1. Internet and Social
Movements in
Association Football:
Exploring Spirit of
Shankly and Liverpool
F.C.
Peter Millward, Durham University
Peter.Millward2@durham.ac.uk

2. Reasons why recent football fan protests are a
good area to study social movements
• M ucci (1996) - pr er equi si t es of col l ect i ve act i on
el
ar e t o have a gr oup of peopl e w w d r egul ar l y
ho oul
com t oget her , w t h si m l ar pur poses and r enew t hei r
e i i
bel i ef s /i dent i f i cat i ons w t h a m
i ovem .ent
• C ossl ey (2002: 7) - ‘t her e ar e doubt l ess m
r any
r easons’ w soci al m
hy ovem s shoul d be a cor e
ent
soci ol ogi cal i ssue, but pr ot est s and m l i sat i ons
obi
ar e i m t ant com
por posi t es of t he dai l y news.
– Engl i sh Pr em er League m ches ar e annual l y br oadcast t o a
i at
cum at i ve gl obal t el evi si on audi ence of t hr ee bi l l i on
ul
peopl e acr oss 211 nat i ons.
• Al t hough Byr ne (1997: 62-63) not ed t hat t he si ze of
col l ect i ve act i on i s of t en di f f i cul t t o
measur e, r ecent pr ot est s cont ai ned pr ot est er s t hat

3. Context
• Tom Hicks and George Gillett Club bought
for £175m, taking on £80m of debt i n
Febr uar y 2007
• Var i ous i nt er est over t he
year s, par t i cul ar l y i n t he Pr em er
i
League’s post -Abr am ch er a
ovi
• Made t hr ee pr om ses:
i
1. M easur ed i nvest ment i n t he pl ayi ng t eam
2. R egener at i on of Anf i el d di st r i ct - ‘Spade
i n t he G ound’ i n 60 days
r
3. N doi ng ‘a G azer ’: acqui si t i on debt
ot l
• Fans i ni t i al l y w com – and t hen a
el ed
gr ow ng num
i ber di dn’t ! Peter.Millward2@durham.ac.uk

4. Spirit of Shankly – Supporters’
Union (SOS)
• ‘Sons of Shankl y’ f or m i n back r oom of
ed
The Sandon pub on 1 Feb 2008
• ‘Shor t ’, ‘m ddl e’, ‘l ong’ and ‘ul t i m e’ ai m
i at s
– none of t hem expl i ci t l y st at ed t he
r em oval of H cks and G l l et t
i i
• R s i n ‘Keep Fl ags Scouse’ and ‘R ai m
oot ecl
t he Kop’ – l ocal i sed ‘r eal ’ f ans
• ‘D r ect Act i on’/Bi l l boar ds
i
• Spl i nt er gr oups
• M e gl obal i sed act i on
or
Peter.Millward2@durham.ac.uk

5. Football Club For Sale: Two not-so-
careful owners!
• June 2010 -second l oan r ef i nance, r evi ew 12
ed
m hs l at er
ont
• Boar d of Tom H cks, G ge G l l et t , M t i n
i eor i ar
Br ought on, C i st i an Pur sl ow and I an Ayr e
hr
• April 2010 – Sale price initially rumoured to be
£800m, later rumoured to be £500m
• R r educe exposur e and Bar cl ays Bank hi r ed
BS
t o f i nd pur chaser
• Sum er 2010, G l l et t def aul t s on r epaym
m i ent t o
M l l Fi nanci al (U hedge f under s)
i S
• October 2010- sold to NESV for £300m, with
£200m goi ng t o pay of f debt s
Peter.Millward2@durham.ac.uk

6. The pr ocess [of sel l i ng t he cl ub] w as
cont i nual l y f r ust r at ed by t hi s
chat t er about f i nanci al di st r ess
com ng out of R so t he i nt er est ed
i BS,
buyer s t hat w knew w d be t he
e oul
r i ght t ype of buyer s f or t hi s cl ub -
l ook w 's happened t o M
hat anchest er
C t y now w t h t hei r new ow shi p -
i i ner
t hat 's t he ki nd of buyer w w e e er
t r yi ng t o f i nd f or Li ver pool , and
t hose peopl e w e scar ed of f by t he
er
di st r ess chat t er , and by t he
m l i t ant , or gani sed i nt er net t er r or i sm
i
cam gns t hat w e di r ect ed agai nst
pai er
peopl e t hat w d get i nvol ved.
oul
Peter.Millward2@durham.ac.uk
Tom H cks, i nt er vi ew br oadcast by Sky
i

7. The Role of the Internet in
Mobilisations
• M essageboar ds, Tw t t er , Facebook.
i
• ‘R and W t e Kop’ m
ed hi essageboar d has been a
pl ace w e act i on f or SO has been
her S
di scussed and or gani sed.
• SaveLi ver pool FC – R ‘H
oy endo’ H ender son
• Kop Fai t hf ul – Al an Kayal l /The Li ver pool Way
f anzi ne
• Tw t t er
i
–What r ol e?
• C el l s (2009: 4) ar gues t hat f or a pr ot est
ast
onl i ne, i t s ‘ar t i cul at i on over t he I nt er net ’
becom ‘bot h i t s or gani zat i onal f or m and i t s
es
Peter.Millward2@durham.ac.uk
mode of act i on’.

8. Internet as a site for Repertoires of
Action
• Body of w k t hat expl or es t he I nt er net as a
or
t ool f or soci al m ovem s (i .e. Li ebr ouw 2011)
ent
• The separ at i on of t he I nt er net and I nt er net
assi st ed act i on
• The I nt er net di d not cause t he sal e of t he
cl ub
• I nt er net assi st ed act i on m have hel ped t o
ay
m pul at e t he m cr o – but not t he m o –
ani i acr
condi t i ons t hat caused t he sal e
• I nt er net as of f er i ng new oppor t uni t i es t o
r ei nf or ce pr e-exi st i ng f an pr act i ces
• I nt er net t er r or i st s?
Peter.Millward2@durham.ac.uk