Coming Down The Road - A Morning with Peter Carney and the Soccer in the City boys.
The headline on the website says "Soccer in the City. Find out the score. Get on our Tour". It sounds catchy, it rhymes and it looks great on his banner but Peter Carney is doing it a disservice. It isn't a tour; it's an experience, it's an adventure, it's a comedy, it's an emotional fight, it's an education, it’s spiritual and also at times a musical. But that wouldn't fit on a 8 x 12 ft flag.
I was lucky enough to join Peter on his Soccer in the City tour, with fellow members of the Berlin Reds after Liverpool played Bournemouth towards the end of our 19th Premier League winning season. The game may not go down as one of Liverpool's greatest but if you remember it as the one after Watford, or the one before Everton Away, you quickly recall its place and importance in the narrative of a legendary season. Recent history is easy (you can replay most of it on the Internet) but how do you experience the past? Let Peter Carney take care of that for you.
The tour starts outside St. Georges Hall in the heart of Liverpool City Centre. Then you enter Peter’s time machine:
1971, Shankly has stepped out to greet the crowd (250,000 or 500,000?) and you're there. "Li-ver-pool, Li-ver-pool". Goosebumps and the hair on the back of your neck stands on end.
1891, John Alexander Brodie has revolutionised the game and a dispute about rent in the dining rooms of Liverpool Collegiate College gives birth to 2 Football Clubs.
2005 It’s either Wednesday or Thursday but we’re in Istanbul.
1977, Roma Check and silk scarves.
1644 and Cannonballs.
1989 and a heavenly Victorian building on the edge of Stanley Park helps Hillsborough survivors escape their hell.
1965 finally brings an FA Cup and in 1966 we've taken the bus to Anfield to watch Liverpool defend it against Chelsea for Peter's first game. We’re at the café behind the Kop end and we’re looking for the cheapest thing on the menu that will fill an empty tummy.
In setting the scene for the day, Peter Carney describes the book "Lōcal" by Dan Fieldsend as “The New Testament.” In that book, Dan explains "the sport has shown an ability to hold a mirror up to society time and again. In Liverpool it is often the case that the two reflect together". Football doesn't exist in isolation on Merseyside, it's part of the fabric; closely woven into the communities, cultures, religions, politics, songs, social conscience, hopes and dreams of the city and its people. So, two hours with Peter isn't just about football. His mission is to share with us how these threads connect and work together to give Liverpool (both the city and its teams) their strength.
From Everton Brow, with a spectacular view across the city, we learned of the importance of the River Mersey, the docks, two (or three?) Cathedrals, a Mosque and religion, industry past, present and future. Peter described how geography had shaped Liverpool's history as it stretched around the horizon in front of us; The West and an open sea connecting Liverpool with faraway lands, North Wales and the Welsh Mountains, the Pennines as the backbone of England, a canal to Manchester that started an industrial rivalry long before there was a sporting one.
Peter is probably best known for the flags and banners that he's created over the years to decorate Anfield's Kop, celebrate victories, document history, remember loved ones and honour heroes. He's an artist. The hill high above the city was a perfect place for us to see some of his work in all of its glory. We previewed a Jurgen Klopp banner that will be used in a much larger piece that's being crafted for the last game of the season. The banner reading "We Love You Liverpool We Do" must have been at least 30ft long; for me it was a perfect moment as our group held a sign high above the city telling everyone in front of us how we felt about them. At the same time, Peter had choreographed a Scouse version of the "Hollywood" sign in the hills above Liverpool that must have looked brilliant for the brief moment it was visible from the city below.
Soccer in the City is for everyone - my tour included visitors from Germany, Denmark, India and America. There was even a warm welcome (and also some boos) for a Manc. There were old and young, returning visitors (Kent on his 5th tour) but also a local lad, Dave, who made sure that Peter's tour was the way he introduced Liverpool to friends visiting the city for the first time. Peter tells me he's had a few Everton fans along and he'd welcome more. Even organizing a place on the tour is a truly Scouse experience. We were nearest to Peter on the day of our tour so he sent me his address and told us to meet him at his home. He even invited us in so my lad and I could help load his gear into the bus as his 'glamorous assistant' was having a well-earned break in the Lake District that weekend. Send him an email, tell him where you're staying and he'll take care of the rest - it's how people planned a night out before mobile phones - just a place, a time, then trust that he'll be there because he gave you his word.
Liverpool isn't short of things to do. World Class museums, exhibitions, amazing food, live music and enough pubs for you to spend nearly four years in a new one every night. But imagine getting to walk around an art gallery with the artist who painted the pictures hung on the wall; visiting a battleground with a soldier who can describe the smells in the air on the days remembered; having a couple of pints with your favourite author and asking all the questions you ever wanted to ask about their work. This is the difference that Peter Carney brings to "Soccer in the City", transforming a tour into a truly amazing experience.
About his banners, Peter said “I try to trigger all the senses”. If he can do that with fabric, paint and a carefully selected phrase, imagine what he can do with two hours of your time. "Find out the score. Get on the adventure, comedy, emotional, educational, musical and spiritual experience."
Peter's Website: soccerinthecity.co.uk
If you want to book a tour, start by sending him an email: peter@soccerinthecity.co.uk
More about Peter: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/10/artist-banners-anfield-liverpool-fan-kop-art-peter-carney