Was discussing this with a mate last week. Pre Covid, most of our weekends and even family events would be structured around Liverpool games and even football in general. I often used to look forward to the break from Mid May to Mid August when there was no football but would be raring to go come the start of the season. Would take in the Euros and World Cup but not to same level. With the enforced lockdown last year and no football of any sort for a few months, I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would. Obviously miss the day out any sporting event and still do, but Even when it started back up, just didn’t have the same interest, was all about LFC getting over the line. Could point to lack of fans and not being able to go games but something else changed, hard to put my finger on. This season have watched all the Liverpool games but I don’t think I have watched 5 full games aside from that all season. I’ll watch the 3 minutes highlights on Sky Go when I used to religiously record MOTD and watch it on a Sunday morning. Yesterday there was Arsenal Leicester and Chelsea United games. Kept an eye on the scores but just went for a long walk with youngest one in the buggy and listened to a few comedy podcasts. Was a lovely day so that may explain but even if it had of been lashing I probably would have done something else. Usually would listen to football podcasts but couldn’t be arsed at the moment. I have gotten used to watching matches without crowds so don’t think it’s that, could be VAR, could be that you literally couldn’t put any more football on the tv at this stage and just sick of looking at it. It’s not LFC rocky spell as team was going well up to Xmas. Going to be interesting to see how I adapt when things get back to normal, I’ll be counting down the days to attending any live sport, but that almost slavish attention to the beautiful game could be gone. The wife will be hoping it stays the same as now.
H&G made me realise that the world wouldn't end if I stopped attending matches and that pretty much ruined going the game for me after that, covid has ruined even watching games on TV, in fairness VAR was turning me off it even before covid.
To be honest my days of structuring anything around football are long gone, long before Covid arrived there was a point in time when I kind of realised that everything else that's actually happening in my life is more important than football and if I am free to watch the game I will watch it but otherwise I wouldn't be too upset at missing it unless it was a big game. More often than not I do get to see the Liverpool games anyway but I can't remember the last time I watched two non Liverpool teams play or watched any analysis before or after a game. The same goes for most sports too in fairness, there was a time that I would get up early on a Saturday morning to watch rugby from NZ/Aus and hit a lunchtime game and prabably still be flicking between the Spanish games and the golf by late sunday evening but I've tuned out of most all of it, I'd much rather be out golfing or out for a cycle or a run than watching sports these days with the bit of free time I have.
It still kills me to miss a Liverpool game. The missus knows apart from the really important stuff or work clashing,I'll be watching our games. She won't ask or expect me to do anything while we're playing and she doesn't mind because its the only hobby I have. I don't gamble,play golf or any other sports and even before Covid I'd probably only be in a pub once a month. Most of our socialising would be done between family and friends households where the kids are involved and that's organised with Liverpool games in mind aswell. I'd imagine its a far tougher situation for people who go to the game regularly,that's a big part of their life gone away. When its over I'll go to the odd game and watch the odd game in the pub, but there won't be much difference for me post covid.
Its an interesting question, was the original break long enough to ween us away from a near addiction? Or is it just shit without fans? Is it a case of we got what we wanted after all these years? Last night I had the earphones in and ready to listen to the match on a long walk rather than endure Jamie Carragher. I was angry with myself in the lead up to the game for knowing I was going to let him get to me again. Endurance is probably a good word, its hard to watch this. I have fooled myself into watching 20 minutes of the odd non Liverpool game and every time its like what am doing this for? Either way I'm closer than I've ever been of packing it in, I could easily see an scenario where I don't watch the last 2 or 3 games of the season if there is nothing on the line. We need fans back before August or the whole thing disintegrate.
