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Liverpool opens doors for Fox Soccer reality series

Liverpool (Reuters Pictures)

Hard Knocks meets one of the Premier League's most storied clubs.

That's the basic premise, as Fox Soccer will be airing a six-episode reality series in the fall that will offer a behind-the-scenes look at Liverpool FC, going where TV cameras have never gone before. The all-access series, titled, "Our Liverpool: Never Walk Alone," will be produced by the same award-winning producer of HBO's popular 24/7 documentary series and will begin with the club's run toward the FA Cup title before the offseason and beginning of the 2012-13 campaign.

"My point of view is that American fans are used to documentary coverage like this, and whether it is ‘Hard Knocks’ or ‘The Franchise,’ these kinds of programs are good for the fans and good for the sport," Liverpool chairman Tom Werner told Fox Soccer. "Our fans want to know more about who these players are and what their lives are like off the pitch. I just think it strengthens the connections people have to our players and helps the popularity of the sport."

What do you think of the series? Expect to learn some things about the inner workings of Liverpool? Which other team would you want an all-access look at?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I’m not a Man City fan and I watched Blue Moon Rising and loved it. I’m sure others who follow the sport did the same.

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  2. Ferdinand WAS a great defender. His time has passed and he may not even be at United next season. So, at this point, yes Skrtel and Agger are as good as Vidic and Ferdinand. I don’t think that is delusional at all.

    Agger is the key there, as Liverpool struggle when he’s out, which is often.

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  3. The FA panel discredited itself. If you want to continue to believe the narrative put forth, absent evidence, by the FA that is your choice. Liverpool may have handled the situation poorly, but your claims of institutional racism are absolute BS.

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  4. The issue is having a rooting interest is a key way to generate interest in the sport among casual fans. I see nothing wrong with me rooting for Fulham to do well-I don’t go on Fulham message boards and say ‘we’ or trash talk Chelsea fans, but I do feel good when they win(at least as much as teams I’m actually fans of in other sports). I think it’s MUCH better than the alternative of choosing teams on the basis of how good they are. I root for teams that give my countrymen(cringe as I type that) opportunities when others openly laugh at Americans. I root for Fulham and Everton because of what they’ve meant to American soccer. I don’t think that’s arbitrary at all.

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  5. On the bright side it is a new show on Fox Soccer. I was afraid they didn’t show anything but EPL games and EPL game replays plus the Canadian soccer highlight show that shows the highlights from the EPL games with some other news stories for 30 minutes then repeats itself the rest of the hour. Oh, and infomercials in the mornings, I used to think some of them were just on the channel to improve the average quality of production.

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  6. You hit the nail on the head, Shane. Institutional racism and a sense of entitlement despite a 20 plus year drought of league titles.

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  7. I won’t watch because it is Liverpool. I didn’t watch Hard Knocks unless it was a team I liked so I have no interest at seeing a glitzy pro-Liverpool PR stunt to gain back some sort of credibility in light of their institutionalized racism. And if you think the American’s that own Liverpool won’t have negotiated some sort of editorial control then you’re crazy.
    I can’t believe Fox Soccer would be so keen to jump into bed with Liverpool after they proved their love for institutional racism this year. The coach making the players wear the Suarez shirt (per one of their player’s own words), the petulant press release repeating lies and all the attempts to discredit the FA’s investigative panel, no think you. This is shambolic and a disgrace on Fox Soccer’s behalf to put themselves in bed with these out of control nuts that put their club above human decency.

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  8. Yeah, a lot of us support USMNT players on the club level. Why is this a bad thing? I don’t live in England so why/how would I support a club that I have no connection to? Watching the players that you do support can give you that connection to other players (or even full teams). Why is it unreasonable to lose interest in the team when the player who sparked your interest leaves? There are different levels of team support, and clubs need all of them to survivie.

    And I absolutely want him to move on. Advance your career by playing with bigger clubs. Go to Arsenal Dempsey!!!

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  9. Marc Pelosi and Villyan Bijev–two U.S. youth internationals–are both in the Liverpool system. Bijev is on loan to Fortuna Dusseldorf right now (don’t know when loan ends), but both are doing well. While not close to the first team yet, who knows…they still might make an appearance.

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  10. Really? I find it amazing fans cheer for Chelsea or Fulham, having never been to the Bridge or Cottage, only are fans because the team is currently doing well or dressing Americans, etc. That strikes me as arbitrary and the height of bandwagoning. I’m a fan of Fulham when they’re in Europe or even when they’re on the precipice of relegation. I first saw them play in person in the second division.

    And you’re neglecting that what tends to happen is everyone is an Everton fan when Moore or McBride’s there, then they leave and the fans disappear, then they come back when Howard and then Donovan suit up. There’s also a cynical aspect where teams can sign foreign players to sell jerseys, Peterlin, Arnoux, etc. Not even limited to Americans, another version of the foreign friendly tour. Like I said, if Dempsey leaves and no American fills his “place,” many American fans will treat it as a lull period and disappear, they won’t care if it’s an unusually hospitable place for Americans, it’ll be what have you done for me lately.

