by “I feel the same way when Bill Shankly left, I’m devastated,” Ken Buckley, a Liverpool season ticket holder for 50 years, says of Jürgen Klopp’s impending departure. “It’s hard to take in, it really is. It’s like losing a family member.”
Buckley is in front of a mural showing Klopp lifting the Champions League, one of seven major honors won by the German. Fans came to take their photos in front of their hero, trying to remember the impact he had on the club. One pilgrim wears a “Thank you Klopp” hoodie, as a tribute. Once Steve Gerrard was the face of the club, Klopp is now a symbol of everything he stands for, which explains the number of limbs that show his face tattoo.
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Parents were making sure that the children’s image was taken next to the fake collage of their hero who ensured that only success was known to the latest generation. All age groups were doing their best to show the love felt towards their living legends. Flattened cardboard boxes were not in short supply at Anfield as the children displayed lovely signs of affection decorated with love hearts.
The stalls outside the ground were doing a brisk trade in Klopp merchandise. The obligatory You’ll Never Walk Alone pre-match was greeted with outstretched scarves emblazoned with Klopp’s image, and the manager put it all in, raising a smile when he finished – because he will miss the atmosphere as much as the fans. on it, as the post-match show highlighted.
More fans than usual lined the entrance to the players’ car park, waiting for Klopp. Supporters usually want to catch a glimpse of their heroes on the pitch but those in the scrum know they will have limited opportunities to show their appreciation for the change that has taken place at Anfield over the past nine years.
When Klopp arrived he wanted to create a bond with the fans after an indefinite spell as the trophy cabinet had more dust than silverware but those days are behind Liverpool. They still have a chance to win four competitions with their heavy metal football before Klopp departs for a quieter life. “He said: ‘I want to make believers out of doubters’ and that was the beginning of his interaction with us,” says Buckley. “You get managers who come in and do a good job, like Pep [Guardiola], but don’t relate to the fans that Klopp does. We love him.”
He could ooze energy in the stands, let alone patrol the touchline. Klopp lives every minute on the pitch and it was the same against Norwich, willing to question the fourth official whenever he felt a decision did not go Liverpool’s way in a fairly routine FA Cup win against a team below the division. The touchline at Anfield has seen some of Klopp’s most memorable moments, from sprinting to celebrate crucial goals to pulling his hamstring to remonstrate with the officials but Sunday was calm by his standards.
Supporters love his attitude, feeling high as the 54,000 around him. Fans will soak up every moment they can with Klopp as his unique style is unlikely to be replicated by any successor. “I just want to continue what we’re doing, win some trophies,” says Buckley. “If we don’t, it’s not a lack of trying – we get hurt a lot, people forget that. I understand why he’s leaving because of the intensity – and it’s not just here, he put in the same energy at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund. His management made the fans buy into him. I love him.”
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The biggest thing is the success on the pitch that Klopp communicated to the fans. After being knocked out by Manchester United, Klopp has returned them to the elite of the Premier League, winning the title for the first time in 30 years in 2019-2020 against the backdrop of the pandemic. “My biggest regret is not being here to see him raise the league because we couldn’t get here,” says Buckley. “I’ve had a season ticket for the last 50 years and that’s my biggest regret – not missing the finals or anything but seeing us lift the trophy in front of a full Anfield after all those years.”
He is one of the few regrets of Klopp’s reign, and one fan hoped he would continue for years after the squad’s renewal. His departure creates a rare sense of uncertainty after years of stability but the club is desirable to players, fans and many top managers. It’s not about how one finds a club, it’s the situation they leave it in and Klopp has built a juggernaut. He will leave behind a vibrant young squad, giving someone the opportunity to build on his success.
“When he’s gone there will be a statue, they’ll start working on that now and it should be next to Shankly because that’s the level of influence he had,” says Buckley. Liverpool believe again – and that’s an incredible legacy.
