Liverpool have not been in the best of form lately and two days back, Tottenham Hotspur were relishing their visit to Anfield in search of what was to be their first win in a very very long time. Well, as it turned out, Spurs would have to wait a lot longer if the incredible fanatical support of Wednesday night continue to drive Liverpool Football Club on throughout the rest of the season.
Liverpool fans were determined to show that the 12th man effect was very much alive that evening and the atmosphere was so electric that it led Harry Redknapp to declare,
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp hailed the Kop as “the most amazing sight in football” after seeing his side beaten 2-0 by Liverpool last night.Sammy Lee added this after a fabulous night in which Liverpool caught up to the clubs in the race for fourth place.
The Spurs manager believes the Reds were inspired by the red-hot atmosphere generated all around Anfield by a vociferous capacity crowd.
“You have to give credit where it’s due, Liverpool worked their socks off. They closed us down and pressed us,” Redknapp said.
"I have said before you never get an easy game here.
"You stand out there and hear the crowd sing - it's the most amazing sight in football, and it lifts the players.
Assistant manager Lee paid tribute to the show of support from the fans which he admits left the players and staff feeling emotional as they arrived at Anfield.
He said: "There is not enough praise for our supporters. To see them showing their support when we arrived was massive. We try to integrate our supporters into everything we do because they are part of what we are doing.
"It was really emotional for us to see them singing and supporting us as always. The players certainly appreciated it.
"Pepe Reina came up to me in the dressing room and he was very emotional. He said this wouldn't happen at any other football club and it meant a lot to everybody."
In his first season last year, Arsenal's Russian genius, Andrey Arshavin said this about Liverpool supporters,
Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin says fans of his national team, Russia, need to take lessons from the passion of Liverpool supporters.
Arshavin, who scored four times on the Gunner’s visit to Anfield last season, picked out the Kop as the best fans in the world, saying, “Our fans need to learn from the English football supporters, and in particular from Liverpool fans.”
And it wouldn’t be the first time an Arsenal player has sung the praises of Liverpool supporters. In 2003, former Gunner, Thierry Henry said,
“First of all, I would have loved to play with Steven Gerrard and second I like the club and their fans. There’s something about Anfield that you can’t explain.
“I love it when you step out of the dressing-room and you see the Kop, the scarves, and [hear people] singing You’ll Never Walk Alone. Just that, that would do it for me.”
Contrast that with whats happening in neighbours, Manchester United, the commercialization of the club led Roy Keane to infamously claim,
"But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch. I don't think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell 'football', never mind understand it.”
Even Sir Alex Ferguson noted this down in his diary,
"I must try to rev up the fans," Alex Ferguson noted in his diary. "On our last European night, the atmosphere was so low that it did nothing to rouse the players from their already comatose state.
"It didn't seem as vibrant as the old days when we played Liverpool, who were then the dominant force in the game and found the atmosphere at Old Trafford so frightening that, more often than not, they couldn't handle it.
"The growing number of hospitality packages has attracted a different type of audience. A visiting party might come to Manchester for a nice weekend, sit and admire the ground and then wait to be entertained, just as if they were at the theatre or a musical. No passion, no commitment, just a lovely day out."
Due to the unwavering support from the fans, Liverpool is now on a four-match unbeaten Premiership run and stands only one point away from fourth place. Rafa Benitez' guarantee of a fourth place finish is still very much alive. What's more pleasing is watching Alberto Aquilani play well and assisting in Kuyt's opening goal.
This is how fans should be supporting and inspiring their clubs in the Premier League.
Even when the club and manager goes through testing times, Liverpool fans are still fervently supporting the team...perhaps even more than normal.
Great video from lfcredsDOTcom on Scouse Solidarity!
See also this video of Rafa and Sammy Lee giving the thumbs up as the Reds fan gee up the lads before that match against Spurs.
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