Newbie Question

[gdiersing]

Being American, I wasn't really exposed to European football until the 94WC where I fell in love with the game, and seeing as MLS is so-so at best I quickly ensured my cable package included FoxSportWorld (albiet not until 2001). Slowly over time I started my affair with Liverpool (Owen got me started). And I hate to ask this as the flames will surely come, but here is my newb question:

What is KOP? Is it a place, person, alternate dimension? I've seen it used in such a variety of ways its hard to try and comprehend or guess as to what it is. My only thought right now is - it has something to do with the 70's.

Be gentle

[kopiteinkc]

Briefly from liverpoolfc.tv:

... the title returned to Anfield again in 1906 but the now established side needed more room for its growing army of fans.

Improvements to the ground included the towering hill of earth and cinders which quickly became known as the Kop after the Liverpool Echo compared it to the Spionkop; the hill where Boer guerrillas had inflicted a heavy defeat on the British army a few years earlier. Many of the men killed were from the north west, the name sticking because it was especially poignant.

So it is the place behind the goal where the most fervent of Liverpool fans support their team at Anfield.

Of course terracing replaced the hill of earth and cinders and more recently since Hillsborough, seats have replaced the terracing and the old Kop has gone.

Supporters who stood on the Kop are known as "Kopites".

[Lanky134]

http://family.maltanet.net/hawk/Pics/Anfieldpics/Kop.jpg

[gdiersing]

Thank you, sorry for making you go through the exercise, I should have spent more time on the LFC site.

Thanks again

[kopiteinkc]

No problem, as usual Lanky's photo says a lot more than my boring history lesson. But hey I work in a museum, I can't help it :)

[gdiersing]

No no, both make perfect sense.

I grew up in Cleveland and my beloved Browns are notorius for the 'Dawg Pound' of old Municipal Stadium. Its still referred to today and I wonder if a new Browns fan would catch on immediatly.

[Lanky134]

Originally posted by kopiteinkc
No problem, as usual Lanky's photo says a lot more than my boring history lesson. But hey I work in a museum, I can't help it :)
Thanks, but you put it into the context. All we need now are usscouse's recollections of the day the Kop opened.

Originally posted by gdiersing
I grew up in Cleveland and my beloved Browns are notorius for the 'Dawg Pound' of old Municipal Stadium. Its still referred to today and I wonder if a new Browns fan would catch on immediatly.

If you're reading anything about the history of the club and you don't understand something, just substitute "Bernie Kosar" for "Kenny Dalglish" and it will begin to make sense.

[Flying Weasel]

Photos can say more than words, but nevertheless here's some more of the history of the Kop. By the way, the photo Lanky posted makes for a good computer desktop. The most awe-inspiring photo of the Kop I ever saw was an old black-and-white that was in FourFourTwo about 2 or so years ago. Nothing but a sea of 30,000 Kopites. Just incredible.

from The Mersey Reds website (http://members.tripod.com/~merseyreds/history/begin.htm)
Once again in 1903/04 season, Liverpool was relegated but bounced back just one season in Division 2 yet again. Liverpool's next success would come almost immediately after winning promotion in 1905/06 season. As a reward, the directors took the players to a short trip to France and build the Spion Kop for the fans.

The Spion Kop was named after Spion Kop, a hill in Natal where a Merseyside regiment suffered heavy losses on 24 January 1900 in a bloody battle in the Boer War. Three hundred died in a vain attempt to lift the siege of Ladysmith, many of them Liverpool lads. Ernest Edwards, sports editor of the Liverpool Post and Echo, hit on the idea of naming the cinder banking after the hilltop. The name Spion Kop is Afrikaans for "vantage point". In 1928 it was extended and roofed so that 30,000 could watch from its terraces. It was said to be the height of the roof which magnified the sound and acted as a natural amplifier. The Spion Kop was also said to worth a goal start to the Reds.
from The Mighty Reds website (http://www.ircanfield.cjb.net/)
THE KOP GRANDSTAND
When people think of Anfield, they picture the Spion Kop. Indeed this is the grand daddy of all football stands. The terrace was nicknamed "Spion" by a local journalist who likened the banking to a hill in South Africa where many local soldiers had lost their lives during the Boer War at the start of the 20th Century. Originally built in 1906, the first Spion Kop's terraces held 30,000 rabid Kopites, and was the largest terrace ever to be built at an English ground. The Kop's members sang and cheered for their saints like no other team's supporters, making Anfield world famous with their enthusiasm, and creating a match day atmosphere that couldn't be matched at any other stadium. Kopites were known for their sportsmanship and love of the game, unlike the hooligans who plagued other terraces in the 70's and 80's. The Kop itself was a truly gargantuan structure, gloomy and fearsome to opposing players, because its immense roof covered all the spectators in its shadow, far more brooding than the other great end terraces of this era at Molineux and Villa Park. The Kop was a symbol of Liverpool and even English football itself, and no stand has ever been so loved or so well known as Anfield's Spion Kop. Indeed, on the day before its demolition, over 10,000 people gathered to bid the Kop farewell. It seems ironic that the 96 people who perished at Hillsborough in 1989 were all Liverpool supporters, and it was their deaths that eventually caused the demise of their beloved Kop. Its replacement, called the Kop Grandstand, was completed in 1995, seats 12,000 and is the largest single tier end stand in football today. At 76 rows deep and sporting a low roof, the new Kop is definitely reminiscent of the old one, but any Kopite will tell you, a seated Spion Kop is just not a Spion Kop.

