Reds on the Road: A Day in the Life of a Travelling Liverpool Fan

For many football supporters, the away day is the perfect way to spend a weekend; a symbol of tribal commitment, following their club's flag over the length and breadth of the country—and often across Europe, too.

This is very much the case for Liverpool supporters, whose passionate backing has been referenced as one of vital importance on a number of occasions by their latest standard bearer Jurgen Klopp, who is approaching the one-year anniversary of his appointment as Reds manager in 2015.

Redevelopment work on Anfield's Main Stand over the summer has seen Liverpool play the majority of their fixtures so far this season away from home, and Klopp's side have maintained a fine level of form on their travels:

• Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool, Premier League, August 14
  
• Burnley 2-0 Liverpool, Premier League, August 20
• Burton Albion 0-5 Liverpool, EFL Cup, August 23
• Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Liverpool, Premier League, August 27
• Liverpool 4-1 Leicester City, Premier League, September 10
• Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool, Premier League, September 16
• Derby County 0-3 Liverpool, EFL Cup, September 20
• Liverpool 5-1 Hull City, Premier League, September 24
• Swansea City 1-2 Liverpool, Premier League, October 1

The Reds have taken 10 points from a possible 15 away from home in the Premier League so far this season, as well as sealing two victories over Championship opposition in the second and third rounds of the EFL Cup.

In 2015/16, Liverpool won just eight of their 19 away games in the league, losing seven, proving that life on the road is not always a joyful experience for their travelling supporters.

Nevertheless, it remains an essential one for many, but how does a day in the life of a travelling Red play out? To get an insight into the away-day experience, Bleacher Report spoke to a number of Liverpool supporters—including members of the national press, contributors to fan media and local diehards.

Alex Broadway/Getty Images

The typical matchday routine for away supporters can vary largely, with factors such as travel and work commitments coming into play, as Harinder Singh—podcast host and writer for Liverpool fan site Anfield Index—who has followed the Reds from Surrey for 33 years, explained.

"An away day outside my local area within M25 means balancing work schedule against kick-off time. Once that part is done, it’s onto "who’s got the car?" mode. Me or my wife? Negotiations conclude usually with me working a way that is good for us both," Singh told Bleacher Report.

"As the ticket element is covered via season ticket after too many years of homes and aways, I don’t stress about that so much. But I do worry about traffic, the motto being if you can’t be early, don’t be late and whatever you do you must not leave the match before the final whistle blows—ever!"

Travelling to away games can often provide an opportunity to link up with fellow supporters on shared transport, with Dean Coombes, YouTube manager for Anfield HQ, and Sachin Nakrani, writer and editor for the Guardian, both extolling the virtues of this approach.

For Coombes, this was particularly positive in the buildup to major finals, saying "you can enjoy a different city with many traveling fans like yourself," while Nakrani, who like Singh is based in London, travels to games outside of the capital with a local supporters' club.

Often the case with travelling supporters, locating the ideal away pub is a priority when planning a trip to the likes of West Bromwich, Hull and Swansea, as Jacob Ryan, a Merseyside-born Liverpool supporter who stopped to speak with Bleacher Report outside the Liberty Stadium ahead of Saturday's 2-1 comeback win, detailed.

"More often than not, four of us will drive to the game a few hours before kick-off, find the away fans' pub, a few beers and into the ground around 10 minutes before kick-off," he said, adding that "the match almost seems like a hindrance to a good day out with your mates."

As Nakrani explained of Liverpool's 3-1 victory over Chelsea shortly after Klopp's arrival last October, this often serves to add to the atmosphere within the stands.

It started with beers and singing with other Reds in the pub before the game, and then a load of us walked to the ground together with the songs getting louder and louder," he said.

"In Stamford Bridge itself, my mates and I were right by the home fans and as is typical there, they were giving us abuse straight from kick-off.