I am firmly in that group who was kid growing up when Sky came along. I pestered parents to get Sky in the house. Soccer AM, Soccer Saturday, Super Sunday, Monday Night Football. Then came along Sky Sports News, it would be default channel in the house. Breaking News on a potential loan move treated like it was a world changing event. It was marketing genius when you look back at it. Watching the same updates hour after hour. The was happy medium at one stage with 3 matches live a week you would look forward to, esp when the lads you saw at World Cups or the odd time Channel 4 where now playing every week. Bergkamp, Gulitt, Klinsmann, Brian Roy, Branco, Ravinelli.... Felt like Saturation point once the 12.45 kick off Saturday came in and then 1.30 game on a Sunday, but it’s just wall to wall now. One thing that I left out above is the gambling aspect. I wouldn’t be a big gambler by any means but Definitely would put on a few accums, first goal scorer bets for ‘interest’. I tracked my bets to the letter so never be too much down too much up. Again clever marketing over the years, that probably peaked around 2014/2015 with all those Ray Winston ads, great offers and then things started to turn once high profile people came out with gambling problems. Last year during Covid no chance to bet on anything and once football started back up it didn’t feel like real football so didn’t even bother with the 5er accum or first goal scorer on big games. Have hardly put a bet on a football match in the last year, is that because I have less interest in the game in general, or because I haven’t put on any bets, I have less interest? Hard to know.
Like everyone on this site I love the Reds, but it got a bit too much at times. There was times last year when I went over board and this year got worse. It got to the point where I was telling the wife to get out of the house with the kids when there was a match on as I needed to watch it in peace and if we lost, they would need to stay away from me for the rest of the weekend as the weekend was ruined . This came to a head in December , and coupled with the way the English officiating was going, I decided to take a break. I stopped watching all English football , but continued to watch Serie A as I love that and I wasn’t getting annoyed with it. I stopped watching Liverpool games for about 8 games and I found myself a lot happier, not getting angry etc and family life was much better. Also not having to worry about planning stuff around the matches was great . I went back and watched two games recently , the Derby and the European game. Again after the Derby I found myself getting worked up and annoyed , but that was more to do with the officiating . After that I’ve decided not to watch any more English games , bar the games in Europe for the reds for the timing been. I still watch the Serie A and this weekend I seen 5 live games from there. I think my love for the game which I used to Love has faded due to no fans, the way the game is been managed these days and probably most importantly I’ve realised there is more important things in life than a round shaped ball which 22 lads kick for 95 minutes each weekend. I can’t see myself ever going back to watching every English game pre Covid and hopefully when this ends and the standard of officiating changes in England, I’ll be able to enjoy a pint some day and the match again. But for the moment I have happy checking FlashScore every couple of minutes when the reds play and watching Serie A.
Liverpool games are the only ones I watch at the minute. Even at that, I find myself having to look up the fixtures a few days previous to see who we are playing next. That's more than likely to do with arranging travel or picking up a ticket to go the game pre covid. I miss going the game but not as much recently, maybe it's to do with our poor form but the overload of Premier League football at the minute is a turn off too, games on every night of the week, it's like a season full of the xmas period of fixtures. Who would have thought you could be pissed off with that !! What I really do miss, is heading over to Richmond on a Friday night, or dropping by an LSL game on a Sunday morning. That's what I'm looking forward to most after this.
I miss the buzz of heading off to the airport, the pints before and after, meeting people and the general crack of the whole day. I was totally consumed with the drive to win the title after all the years that at games my blood pressure must have been through the roof with my nerves. Most likely just me but I felt robbed of the title when we did win it. I could feel nothing at all and so much wanted to. I dreamt so many times of a sunny spring/summers day being in the ground when the whistle went to confirm us as champions. I can't honestly say the match will ever mean as much again after covid but hand on heart I know the buzz of heading off to the airport will never leave me if that makes sense.
Like everyone else I miss the day out. Meeting the lads in the morning , getting the ferry, drinking cans from 7 am until getting home at 7 am the following morning. Meeting the regulars at the solly before and after the match. The banter, getting into the ground , you’ll never walk alone before the game and cheering the reds on for 95 minutes. Can’t wait to get back .
