just knew - we were different from the rest. Nowadays, especially on the Internet, you seem to have people proclaiming how special we are every other game. Too much self-congratulation that just gets up everyone else's noses.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Bao

[sutty]

Bit of a non descript answer but i still feel i follow a football club, rather than a corporation, and would retain this at all costs.

Quite how this is done, i need to have a think about i guess.

But i certainly feel ticket prices need to be kept at affordable levels so working class lads can go. I feel that the club needs to keep close links with the city, rather than it being simply somewhere we happen to play. And i would like the club to have a certain class about the way we operate, rather than what has been going on this year

 

If it was a choice of operating at a lower level transfer market wise and therfore having a higher risk lower chance of success rate, is that tolerable to you?

 

Not having a go at you here John, by any stretch but there are people on this site who would I think very strongly share these opinions yet want(ed) Rafa gone due to lack of a title challenge.

 

What's more important? Success on the field or retaining that identity and the values?

[sutty]

Ok then, to put it simpler, if we got new owners for example, and they say 'how do you want this club run' what do you say?

Ha ha!

 

My initial post in one sentence.

[johngibo YPC]

If it was a choice of operating at a lower level transfer market wise and therfore having a higher risk lower chance of success rate, is that tolerable to you?

 

Not having a go at you here John, by any stretch but there are people on this site who would I think very strongly share these opinions yet want(ed) Rafa gone due to lack of a title challenge.

 

What's more important? Success on the field or retaining that identity and the values?

 

I honestly feel its the latter at the moment

At the moment i feel proud to support the club i do

If that went there really isn't any point

 

BUT there are lots of things the club can do to raise revenue that wouldnt make me feel like this. It just needs to be done carefully. Which i guess is the point of the thread

[sutty]

I'd say the way we play is a part of it - e.g the emphasis on retaining possession, defensive solidity and teamwork.

 

Sides like Utd and Spurs have a different ethos. (John L would be in his element here.....)

 

Also a certain level of humility which is why people never hated the great liverpool teams like they hated the great united teams.

 

It's also why I think that some people were very concerned about the idea of appointing Mourinho to the job of manager.

[Hassony]

Also a certain level of humility which is why people never hated the great liverpool teams like they hated the great united teams.

It's also why I think that some people were very concerned about the idea of appointing Mourinho to the job of manager.

 

I am not sure about that

[Senrab_nhoj]

Ok then, to put it simpler, if we got new owners for example, and they say 'how do you want this club run' what do you say?

 

Okay....

 

well its going to be around a core vision statement and to plagarise a couple...

 

"Winning trophies whilst making the people happy"

 

Then translating that into a series of (say 10) key more targeted statements:

 

probably broken down into appropriate sections:

 

Team Performance

 

Manager

 

Players

 

Fan

 

Revenue / Merchandising

 

Ground

 

Each of these would have goals/targets/and constraints... And it is within these that the substance of what 'The Liverpool Way' would start to crystallize

 

 

Sounds all corporate speak, but its the language I sort of understand....

[sutty]

I am not sure about that

I am.

 

I was there man.

 

They disliked us because we were good

 

That wasn't the case with Man U. There was never an ABL movement

[Old red eyes]

I honestly believe we have to adapt. Football is huge business these days and the amounts of money being slapped about is frightening. We're being f***ed about by a couple of money grabbing dicks ATM. Hopefully things will settle down once they sell up and hand us over to people who understand the sport and more importantly the way the fans feel. I dare say loads of s*** went on behind the scenes in the past as well. But the owners, managers and indeed all the staff handled things with panache and honour. I doubt it will ever return to what we all believed or understood to be " the Liverpool way ". But if we get the right people at the helm then we could adapt to the way football is run these days whilst keeping a lot of the traits and passion which makes our club respected World wide.

[sutty]

Okay....

 

well its going to be around a core vision statement and to plagarise a couple...

 

"Winning trophies whilst making the people happy"

 

Then translating that into a series of (say 10) key more targeted statements:

 

probably broken down into appropriate sections:

 

Team Performance

 

Manager

 

Players

 

Fan

 

Revenue / Merchandising

 

Ground

 

Each of these would have goals/targets/and constraints... And it is within these that the substance of what 'The Liverpool Way' would start to crystallize

Sounds all corporate speak, but its the language I sort of understand....

 

 

 

I started down this path, but didn't want to sound like a pin stripe suit wearing k****ead.

 

But this is good - I think the key thing is getting the parameters expressed in a way that people understand and loosely ties together what the football club means. That's what I was getting at.

 

I didn't want to be too prescriptive about the categories either. Tickets are very important to me as a match going red, but to people like you, the speed with which merchandise is delivered is probably more important

[Senrab_nhoj]

 

I started down this path, but didn't want to sound like a pin stripe suit wearing k****ead.

 

But this is good - I think the key thing is getting the parameters expressed in a way that people understand and loosely ties together what the football club means. That's what I was getting at.

 

I didn't want to be too prescriptive about the categories either. Tickets are very important to me as a match going red, but to people like you, the speed with which merchandise is delivered is probably more important

 

c***

 

That is all

[johngibo YPC]

 

I started down this path, but didn't want to sound like a pin stripe suit wearing k****ead.

 

But this is good - I think the key thing is getting the parameters expressed in a way that people understand and loosely ties together what the football club means. That's what I was getting at.

 

I didn't want to be too prescriptive about the categories either. Tickets are very important to me as a match going red, but to people like you, the speed with which merchandise is delivered is probably more important

 

Might be an idea to break it into factors like Backwards Barnsey has suggested (but with a couple of extras) and debating those.

[MarkD]

Heart over mind

 

Collective good over individual gain

 

The ability to see other's strengths but not crave them

 

The spirit of the game but an understanding that we are there to be successful in what we do

 

The ability to form an opinion in public to act upon it in private

 

A recognition that those who pay to see the team are as important as those who are paid to be in the team

 

I've answered the question by writing down what cam to my heas rather than trying to evaluate it too much...

[fyds]

Some words that spring to mind

 

effort can make up for lack of qualityin some areas (Carra, Kuyt, Keegan)

desire to win

sportsmanship - not gamesmanship

appreciation of good play, regardless of who does it

doing the right thing off the pitch - be it "liam" banners, the club quietly helping those in need

family - look at the loyalty of ex-players...

That is definitely the up side I wish to keep.

 

There is also the slowness to adjust to changing times and plan for them, a torpor about implementing change when necessary or in chasing targets, not always listening to genuine concerns from fans unless they come via the Official Fan Club, and not always then either. As CEO, much of this has been traditionally laid at Parry's door, fair enough to a point, though it (to me) has been heavily institutionalised into boardroom and club culture at Liverpool long before Parry arrived - this frustrated Houllier and continues to frustrate Benitez.

 

I don't see a direct conflict between the better aspects of 'The Liverpool Way' and the more dynamic, more integrated approach I expect a DIC team to bring.

[Senrab_nhoj]

Might be an idea to break it into factors like Backwards Barnsey has suggested (but with a couple of extras) and debating those.

 

 

I think we should get a list of say 10 -12 and fix them

 

1) Team Performance

 

2) Manager

 

3) Players

 

4) Fan

 

5) Revenue / Merchandising

 

6) Ground

 

What should we add?