The much anticipated six part mini-series; Being: Liverpool finally arrived this fall and thanks to Fox Soccer, yours truly got a chance to watch his fave team up close and all what not.
The "show" is supposed to be a "fly on the wall" documentary that takes viewers behind the scenes to the inner workings of a famous club like Liverpool. In the wake of the PR disasters from last season this was a chance for the club to redeem its global image and perhaps win new fans.
Fox Soccer's promotion and coverage of the series in the US is highly commendable. In FSG's home country surely new fans must have been made thanks to Fox Soccer. I particularly liked the timing of the first showing of each episode as it aired during "soccer prime time"; just immediately after the last Premier League game on Sundays. The number of reruns ensured I always had an opportunity to catch up on any episode or segment I missed earlier.
To my delight, the channel even had a Being: Liverpool marathon that relayed four back-to-back episodes and additional footage. The added footage had bonus scenes and previews of the final two episodes. What a way to spend a weekend with no Prem games!
I truly appreciated seeing another side to the players. I felt that seeing the lads spend time with their families was endearing. A few memorable scenes for me include; Jay Spearing honking for his Dad while driving back home and, Pepe breaking the news to his daughter that another baby was on the way.
I also enjoyed the opening/closing dialogues/poems by Liverpool playwright, Dave Kirby. My favorite has to be the "Old Boys Pen". It just sparked a longing for the days of yore (well before my time). It transported me to a time past and for a while I connected with fans of old, fans of the yesteryear. We all share a bond of support for the boys in Red.
One thing I'm now looking to BR for an answer is why Assaidi doesn't start more games? All the training clips during the show that focused on him seemed to show him leaving someone behind on the floor and finishing sharply. Surely he deserves a look-in.
It was also cool to see all the South American lads hang out and I'm curious to know what they all seemed to be taking turns smoking/drinking in a few clips.
For a documentary, a lot of BR's portions seemed rehearsed. He seemed to do things for the camera. A few examples; all the hand slapping before matches or at half-time and the hugging of new players on first introductions which all seem hard to believe as being the norm.
The episode trailers were definitely misleading. The Sterling ribbing was never fleshed out or given a full context or background. The actual scene was so underwhelming (BR does seem to pick on young Raheem a wee bit more than others throughout the series) it seemed like an afterthought.
Not enough players were interviewed. I mean in a six-part series you'd think it would be possible to speak to each player for a few seconds. No coverage of the Carling Cup! I mean if the FA cup got coverage, footage could have been dug up or some form of flashback reel shown to relieve our only silverware in the last six years.
What about talking to Kenny? When the series was advertised last season, KD was still manager and you'd think the series would have had the dignity to interview him at some time. We are made to believe he parted ways with the club in an amicable manner yet no KD interview? That to me is a big let down.
The series was not received favorably in the UK in my view. Every podcast, football show interview and ex-player feedback I've heard has been consistently negative. I do believe as a PR/marketing tool it was a success. I definitely feel more connected to the players and the club as a whole and I'm sure with Fox Soccer's coverage, more fans have been won over in the US. I'll definitely recommend FSG promote the series' in other regions as well.
