Going to a football match today is an all emncompassing thing. It is the thrill of the game, the commaradery of your team`s fans and the atmosphere of tribal rivalry between yourself and the other team and their supporters. Watch a modern fotball and it is hard to believe that football has not taken the formof a more regulated war, and has some link to previous centuries when armies used to face each other across an open battlefield. However, the chances are they would curse and hurl abuse before the battle began, but they wouldn`t actually sing at each other, because chanting at a football match is something that began relatively recently. On the coach down to an away game the fans might start singing amongst themselves after a few drinks, but it would generally be popular songs of the day, and not songs specifically re-worded for their club, or songs questioning the parenthood of the oppositioin centrre forward.
Liverpool fans claim to be the first in the country, taking an idea from 1950s Brazilian supporters and turning it into something of their own. In the early 1960s, Liverpool was the place to be for music. The Beatles and bands like Gerry and the Pacemakers were having a significant effect. The famous Liverpool Anfield anthem was born in that era, although the song started as a show song. It was played by a tannoy announcer, people started joning in and the rest is history. People saw, on the television, thousands of people singing and waving their scarves, swaying with the music, becoming a supportive part of the game. Previously there was more likely to be people shouting and cheering and hurling abuse at the opposition players, but not often singing. Of course, with the addition of Scouse humour, well known songs were altered to be supportive to their own players, whilst also aiming at some perceived weakness in the opposition. However, when the Kop at Liverpool are in full voice, there are few better sights and sounds in football. Soon everyone wanted their own club anthem and any new song that could be turned into a verbal weapon would be eagerly seized on.
Chants are affectionate at times as well as venomous. Six foot seven Peter Crouch the former Liverpool player was celebrated with, `He`s Big, He`s Red, His feet hang outta bed. Peter Crouch! Peter Crouch!`. The new owners at Manchester United came in for some stick from Arsenal fans with, `Malcolm Glazer`s Magic, He wears a pirate`s hat, And when he saw United, He said, "I`m havin` that!". One Manchester reply that the `Cockneys always cheatin` was less poetic, but got their point of view across.
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