Anfield Redevelopment: How Have Liverpool Supporters Taken to New-Look Stadium?

After a summer of considerable redevelopment, Anfield opened its doors to the public once again for Liverpool's Premier League clash with Leicester City on September 10, providing Jurgen Klopp's side with an impressive backdrop to a 4-1 victory.

The day before, club luminaries such as Ian Rush, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler, Kenny Dalglish and Roy Evans, as well as co-owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner, assembled on the new Main Stand for its official unveiling, with the latter delivering a proud address.

"As we stand here in the shadow of this phenomenal structure, it is easy to be taken by the sheer scale of what has been achieved in delivering it," he said, before describing how Liverpool's "home" had retained its "identity":

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For us this project is not just about improving our home. We want all of the supporters to feel what we feel, which is future success on the pitch. Because Anfield isn't just where we play our matches, it's home and is as much a part of the identity of the club as the Liver Bird on the crest of the shirt.

So I hope today when you come inside and when many more thousands come in here tomorrow, they will think that every decision we have made has been to protect the integrity of Anfield, while looking to modernise and progress the club so we can continue to compete at the highest level possible.

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But after Henry and Werner delivered on a promise made six years ago, on their takeover of the club as part of Fenway Sports Group, was this mere club propaganda, or is the new-look Anfield really the iconic stadium envisaged?

After over two months and six home games, Merseyside has been able to adjust to the change, and to garner the opinion of supporters, Bleacher Report spoke to Jeff Goulding, Ben Twelves, Chris Williams and Henry Jackson—all writers for This is Anfield and, crucially, long-serving followers of the club—to discuss the stadium's new facilities, the effect of Anfield's atmosphere and the retention of its history.

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On arriving at the new-look Anfield, the most immediately striking aspect is the improvement of the facilities around the stadium—particularly outside the new Main Stand, where 96 Avenue links Paisley Square and the city's Stanley Park, providing a more open feel to the ground.

"In modern-day football, it's easy to harp back to the 'good old days' and want things never to change, but Liverpool have to move with the times," Jackson told B/R of Anfield's exterior makeover. "Personally, I see the work done as a huge improvement, and it gives Anfield an even more imposing look than before. It is both more aesthetically pleasing and practical."

"The area around the ground has been an eyesore for decades, and the local community have suffered for a long time," Goulding explained. "The opening-up of the area behind the Main Stand and its connection with Stanley Park to form 96 Avenue is a breath of fresh air. The trees are a nice addition, and with plans afoot for more improvements to the neighbourhood, the future looks bright for the area."

There has been a negative impact of the improvements around Anfield on the local area, however, as Goulding attests: "The main impact, though, is in the pubs around the ground. The increased numbers means they are far busier and some—like my pre-match boozer the Flat Iron—are struggling to cope."

The new 96 Avenue now incorporates a much-changed players' entrance—previously a heavily congested area along Anfield Road—allowing the team bus to drive directly into the stadium, but still providing considerably more space for supporters to welcome the players.

"Previously one side of Anfield would grind to a halt as the team coach manoeuvred through the tight Anfield Road and narrow Main Stand car park, with fans stacked anywhere and everywhere for a period of time before the coast was clear again," Twelves recalled.  "But since the redevelopment, this has been much improved due to the location of the new entrance, which offered a much easier route in and out, and plenty of space—with a widened Anfield Road also key here—for it to happen seamlessly."

However, Liverpool may have sacrificed the supporters' fear factor, bearing down on opposing teams, for practicality, according to Williams.

"The players' entrance I'm not so sure upon, it's a little too detached for me," he explained. "I still remember Ron Atkinson taking his Manchester United side to Anfield and being pelted by snowballs in the more open and intimidating old players' entrance. It's all part of the pre-match for me, that, making your opponents feel uncomfortable."

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Another major relocation during the redevelopment of Anfield's Main Stand came with the Hillsborough Memorial, designed to commemorate the 96 supporters who lost their lives during Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest in Sheffield in 1989.

Previously held on Anfield Road, alongside the Shankly Gates, the Hillsborough Memorial now takes pride of place outside the Main Stand, providing a more fitting environment for reflection, as Twelves explained.

"Relocating it into its own area within the grounds of the new stand, and in a nice setting where you can sit and pay your respects in a bit of a quieter area, works well," he told B/R. "That it has also been incorporated into the new stand is a key factor, too, as it represents that while the club is moving into a new era, the 96 will always be present and very much part of things as Liverpool progress."