    I wouldn’t mind it if the fans came with McBride and Lewis and Co. and stayed but the amusing reality is I watch people come and go like jean styles as a long term Fulham fan. I mean, when it was EJ and a less-used Dempsey, where was everyone? But now that he’s in vogue everyone backs the whites. Except some of the same people want him to move on. I find it all funny.

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  11. First, I wasn’t attacking an entire club, just their fans, and at that fans that write articles. I’m sure there are fans for every club that write articles that like, but in my experience, Liverpool fans seem to think that just because they have an amazing history, which they do, they are still one of the best teams in the country/world just on the basis of how good they used to be. Second, you are crazy if you think Agger and Skrtel are on par with Vidic and Ferdinand. I know Agger is injured a lot, and Skrtel is a very good defender, but when both pairs are uninjured and at their prime, there is little argument that Vidic and Ferdinand are one of the best defensive pairings in the world. Obviously you can disagree, but I think you’re in the minority…

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  12. Well to be honest I’m not a Liverpool fan, but I do rate Skrtle and Agger as at least as good as a partnership as Vidic and Ferdinand. Problem is Agger is almost always out injured. You can try to characterize Liverpool fans as whatever you’d like, but I’m sure you can find the same sorts of comments from most sets of fans (including Tottenham who I support). I know plenty of Liverpool fans, and none of them are the “intelligible” “delusional” type that you would like to characterize them as. Feel free to bash X player or Y blog, but how bout we don’t try to attack an entire club

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  13. You are talking about a VERY small minority of the population that will even know this is taking place.

    A lower rated foreign team with foreign players on a TV station that most don’t get and almost no one watches ?

    If you are excited about it enjoy it, but this will not be changing any profiles.

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  14. Man you got that right. Liverpool fans, at least the ones that write articles, write some of the most delusional things I’ve ever read. Every time they lose, it is excuse after ridiculous excuse. At the beginning of this season, I read an article from a fan who compared Liverpool’s team to United’s team, basically player for player, and I want to say that he rated them evenly and even better in some cases to United’s team. For example, I believe he had Agger and Skrtel on par with Vidic and Ferdinand, if not slightly better. Needless to say the comments on his delusions were pretty great. I mean seriously, the way it was written was that Liverpool should and will be challenging for the title this season. I believe they are more than 30 points behind United right now…

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  15. I’d rather have American fans ‘flow in and out’ and root for teams that have Americans on them than be a ‘long-time Chelsea/United/City/Arsenal/etc. fan’. Seems to be the most non-arbitrary, least bandwagoning thing you can do.

    Though I do hope when Americans are hopefully a dime a dozen and playing at the biggest clubs in the future fans play the due respect to clubs like Fulham, Everton, etc. that gave Americans chances when nobody else would.

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  16. They may not be the perfect choice, but it will be an interesting show. I will most definitely be tuning in and I find it hard to believe that people think they won’t learn anything from this show. I’m not the world’s biggest American football fan but Hard Knocks is a quality show. NBC sports also produced NHL 36, which gave a glimpse into the lives of players. As a football fan I am very excited to take a step into a franchise so rich in history.

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  17. No, by featuring a team that at this point in time is a train wreck. Just like the Jets.

    I don’t know how many people will tune in, but i think that fans of other teams might tune in just to see what bad move will they do next.

    Pig Vomit: But… if they hate him, why do they listen?

    Researcher: Most common answer? “I want to see what he’ll say next.”

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  18. Liverpool FC is owned by US-based Fenway Sports Group and chaired by an American, Tom Werner, quoted in the piece. American ownership, in theory, could be more permanent than American players, and as a long-term Fulham fan I do find it amusing to watch the flow in and out of US fans as the player trends wax and wane. City spiked in interest when Reyna and DmB were around, Newcastle had a flash when Gooch was there. If/when Dempsey leaves, will there be a Fulh-america fan left? Or do they move on to his next destination? I’ll still be around. All a tad hipster to me.

    Also worth pointing out that, if this is for airing beyond FSC, while the cognosceti might know the American-staffed teams well, the average person is going to react to big names and they won’t necessarily know or care that Liverpool is having an awful year save the FA, Dalglish should be fired, players should be canned for performance or personal issues, etc. They won’t know nearly as much of the soap opera. They will just know that this is one of the historical big teams like Man U. If you go with Fulham or Everton it would click with the illuminated but fly right by most average people. Who? You’d then have to really push the USA angle and god forbid Dempsey leaves there’d be no basis for a sequel.

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  19. I know more about Liverpool already than I care to. Racists players, stupid manager, poor management who cant handle PR properly, classless fans who think they are something special and too good for Roy Hodgson, a man or true character and class. I wont watch a second of it. Would rather see this sort of thing for an MLS team where you wont have to translate scouser speak into English, and you wont have to edit out a bunch of behavior not fit for television

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  20. For an American audience, you’d think they’d pick a team with a USMNT member, perhaps the blue side of Liverpool. Would be interesting though nonetheless. What inappropriate things can Suarez say? Who will be leaving since they are finishing out of Europe? Will Bellamy hit anyone with golf clubs? Andy Carrol’s hairstyling tips! An instant hit

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  21. I’ve never watched Hard Knocks or The Franchises, but behind the scenes type stuff is always very enlightening. I’ll watch, even if it is Liverpool ;o)

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