virgo839

My husband wants to go to a soccer game in Liverpool. Everyone is warning him against it . . . they say he should be worried about hooligans. I'd like to hear from some "experts" about this. Thanks.

wellididntknowthat

He's got nothing to worry about. Tell him to go soak up the atmosphere and enjoy it. His problem will be getting a ticket, not hooligans. Consider how many of those warning against it have ever been to a Liverpool game and weigh their advice in that context.

kerouac

Hooligans are only a problem for people looking for them.

hetismij

I've been to a match in Liverpool on my own, and I'm a British woman with a southern accent - I survived just fine.

maitaitom

"Hooligans are only a problem for people looking for them."

or if you attend a Raider game in Oakland.

alanRow

Don't forget the 2 best teams on Merseyside - Everton & Tranmere Rovers

nona1

No worries. Lot of kids, families, all sorts go to football. His being American won't make any difference. The whole stadium is seated, so you don't get any risk of big crowds shoving around anymore.

The few remaining hooligans do it because they enjoy a good fight - and they square off against the opposing team's version. It's virtually pre-arranged and by appointment only ...where it isn't nipped in the bud by the police of course. There is very little violence nowadays. Whoever 'everyone' is, they are rather out of date and thinking about the situation more like 15-20 years ago.

Cholmondley_Warner

There are two premiership teams in Liverpool - The Bin Dippers and the Mickeys.

There is absolutely no reason why anyone should feel apprehensive aboput going to either unless they are themselves looking for trouble.

Mind you, if he refers to the beautiful game as "soccer" he deserves a good shoeing.

It's not that easy to get tickets for either team though - Everton are slightly easier (and their ground is a hovel).

Can I suggest that he learns the words to a song that is very popular up there (warning - very rude words):

http://www.m-u-f-c.co.uk/songs/song.php?songid=86

KidsToLondon

Yes, go, but do change terminology from "soccer game" to "football match" ;-)

willit

I've never been to Anfield - particularly not as a Liverpool fan, but I would be surprised if your husband was greeted with anything other than warmth.

I speak as a supporter of a Premiership football club. It is always great to meet up with "foreign fans" - if only to find out "why our club?"

Football is tribal - if you are "one of us" is matters not whether you are English, Irish, American or from Timbuktu.

kenderina

Totally agree with willit...it's tribal

You know , the lyrics of the Barcelona FC hymn...

"Som la gent blaugrana, tan es val d'on venim, si del sud o del nord, ara estem d'acord, una bandera ens agermana "

Which translates more or less :

"We are the blue-red people, no matter where we come, from the north or the south, now we agree..a flag makes us brothers "

Cholmondley_Warner

I would excercise some caution about going to a Liverpool FC v Man Utd game. To say there is no love lost is somewhat of an understatement.

Tickets are like gold dust though.

afterall

All I can say is good for him. And not so good for you. Does everything have to be cast-iron "safe"?

Sort of depends where you are coming from (literally). If it's one of those big US cities with an appalling murder rate then why worry? Or do you think perhaps that people will hear an American accent and set upon him because of Iraq? I doubt it very much.

And who is "everyone"?

Cholmondley_Warner

Also; remember that scousers are only paddies that can swim, and as such tend to be pro-american as many have relatives over there etc.

They'll still nick your wallet though.

Zeus

The only danger is that of falling asleep during the 90+ minutes of non-scoring boredom punctuated by a bunch of boys rolling around on the ground acting as if their legs were amputated. Not to worry though. As soon as the ref looks the other way they will be cured miraculously and resume prancing about until the next opponent gets within ten feet of them.

travelgourmet

I think Zeus summed it up pretty well...

In all seriousness, the only thing I have encountered at some European stadiums is that there may be sections for the more "passionate" fans. Not official sections or anything, but the sort of place where not knowing the words to the songs will leave you feeling quite out of place. Sort of like the Dawg Pound in Cleveland or the Black Hole in Oakland.

Padraig

CW wrote: "... remember that scousers are only paddies that can swim ..."

Not the Everton fans.

Cholmondley_Warner

A different bit of Ireland innit.

>>>In all seriousness, the only thing I have encountered at some European stadiums is that there may be sections for the more "passionate" fans>>>>

In general (and at both Liverpool stadiums) it's the home end.

walkinaround

>>>>>
No worries. Lot of kids, families, all sorts go to football...There is very little violence nowadays... out of date and thinking about the situation more like 15-20 years ago.
>>>>>>

this and a lot of posts here are misleading. football violence is not as well publicised because england wants to protect its reputation from further decline. especially sensitive with the future olympics. we have a very bad reputation and the fact is that many problems go unreported so as to avoid fuelling this. there are a lot of problems and the idea that football violence is a thing of the past is nonsense.

that said, its pretty unlikely that he'll have problems if he keeps to himself. however, he might be turned off by these 'passionate' fans that others are talking about. 'passionate' in this context means ugly, drunk and hostile. some families do go to see football but are advised to stay in safe family enclosures.

unless you like your children subjected to drunken, aggressive losers shouting some of the ugliest things you can imagine at fans of the opposing team, football stadiums may not be the place for families. most civilised adults are increasingly being turned off by this rubbish too...you don't have to fear for your life to be turned off by this crap.

the fact is that the atmosphere at many of these events is ugly and far from fun and spirited.

hetismij

For goodness sake, I went to the Kop as a teenage girl and survived. They didn't even pee in my pocket . I've been since as i said an survived that too.

He will have a great time, assuming he can get a ticket.