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"Progress" is a key buzzword on Merseyside at present, with Jurgen Klopp's side looking set to challenge for the Premier League title in the German's first full campaign with the club—and as they prepare for their seventh outing at the new-look Anfield on November 26, against Sunderland, they sit second in the table.

Following the addition of over 8,000 seats to the Main Stand, the stadium now boasts a capacity of 54,074—the fifth-largest in the Premier League, behind Manchester City's Etihad Stadium (55,097), West Ham United's new Olympic Stadium (60,000), Arsenal's Emirates Stadium (60,260) and Manchester United's Old Trafford (75,653).

One of the key criticisms of the Emirates and the Etihad, in particular, comes in form of atmosphere, but has the expansion of Anfield's Main Stand prompted an improvement in this regard?

"The atmosphere has improved massively," Goulding explained, having witnessed this from his regular seat in the Kop. "The noise from the Main Stand is noticeable even from the Kop, and I think that's goaded Kopites into raising our game. It's difficult to know how much is the Main Stand and how much is attributable to the team's resurgence and Klopp in particular—all I can say is that the noise levels are noticeably louder."

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Jackson followed a similar line in relating atmosphere to the success Klopp's side are enjoying on the pitch at present, saying "the addition of more fans will always improve the atmosphere, but is that because Liverpool are winning matches?" 

"The West Brom game was a little hushed at times, as was the case against Leicester, Hull and Watford, but there were also occasions when the Main Stand erupted into song. That hasn't happened for quite some time," Jackson detailed. "I would say the atmosphere is better, without question, but it will be interesting to see how it is if Liverpool find themselves on a more negative run of form."

Echoing Williams' comments on the relocation of the players' entrance, Twelves questioned Anfield's "intimidation factor."

"One thing that has been lost is the intimidation factor the stand boasted previously when it was really tight to the pitch and enclosed at the same level as the Kop and Anfield Road End. The noise reverberated in the old stand, making it intense for opponents as you could almost feel the intensity of the game," he said.

"I think Gary Neville recently spoke of feeling like he couldn't breathe and not having a moment to think when playing down that side, in front of the old stand, and looking back you can see why. This impact has been lost for me, but of course with 8,500 more voices, the noise levels, when in unison, are even more powerful than before—which goes some way to compensating for that."

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Overall, this can be attributed to a more corporate feel around the stadium, with the balance between modern improvement and preserving culture a difficult one to strike.

This is evidenced by the new concourses within the Main Stand, providing a more appropriate area for supporters to congregate, but with new food and drinks kiosks treating supporters, in Williams' words, "as cash cows."

But this may be the price Liverpool have to pay to ensure Anfield is a fitting battleground to help drive Klopp's side to success on both the domestic stage and, if their fortunes continue an upward trajectory, in Europe.

There is still work to be done, with players currently preparing in temporary changing rooms and press areas in a similarly liminal state, but supporters have been presented with what is close to the finished article.

However, while Goulding, Twelves, Williams and Jackson are all largely pleased with the improvements made to Anfield both inside and outside, to enable Liverpool to compete with their rivals—and stadium heavyweights Arsenal, City and United in particular—they believe this cannot stop here.

"It raises our game significantly, and the extra revenue certainly gives us the spending power to compete for players, if we choose to. Liverpool are an elite club and deserve an elite stadium—this is a huge step forward," Goulding attested.

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"But it would be hugely disappointing if we didn't press ahead with Anfield Road redevelopment—60,000 should be the minimum in terms of our ambitions."

"The redevelopment of the Main Stand, and the Kop and old Kemlyn Road before that, has given facilities that were lacking and desperately needed," Williams added. "It's a great start, but the expansion of the Anfield Road End must be next at some point to truly rival those other grounds."

Therein lies the crux of the matter for supporters: The redevelopment of Anfield has been a major success all round, but proposed plans to expand the Anfield Road End, adding another 4,800 seats, must move forward for Liverpool to be able to keep up with their rivals.

The new-look Anfield is a great start, however, and it handed Liverpool Football Club the august sheen it deserves as Klopp looks to lead the Reds to their first Premier League title.

Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted, with special thanks to Jeff Goulding, Chris Williams, Ben Twelves and Henry Jackson.

Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby and Facebook here.