Anfield (Liverpool)

Oh dear. How not to visit a football ground. This was something of a disaster and becomes the first ground I’d actively tell people to stay away from.

It started positively. Anfield itself is a ground steeped in history and a walk past the Shankly gates and the Hillsborough tribute was both touching and had me in the mood that this was a proper stadium.

It had its theme park-esque “photo opportunity” points outside and an arguably crass Shankly statue too. Not crass for who it is, but more the Carlsberg logos plastered across the plinth. Nonetheless, there’s no denying the place is impressive. Then it got worse.

I turned into the club car park for a quick snap of one of the stands and was almost immediately approached by a steward who emerged from nowhere to ask what I was doing.

With my trip to Oldham still fresh in the memory, I confidently told him I was just taking a couple of quick snaps of the stand. I wasn’t expecting an invite inside like Boundary Park but I definitely didn’t forsee his response. “Not here you’re not. This is a private car park.”

Despite the fact it was 10am on a Sunday morning and the area was absolutely deserted, I tried to tell him it was just a photo of the ground for a blog about football stadiums. “Take one of the main stand at the front then” came the utterly pointless retort.

It was absolutely ridiculous from him, especially bearing in mind the said stand is entirely visible (albeit ugly) from everywhere else. And exactly the sort of crap attitude that even the likes of Old Trafford didn’t have. I can absolutely say it’s a massive temptation to shove the photos I did take in a bin and just show you a photo of “the main stand at the front” but why let a pointless prick like that win?

So I’d like to give Anfield a nice write up and talk about its history and the club’s virtues and why you should visit. I won’t though. The humourless bunch of pricks. Go to Everton instead.

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