To find top-drawer managers praising the atmosphere at Anfield, a game in, game by takes two seconds on the internet. The Merseyside club is famous for the home support generated by the fans and has historically received praise from eternal foes of the club like the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson. Arsene Wenger once touted the Anfield crowd as the key reason for Liverpool’s phenomenal success in Europe.
While the soul of the Kop is a thing of envy of many rival clubs, Scousers attending games every week will be ever familiar with the dreaded row 34 and row number 35.
To be there is similar to being in a stadium with one’s head shoved inside a letter box. Even for a medium-height person, it would often be a nightmare to watch even half the field of play.
Let alone the entire playing area or what is it probably like for the taller people in the crowd to watch the game from the mentioned rows.
Season attendees made sure of doing everything they can to ignore the two rows, and those with the unfortunate luck of sitting there would either perceive the match by adhering to the reactions of the rest of the crowd or had to learn the techniques of watching the game by swiftly moving one’s head in accordance with the ball and the space in-between people sitting in the front rows.
Even then there was the presence of the stadium’s top shade preventing full views with the added precautions of safe standing would further add to the misery. Fans suffering from claustrophobia or fear of it would have the nightmare of their lifetime sitting in the seats of these two rows.
As bad as this might sound, it was and there is no exaggeration in writing here. So, it is understandable the recent removal of row 34 and row 35 brought joy and certain silly laughter amongst the match-going fans of Liverpool.
Pictures from the Anfield Road Stand Test Event were shared by them discussing about their relief that the rows were finally gone. Finally, there isn’t any horrific scenario for the fans accustomed to the norm because of the two rows.