Liverpool fans lining Anfield Road to greet the team bus has become a tradition that has resulted in incredible scenes in recent years, but the recent avoidance and diversions seem counter productive.
It is as much a feeling as it is a sight, the thick air and smell of pyro as a sea of red envelopes you and makes you question if a bus is even passing you by as voices grow louder and louder.
There is not too much to liken it to. Shouting at a bus of football players will be met by bewilderment for those who see it as ‘just a game’, but we all know it is more than that.
The welcoming committee serves to inspire and unite, whether you have a ticket to walk through the turnstiles or not, the bus greeting personifies this club.
A bus welcome had become a regular sight under Jurgen Klopp‘s tutelage such was the long list of significant matches he led the club to, but recently the bus has been diverted elsewhere.
As thousands of fans line Anfield Road and the usual entrance to the stadium, Liverpool’s bus instead diverted to the Main Stand’s side entrance – as was the case against PSG on Tuesday night.
Find a way to make it work
Not long after Liverpool had taken a 1-0 advantage in the first leg had plans of a bus welcome surfaced online – the usual spots, at the usual time, see you there in your numbers was the message.
On Tuesday, I happened to be walking along the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand when police sirens sounded and I turned to see the PSG bus slowly creeping its way down the road, pulling to a stop near the Shankly Gates.
I had been on my way to Anfield Road for Liverpool’s bus welcome and instantly thought, ‘Of course they have dodged the sea of Reds waiting only down the road’.
What I did not know at the time was that Liverpool’s bus would also be diverted as there was no inkling that would be the case as thousands were still waiting and marshalled to keep the road clear.
Liverpool unusually coming in through the side entrance at Anfield #LFCPSG pic.twitter.com/EihgUydFM4
— Aadam Patel (@aadamp9) March 11, 2025
Whispers then grew louder that the bus had already arrived elsewhere, deflating and confusing many before everyone seemed to move at once to get into the ground.
It created quite an unsafe situation as many are funnelled in the wrong direction by stewards and a small group of police, as there really is not a lot of room to move.
You can understand that the club would not want to clue people in that the route had been changed as everyone would just move to the next obvious drop point, but it is another kick in the teeth.
Anfield and Liverpool supporters are a marketing tool because of what makes us unique, but the more this happens the more the club are at risk of diluting the very thing that makes LFC special.
The club must ensure they work with Merseyside Police and other authorities to allow the bus to take its normal route, more recently that has meant barriers so people are kept off the road and the bus can proceed safely.
We all want the best atmosphere possible, so why not do everything to make it a reality?
If we are to take anything away, it is that this has to be a lesson for the final day of the season.
Enough time to prepare for the next one
Tuesday was not the first time the bus has been diverted when there has been prior knowledge of a mass welcome, but we want to get back to the days of Barcelona, Villarreal and Wolves, for example.
With Arne Slot‘s side sitting 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, a very special day is in the making against Crystal Palace on the final day of the season on May 25.
Liverpool and the relevant authorities, therefore, have more than enough time to prepare for a celebration that supporters have waited more than 35 years for.
Let’s not forget that no mass celebration was allowed last time the Reds lifted the Premier League trophy due to Covid restrictions, so let’s not needlessly deny supporters a chance to appreciate this achievement.
Longer-term, this is something that can give Liverpool a competitive advantage, too.
After Klopp’s first experience of a Liverpool bus welcome in 2016, he perfectly described it as letting “the game start earlier than usual” in front of the stadium, rather than inside.
“I think everybody felt what this atmosphere created in the stadium, what it gave us and what it gave to the players,” he said – not the first time he’s hit the nail on the head!
James Milner once shared what it was like inside the team bus (below), and if any words were to hit home for Liverpool on why they need to play their part, it should be the ex-vice captain’s.
“The atmosphere outside the ground with the fans before we came in set the tone for us,” the former No. 7 said. “[It was a] great atmosphere and that obviously gives you a lift.
“[It is] such a massive help to the boys. When the atmosphere is like this you feel unbeatable.”
Let’s repeat that, ‘You feel unbeatable’. Why wouldn’t the club want their players to walk into the dressing room with that feeling, that adrenaline and the belief that no one can stop them?
Special nights at Anfield are etched into the club’s history and we happily relive them at every opportunity, let’s not hinder the chance for fans and players to make more in the Slot era.
Beyond the final day there may also be hopes of doing a bus welcome against Arsenal, for obvious reasons, so it is time the club works alongside supporters to ensure they can go on as planned and do not end in frustration and disappointment.
Liverpool fans know how to answer the call to arms, so let us.
