For the first time under Slot’s charge we’re experiencing extreme views which are being hugely amplified in today’s media-driven world…
THERE’S BEEN A FEW occasions this week where I’ve been tempted to react on social media.
It’s taken me to look at the accounts I’m potentially engaging with and therefore amplifying that has forced me to take a breath.
It shouldn’t matter that ‘Thiago67845’ thinks the manager should be sacked or a profile with ‘LFC’ before a random name and photo acts like we’re a club in crisis and that every player is shite after two bad results.
The bigger question is why I’m still engaging with X, or Twitter as it was. I find its owner to be such a repugnant individual who I actually pity. I also loathe what he’s done to that platform.
It is a champion mouthpiece for right-wing agitation. It now feeds me paid, verified accounts which could and probably are spoof bot profiles that are anything but authentic. This almost certainly extends to football.
But I stick around. Mainly in the hope that it will be sold and restored to its old way. But also because I think about writing another book and how attractive a few thousand followers looks to potential publishers. I am stuck in the same doom cycle as many who once found it a place for genuine connection and opportunity..
It’s not possible for all of us to gauge the mood solely from people in the stadium, mates in the pub or from a paid podcast subscription. Some people will have limited ways of interacting and I’m not objecting to that.
Liverpool’s digital engagement in 2024-25 was around 1.7 billion. This is up dramatically year-on-year, and therefore the comment and opinion space naturally amplifies on these channels.
To say reactions have been extreme since Saturday tea time depends on your view. What isn’t in question is how frustrating and painful both defeats were.
A goal over the period of allocated time added on at Selhurst Park, compiled by 70 minutes of grown arse men rolling around on the floor feigning injury is enough to increase anyone’s blood pressure.
Chuck in Arsenal’s own late win at Newcastle and a stroll past Olympiacos and everyone is suddenly feeling the pinch. That’s not mentioning things like injury, form and tactical setups.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, everything is horrible. People are adamant Liverpool haven’t played well since last Spring and have bought terribly. Arne Slot suddenly has to answer to people apparently.
The need to shout down caveats around the schedule, for new players to gel, even for a collective sense of grief that is still in its early stages is palpable. It’s pretty simple to some: Liverpool have been found out.
Liverpool aren’t playing well and cohesion is something seemingly absent in many performances. Scrutiny on English football has never been higher. Therefore, it didn’t matter that the champions were winning games. The need for drama and constant analysis means there’s always a counter argument to the facts.
It’s worth noting how unique Liverpool are in the football supporting world. They have reached a decade of stable management on and off the pitch. They have attained incredible success in a manner defined by heroism, drama and sheer disbelief at times.
Any previous outside noise was reserved for Fenway Sports Group’s financial frugality. Liverpool have gone shopping in a big way this summer, leaving that conversation deafeningly silent.
But anger has to go somewhere, whether that is towards referees, Slot or Ibrahima Konate. That noise is only now intensified by the digital age. Whether you’re absorbing a genuine opinion or not remains uncertain in some spaces.
The worry across society is that anger and rage, notably in the male form, is being encouraged into the public domain. You wonder what that means for elite level sport with the issues around the Ryder Cup last week when things like homophobic slurs and threatening hostility were part of the experience.
What is certain is that a united outlook of calm is becoming harder. It should be healthy to have opinions that can be heard and respected. I disagreed massively with Jamie Carragher’s summarisation of Liverpool this week. Yet I’m fairly certain we both want the same outcome.
The truth is that none of this is clearcut. Everything has context attached and for every ‘yeah’ you can attach a ‘yeah but’, when it comes to Liverpool’s results and form.
We all want Liverpool to win. For the most part we’ve had that since Slot walked through the door. But as we’re now seeing, what happens when they don’t is causing all manner of extreme reactions.
Sometimes, it’s just easier to disengage.
