I always enjoyed my visits to Liverpool when Charlton were in the Premier League. It was one of the most atmospheric, if not the most, atmospheric stadiums in the country.
Now Jurgen Klopp has complained about early leavers. Admittedly, that’s a phenomenon everywhere given transport congestion after games.
I always enjoyed my visits to Liverpool when Charlton were in the Premier League. It was one of the most atmospheric, if not the most, atmospheric stadiums in the country.
Now Jurgen Klopp has complained about early leavers. Admittedly, that’s a phenomenon everywhere given transport congestion after games.
But my colleague Dave Webber reckons there’s a loss of atmosphere at Liverpool. Quite how much the 12th man counts for is a controversial question: Four Four Two has an article on the subject this month.
They found that at the turn of the 20th century, home teams won around 60 per cent of their games; now the figure is 40 per cent. They don’t mention it, but I wonder how much a difference overnight stays in hotel and luxury coach travel have made a difference.
Most statisticians apparenty agree that home advantage still means roughly 0.3 of a goal and up to half a point a game per season. However, whether that is down to the crowd or other factors such as familiarity with the pitch and the ground is uncertain. Players do talk of ‘quietening the crowd’ so it must have some influence, although they probably only notice them in breaks in play.
Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium is the only ground to exceed 100 decibels in Premier League history. Acoustics are now becoming a key feature of stadium design. Spurs’ new stadium is expected to be the loudest in the country.
As for Liverpool, it’s hardly become a library. But will opposition fans be able to chant ‘You only sing when you’re winning’ with any credibility?