It's a cliché but it's true: H+G ruined football for me. I lost interest in it apart from Liverpool. I don't watch other clubs anymore, I haven't seen an Ireland match since 2012, I don't watch pre/post match punditry. I switch on the game at kick off and switch off at the final whistle. The last time I was at Anfield was when Hodgson was in charge. Last season was just weird. Waiting 30 years and then so early in the season we're nailed on to win it and then the pause button is pressed so we wait again....... and then we're champions, but we have to wait to celebrate... and now that's all so far in the past, a victory parade would be a joke. Without the fans and the celebrations, winning the title felt like a monkey off our back more than anything else. Post Covid, having fans back will spark some passion in me for the game but VAR is really killing the last bit of love I have left for it.
Football is not in a great place and is affected more than most by no fans. I watched a fair bit of snooker anyway but that for example is working quite well and I enjoy it still I went to about 10-12 liverpool games a season so I miss that a lot. Whether I'd arranged it or not there would always be someone I'd know for a chat and a drink on the way over or back. Really not sure when we're going to get back to lads crammed on top of each other in taxis, trains and in concourses. Pints, logistics and football did it for me My overriding feeling is that I was robbed of the full celebration of the league title after supporting Liverpool for exactly 30 years. An empty feeling of watching it slip away over 12 months to now. Had it all booked, tickets, trains, flights, hostels. Couldn't make it up. If the Rona had happened a few months earlier maybe we wouldn't have won it at all, who knows but I'm still fairly bitter about it There is too much football on TV, no doubt. Still plan my time around watching Liverpool and not a lot else. Watch all the post match stuff when we win and none of it when we don't so I've not been watching much of it lately. Not enjoying it but hand on heart it's mainly cos we're shit as opposed to the ground being empty I miss playing myself. At nearly 38 I'll be up against it to play regularly at the level I was at. Had already dropped down at 36 so will probably have to drop again! Getting back training going to be great either way. Going to do another season no matter which team I'm on. I'm optimistic this level of football will return to normal at some point hopefully before 2021 is out. Same for going to watch other lsl games. Would always try to catch one I had an interest in within a 20 minute drive over the weekend. This will return
On that ‘Ours’ documentary on BT Sport, they has this club on called Hashtag United. It’s a non league club that streams everything they do on the internet. Seemingly for the younger generation it’s way they are going. They have a professional esports team that seems to bring in the money and sponsorship and then a Non league team that get more people watching their games than some Premier League games on sky. They also have more ‘followers’ on social media than half the Premier League clubs. Leyton Orient on the other hand have teamed up with some YouTube sensation group called the Sidemen. It’s just a group of lads who do training drills and it’s seemingly a sensation and brought Leyton Orient a whole new fan base. Even before social media, fans in the ground didn’t really matter at the top level, everything was sorted for Sky in early 00s, then it was sorted for Global TV with mad kick off times, followed by sponsors and now it’s going down the road of social interactions. If The League of Ireland get their act together post Covid there is Definitely an opportunity to tap into some of what’s going on with the future of football. Cant see me taking my kids to football on a regular basis in England but would do in Dublin if they had the interest in it.
Football is shit without fans but I still hurt as much when we lose now than I ever did, nothing has changed in that sense. Covid has coincided with us having the worst injury luck we've ever had so it would have been easy to take a step back over our poor results but I can't do it. Looking forward to having fans back and getting back to normal.
7/3/2020 last day anyone on here was at a premier league match. One year ago today. Never thought I’d say that. Hopfully early next season we will all be back.
Imagine a full year since, mad. Going over next season will be like that feeling of going to our first game again, cant wait for it. Well all going well, hopefully we can go.
I would have said that I've managed to get myself fairky detached from my mood being dictated by our results but seeing us win last night just does put me in a better mood, it's not dramatic thankfully and a weekend isn't ruined if we lose regardless of the significance of the game but it definitely still has an impact. I think with fans in the stadium even watching the game on TV pulls at your emotions more so I'm interested to see if I notice that now as they start to fill the stadia again.