"How wonderful, then, when Phil Coutinho shut them up with that brilliant goal just before half-time. The Reds ripped Chelsea apart after the break, and as they did, the party in the away end got better and better, and the home fans got grumpier and grumpier. A brilliant day."

As Nakrani's testimony alludes, the sense of community within an away stand can be heightened due to this siege mentality, but how does this compare to that experienced in the Kop, the Main Stand, the Anfield Road End or the Centenary Stand at Anfield?

Julian Finney/Getty Images

"Over the years, faces become more familiar and you get to see those that can make it where the allocation is 800 to where it’s over 3,000! Be it AFC Wimbledon or Borussia Dortmund, the games may change but the nucleus of faces rarely do," Singh said.

"Both new and old are embraced, and there is no shame in jumping on the back of a complete stranger when you’ve just gone 5-0 up at White Hart Lane and Jon Flanagan can’t hide his excitement! In this lies the magic of an away day. Everyone becomes one as soon as we’re in the stands and nothing comes close to that."

Ap Singh, who has followed Liverpool since the days of Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush and John Barnes, joins Harinder for most away games across the country, and he told Bleacher Report that this magnifies the backing given to Klopp's Reds on the pitch.

"The big difference is being able to stand with your mates," he explained. "You are more likely to sing and back the team if you are with like-minded Reds."

This density, and the added propensity of recognising familiar faces, is something Nakrani attributed to a "greater sense of togetherness."

"There is a stronger sense of community among away fans, but that's largely because it's always a smaller group of people, so you're more likely to bump into people you know," he said.

"For the same reason there's also a great sense of togetherness during the game—you know that if you don't sing loud and proud together you'll get drowned out by the home fans."

However, this is something Ryan largely disagreed with, suggesting the growing demand for tickets is beginning to affect the atmosphere in away stands, saying there is less "active fan involvement."

"The away crowd is becoming much more similar to the home crowd, with an increase of accents, tourists and more variation in what people are expecting of the day," he said.

"Whether that's a good thing or bad is subjective, but in general the atmosphere at away games—once renowned for a louder roar and active fan involvement—is becoming more quiet, while the atmosphere at Anfield is slowly improving."

But on the whole, the sense of community within the travelling Liverpool support remains intact, and as Coombes told Bleacher Report, this is poised to regenerate over the years: "You need a lot of credits to go to away games, so it really is the hardcore fans who get the privilege of going to them." 

This notion of privilege is one that is creeping swiftly into the modern footballing conscious, however, with regular rescheduling of games due to broadcasting demands from the likes of Sky Sports and BT Sport, as well as increased pricing for tickets across the Premier League.

The latter is an issue that has been addressed by all 20 clubs in the English top flight, with BBC Sport reporting in March that they had "unanimously agreed" to cap away-ticket prices at £30 for 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.

However, given the demands of travelling the country, often needing to stay overnight for fixtures due to discrepancies between kick-off times and the availability of public transport, are Liverpool supporters less likely to continue following Klopp's side on the road?

Largely, the answer proved an emphatic "no," with Nakrani leading those.

"I loathe how broadcasters have messed around with kick-off times, with the latest pain in the arse being Friday night games," he said. "But like many fans of many clubs, it's not enough to make me stop going to the match, especially away from home. 

"I simply adore the experience too much—meeting up with friends, singing, getting behind the team and, hopefully, winning. A great away day is like nothing else."

Ap Singh agreed, describing "following the Reds to new and old places" as "a great opportunity to forget about problems at work and home and have a break away with my mates."

This sentimental value is something broadcasters can arguably hold to ransom, as Harinder Singh most fittingly described of a Liverpool fan's first experience in the away end.

"For many, it can be their first time," he said, "but I can guarantee that by the end of the match it won’t be their last."

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 Sachin Nakrani, Harinder Singh, Ap Singh, Dean Coombes and Jacob Ryan for their invaluable contributions.

Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby_ and Facebook here.