Liverpool news: ‘Cringe’ chant during Champions League game sparks Anfield atmosphere debate
Liverpool maintained their 100% record in the UEFA Champions League with victory over Lille on Tuesday night, but a ‘cringe’ chant delivered by the Anfield crowd has left some fans sick to their stomach and rightly so.
Sports News Blitz writer and Liverpool fan Jack Burgess gives his thoughts on the story.
Unwelcome chant
Johnathan David’s 62nd-minute equaliser for 10-man Lille had silenced the Anfield faithful, sending the French fans into delirium.
However, normality was restored just five minutes later when Harvey Elliot’s deflected effort in front of the Kop put the home side ahead.
With blushes spared and a man advantage, many were expecting the Reds to kick on at this point.
Fortunate enough to witness the game from the Main Stand press box, I was just about to log the goal on my live match blog.
And that’s when it happened.
‘You’re not singing, You’re not singing, YOOOOU’RE NOT SINGING ANYMORE!’ echoed around the ground.
It’s a chant that prompted a tweet from Liverpool Echo writer Ian Doyle: “‘You’re not singing any more’ chant the #LFC fans who don’t go the game often” (sic).
Taking it a step further, Spirit of Shankly, the Liverpool supporters group, said the chants were “a vision of the future if the club continue to try and attract people who have no idea about our history & traditions”.
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Unique Anfield atmosphere under threat
I know what you are thinking, that this is all perhaps a bit dramatic, but it’s a chant that has rightly left some fans concerned.
On the surface, the chant is a bit of harmless fun, and those fortunate to get a ticket to the game but unaware of Anfield’s pickiness over songs claim that outrage is unfair.
However, there is a genuine concern that the chant signals an erosion of the unique Anfield atmosphere that makes the club stand out in world football.
The chant in question is indistinguishable from those heard at any other ground in the country and is particularly common in the lower leagues.
It often goes hand in hand with ‘oooooo you’re sh*t, up the town’ – and if you want to sing such chants, that’s fine.
But Anfield is supposed to be special and Liverpool prides itself on being different.
Merseyside has a particularly strong sense of local scouse identity stemming from the city’s history of Irish immigration.
‘This means more’ isn’t just a marketing ploy when it comes to Liverpool. Rather, it’s a nod to a proud sense of otherness. And that results in Reds fans being very picky about chants.
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Education, not gatekeeping
The famed Anfield songbook was on show during the Lille game, with the usual spine-tingling rendition of ‘You’ll never walk alone’ as well as ‘Bring on your Internazionale’.
Such songs were cultivated from the city’s sense of self and make Anfield one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world.
To hear ‘you’re not singing anymore’ was particularly jarring, especially after the Lille supporters had been fantastic all game.
It may seem like a minor thing – perhaps with little to complain about on the pitch, attention has turned to the atmosphere – but Spirit of Shankly have a point when they say that the ridiculing of such chants is “about education, not gatekeeping”.
Of course everyone is welcome at Anfield, but if we lose that sense of difference, then Anfield ceases to be so special.
Outsiders might see Liverpool’s protectiveness over chants as strange, but it’s our choice, so you’ll just have to get used to it if you want Anfield to remain unique.
Also, while I have your attention, can we stop doing that stupid f*cking clap on corners?! Otherwise I may have to take it up with Spirit of Shankly.
(Full disclaimer: I am from the Wirral, so I am a wool. Please don’t beat me.)
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