[SuperElf]

Originally posted by gdiersing
No no, both make perfect sense.

I grew up in Cleveland and my beloved Browns are notorius for the 'Dawg Pound' of old Municipal Stadium. Its still referred to today and I wonder if a new Browns fan would catch on immediatly. Welcome aboard, by the way!

At first, that's how I related it too, but dig around in some of these websites and read some stories from either the pre-all seater or pre-terracing eras. The history and tradition is so much richer than anything we can relate to in the states. Maybe like Fenway on steroids or something.

I recommend "Faith of our Fathers" by Alan Edge, if you're starting from square one on the culture/tradition bit. I got it on Amazon for like 9 bucks last year.

Feel free to poke around the other threads and speak up too. We are all quite friendly, unless you are a drooling retard troll like Wildman or The Onion Bag. :)

[Snackbar]

While us football hungry yanks are asking questions:

I see a lot of references to "Scousers" or "scouse". Please explain. Help!

Appreciate it.............

[Lanky134]

Funny you should mention being hungry...

There's a German/Scandanavian dish called lobscouse that was brought to Liverpool by sailors, so somebody from Liverpool was referred to as a Scouser. The dish basically a form of stew, and it became associated with Liverpool much like, say, bratwursts in Milwaukee.

You can learn more here:
http://www.scouser.com/recipe/index.html

[liverbird]

Lanky, you're oh so knowledgable!!!

[gdiersing]

and as I understand, he's very clean as well.

[kopiteinkc]

Originally posted by liverbird
Lanky, you're oh so knowledgable!!!

Nah, he just knows how to "Google" ;)

[Lanky134]

Originally posted by liverbird
Lanky, you're oh so knowledgable!!!

What makes you think my ego needs more boosting?

[Snackbar]

Thanks Lank! You're a big help..........

[Bjornebye]

Originally posted by Lanky134

...just substitute "Bernie Kosar" for "Kenny Dalglish" and it will begin to make sense.

Classic.

Funny you should mention being hungry...

There's a German/Scandanavian dish called lobscouse that was brought to Liverpool by sailors, so somebody from Liverpool was referred to as a Scouser. The dish basically a form of stew, and it became associated with Liverpool much like, say, bratwursts in Milwaukee.

You can learn more here:
http://www.scouser.com/recipe/index.html

Yum. Excepting that Stig's mum didn't use OXO cubes. Still not sure about the "meat", either.

What makes you think my ego needs more boosting?

Heheh...

Stig

[usscouse]

Originally posted by Lanky134
Thanks, but you put it into the context. All we need now are usscouse's recollections of the day the Kop opened. It rained...;)




Bastid...!

[usscouse]

Originally posted by Lanky134
http://family.maltanet.net/hawk/Pics/Anfieldpics/Kop.jpg
BBbbbbrrrr....Goose bumps...!!! LOve it!




I've had my share of 'blind' scouse. And it's from Norwegian.

Liverpool was the main port in England (And Europe!) for the Ships carrying immigrants to the new world. North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. Sometimes up to 300 sailing ships on each tide. Bringing people from other ports to join the 'Packet Ships.'
Just about every able bodied Scouse was a sailor.

[kopiteinkc]

Originally posted by usscouse
BBbbbbrrrr....Goose bumps...!!! LOve it!

I've had my share of 'blind' scouse. And it's from Norwegian.

Liverpool was the main port in England (And Europe!) for the Ships carrying immigrants to the new world. North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. Sometimes up to 300 sailing ships on each tide. Bringing people from other ports to join the 'Packet Ships.'
Just about every able bodied Scouse was a sailor.

We'll keep the history lesson going as it is the off-season. There were daily sailings from Liverpool to New York. Now stop and think about that for a minute, daily sailings, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, pretty amazing amount of business.

In fact it's estimated 9 million emigrated from all over Europe through the port of Liverpool in about a 30 year period in the latter half of the 19th century. 9 million, that's a lot of friggin people to pass through.

Ok now class, wake up there's an exam tomorra ... oh yeah I was a history teacher in Liverpool before I left, can you tell ;)

I preferred running the footy team ...