FOWLER Klopp gets the club, the city and what it means to the people... he’s put the joy back into Liverpool
there yet, but he has certainly given Liverpool fans their belief back – and their pride too. I have witnessed that.
I took my lad Jacob on the bus tour around the city with the Champions League trophy afterwards. His face after that win was a picture.
It was a mixture of marvel and joy in what it meant to be a Liverpool fan at that moment, but also anticipation about what is still to come. That was the first trophy and we all believe there will be more.
I went to the party after the final in the team hotel and the joy was on Klopp’s face too - it was the thing I noticed most about him.
Look, he’s a winner, no doubt, but he also wants to give the people something.
In that interview, he spoke about a rival manager and the dull football his team played and said he could never do that. He said he would quit football rather than have to play like that.
That joy I saw on his face says he wants to give the fans something to be proud of.
He gets what Liverpool is about. He gets what the people of the city are. Most importantly, he gets what it means to people to have that joy in their life.
I’m not saying he’s not a disciplinarian. That image of him laughing all the time is not true – I’ve seen him deal with players in the past and he’s as tough as they come. But he has heart, too.
He does all the tactical stuff, is hugely sophisticated in game plans, science, analysis, but his manmanagement sets him apart.
I’ve been in and around that club and I can see that Klopp is liked by everyone there.
They see his passion, his belief and commitment, and they want to share in it. And the fans see that, too.
I like to think I had the same relationship with the fans when I was there, that they understood what it meant for me to play for my hometown club and pull on that shirt.
That relationship means so much.
My final game for Liverpool – at Anfield against Charlton in May 2007 when I was made captain – was the first and only time I have ever cried on the pitch.
To have to leave behind that connection with those supporters was heartbreaking.
Klopp has it too.
Which is why my lad and I believe this is only the start for Liverpool.