Is the Anfield Kop still as special as it once was? | OneFootball

The Kop has always been considered to be one of the best stands in world football. Although it wasn’t the first Kop in England, with one at Woolwich Arsenal’s Manor Ground taking that honour, there is little question that it became the most famous. It was the one at Anfield that was first labelled to be a ‘Spion Kop’, a reference to a famous hill from the Boer War, thanks to a comment from the Spots Editor in the Liverpool Echo in 1906.

Having been the centre of attention at the Liverpool ground for years, it now seems like it’s lost a bit of its lustre, but is that a fair assessment?

What the Kop has Been for Liverpool

Anfield stadium as it looked in period between 1928 (when the roof over the Kop was built) and June 1956 – Ben Sutherland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Spion Kop first opened in 1906, being built in order to make Liverpool’s second top-flight title. For a time, it was the biggest single-tier structure in British football, making it the envy of the footballing world. As many as 25,000 people could stand on the Kop initially, which was increased to more than 30,000 thanks to an expansion in 1928.

In the wake of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989, in which 97 Liverpool fans died because of police negligence, the Taylor Report into what happened said that all grounds in the top two tiers of the English game should become all-seater.

As a result, Liverpool played their final game in front of the standing Kop on the 30th of April 1994. In the wake of that, the original stand was knocked down and a new all-seater one was built in its stead, although it remained a one-tier stand. In spite of the fact that people could no longer stand to watch the match, at least not whilst complying with the rules and regulations around standing at football grounds, it has still been responsible for some big moments in the club’s history.

Games like the Champions League against Chelsea in 2004-2005, the Europa League game versus Borussia Dortmund in 2015-2016 and the comeback against Barcelona spring to mind.

Where it Stands Now

The Anfield capacity now stands at 61,276. Of that, about 12,850 can be found on the Kop. That makes what was once one of the biggest single-tier stands in the UK the second-smallest in modern-day Anfield. Although it is still thought of as the heartbeat of the club, there is little question that it has lost its lustre.

Although the Kenny Dalglish Stand is smaller, having enough room for 11,762 people, it is over two tiers and therefore has height on its side and looks impressive. The stand directly opposite the Kop has been remodelled numerous times, most recently before the start of last year.

The result of the changes to the Anfield Road Stand is that it now houses around 16,000 people. Again, the fact that it is so big combined with the fact that it is based over a couple of tiers means that it all but dwarves the Kop. That is made even worse, at least from a visual point of view, by the fact that the Main Stand is next to the Kop.

The Main Stand was the first in the ground to undergo significant renovation in the recent changes, now having enough room for more than 20,500. That means that the Kop is now longer the largest stand, which means it is also no longer the centre of focus during home matches.

It’s Still Influential in Big Games

Although the Kop is no longer the biggest stand at Anfield, there is little question that it remains the most influential. It is where the more vocal Liverpool supporters tend to congregate, leading the way in deciding what songs should be sung when the Reds are playing.

The installation of rail seating for sections of the Kop has also ensured that people can stand safely during games. That helps the atmosphere, but the fact that rail seating is also in place at the Anfield Road End means that that stand is just as likely to start songs and add to the atmosphere as the Kop is.

Nights like the comeback against Barcelona don’t happen without the Kop being in full voice. Although it’s clearly not as impressive as it was when 30,000 people could fit in the stand, it remains influential in the outcome of Liverpool matches. Opposition teams can still feel their legs wobble when the Kop is at its loudest, as we witnessed when Borussia Dortmund buckled in the Europa League nearly a decade ago.

It is probably fairer to say that the atmosphere in the ground in general hasn’t been as good as it used to be rather than the Kop alone is no longer as special as it used to be.