The Asian Liverbird [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

As a book this was disappointing. It felt more like a photo album. While some pictures were fine depicting Asians as Liverpool fans, most were just collections of Liverpool players in action which for me just did not belong in the book. That's just how I felt, others may feel they were great but I was hoping for more substance to the issue, "why does Liverpool have so many Asian fans....extend sentence to..." in the UK?" We know there are millions of fans in Asia and around the world that love Liverpool FC. But the context of this publication should have been kept to England. My own answer is simple: In the 70s and 80s there was not much football on TV except Match of the Day and Sunday's The Big Match. Liverpool were always the most featured team, and the most successful team. Since Asian culture likes to model itself on success, Liverpool FC were the obvious draw. Forget about all the family club nonsense. If that were true, Asians would have been drawn to clubs like Ipswich (who were also successful in the 80s), WBA (who had the first recognized English Black star players of Regis, Cunningham and Batson) and Nottingham Forest (who had the biggest father figure in the game in Cloughie and won back to back European Cups). No, Asians were drawn to Liverpool because they were winners and they won everything for 20 years. So this generation of Asians just jump on that bandwagon since their friends, families and relatives were fans and so it spread in the community. Another misnomer was how many Asians actually followed Liverpool match to match. I grew up in Liverpool as a British born Asian. I followed them since the early 70s. I had a season ticket to Anfield in the 80s, and I went all over Britain and Europe to see them. On the Kop, I don't remember a single Asian face among 20,000 scallies. There was only one Black face and he painted his hair Ginger and the Kop would chant his name sometimes. But no Asians. Wembley Cup Finals, no Asians, European Cup Finals, no Asians (at least not until Istanbul), unless they sat somewhere in the Main Stand or Kemlyn Road high up out of sight. At least in any standing section for Liverpool fans, I was the only Asian at a Liverpool match. Being 6ft 2", I stood out too. Away fans gave me terrible stick, but I held my own. I gave them back just as much verbal. I had my encounters. Facing 500 skinheads at Chelsea coming out of the tube at Fulham Broadway was an experience worth writing about in this kind of book. What about the 8000+ Geordies that took over Anfield on Keegan's return in the 1984 FA Cup match? Those grown men took on the Kop and outside the ground we feared for our lives. Getting stabbed at Leicester, rioting on the streets of Maine Road after being knocked out the FA Cup by Man U, being chased in Coventry by the bobbies, not wearing colours in the pubs in Nottingham, experiencing the tension of 4 FA Cup Semi Final replays with Arsenal, Rome, Heysel and all European trips, traveling on the football specials (special trains for football fans), hitchhiking to Arsenal on the M1, the greatest occasion of the first Wembley Merseyside Final in the 1984 Milk Cup, switching trains at Crewe and ending up with Millwall in your carriage, staying overnight in London after a match and seeing the sights meeting up with Scousers about town, etc...these are the experiences of Liverpool fans in the 70s and 80s supporting the club. I don't remember any Asians being part of any of it. So for me, this was not a real football book. Like so much about Liverpool FC today, it was just a glossy touristic view of what is still the greatest club in the world.

The Asian Liverbird is packed with top notch interviews and great photographs. The book acknowledges the passion and importance of Liverpool's diverse fan base at a time when the likes of Suarez and Dalglish and the club in general became involved in the nasty race row with Manchester United and Evra.

The book is a timely reminder that the club needs the diverse fan base, as they hold the ££££ to the club's future. The club most likely used the book to shwcase the club's fanbase to the likes of Standard Chartered and the new American owners, but just too bad the club could not carry on with Bhana's good work. Amazing stories, like that of Mohammed Amin who ran onto Anfield to embrace Stasn Collymore on his Anfield debut and interviews with Stevei G, Sir Tom Finney, Xabi Alonso - I enjoyed it!

Shame about the haters who try to sweep this book under the carpet - jealousy is a disease!!!! shame you all didn't get to put your name on a book about the club's fan base - sour grapes because only professionals can do such a thing. Congrats to the author, but his good work has been wasted by Dalglish, Suraez and the club who is unfortunately known now as a 'racist' club - no big money stadium sponsors from asia guys - keep dreaming - Chelsea have taken your slot!!!

If you ever need an example of vanity press then this is it. I'm Asian (Pakistani decent) and I found this book at best a waste of money. The author and what I'm assuming are his friends have written this book like a collection of essays on issues involving Liverpool Football Club. Why we would ever need a book like this I do not kno, maybe in all the waffle the author goes on about he should explain why?

I'm totally against institution or people who single out a race or faith group in order to promote or award a person of that persuasion in something they do. This book is all about him and Asian supporters, I have never considered myself an 'Asian Liverpool Fan' I'm just a 'Liverpool Fan' I'm glad I didn't pay more than £1.88 for it as its no way worth the £16.99 RRP.

I'm going to donate this book to a Local school or library as I feel it does not have a place amongst my Liverpool Memorabilia.