“Klopp had become an obsession” —

Q&A with ‘Klopp: My Liverpool

Romance’ author
 November 2, 2020

Joanna Durkan

 @JoannaDurkan_
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Anthony Quinn’s new book ‘Klopp: My Liverpool Romance’ uniquely
delves into the journey of Jurgen Klopp and his influence at Anfield. And
we got the inside scoop from the author himself.
Having already immersed himself in the world of fiction and with a host of
enchanting stories to his name, including The Rescue Man and Half of the
Human Race, Quinn’s next literary project saw him tap into a lifelong passion
that is Liverpool Football Club.
It provides a distinctive take on Klopp and his journey to the hot seat at
Anfield, specifically honing in on what sets him apart from the rest – and it is
not your typical biography.

The admiration, bordering on a self-confessed man-crush, for the Reds’

manager oozes through each chapter, as does the history the club has been
founded on and the city it resides in.

There’s plenty to sink your teeth into and having been written through the eyes
of a fan, there is an instant connection and understanding between author and
reader.

And This Is Anfield spoke to Anthony to find out more about his writing

process, if there were any surprises and what might be next.
 
What inspired you to delve into the non-fiction
world, into the life of Klopp & his story at
Liverpool and beyond at this point in his tenure?

A friend of mine in publishing asked me ages ago to do a book about

Liverpool FC – just after Istanbul – but at the time I didn’t feel confident
enough to write about footie, even though it’s a lifelong passion.

Then a couple of years back I realised that if ever I was going to write a non-
fiction book it should be about Jürgen Klopp, who had become a kind of
obsession. My wife’s line is “There are three of us in this marriage”, and I have
to admit I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reading about him.

Everyone can see he’s a brilliant coach and an outstanding motivator, but he’s
just as plainly a fascinating man. I can’t think of anyone in sport, let alone in
football, who has such a compelling personality – the sense of fun, the
charisma, the articulacy (in a second language, mind), the personal integrity
and public-spiritedness, it’s just deeply unusual – and, to me, hugely inspiring.
What he’s done at Liverpool is extraordinary.
I honestly thought I would never see another Liverpool team win a league title
in my lifetime. He’s done it in five years and grabbed a Champions
League trophy plus a handful of other cups along the way.
 

You include a number of diary entries to help

guide and ground the journey, was it a conscious
decision at the time with a particular end project
like this in mind?

I’ve been keeping a diary for twenty years. I started writing it mainly because I
couldn’t bear to forget those great tranches of one’s life that would otherwise
disappear forever, though when I reread it my reaction was: this is quite boring
stuff, isn’t it? But as the years went by I came to realise how useful it could be,
and I was surprised to find how much I’d written about LFC and then about
Klopp.

The entries I record in the Klopp book are almost verbatim quotes, and it felt
like a more immediate way to juice up the narrative. The reaction to his
appointment as coach in October 2015, for instance, was overpowering
excitement, and I think a diary entry can convey that more vividly than just
writing “I remember being so chuffed when Klopp arrived at Anfield” or
whatever.

I really did have a dream about him the night after that – and what a dream, I
was actually playing for him! – which I might have forgotten about had I not
written it down. So I would urge all potential writers out there to stay off social
media and keep a diary instead: it might prove very handy to you in the years
ahead. It’s good discipline, too.

Was there anything that surprised you about

Klopp when researching and putting the book
together?

I didn’t realise what a media superstar he is in Germany. I thought he was

famous just as a coach at Mainz and Dortmund, but it seems he became a
household name as a TV pundit during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. I
wish I could speak German because when you watch Klopp doing his expert
analysis you sense his great thoughtfulness, not to mention his extreme
loquacity – he speaks in these long unstoppable monologues. Nobody can get
a word in edgeways!

I was also surprised by the almost Jekyll-and-Hyde contrast in his

temperament, between calm and intensity. When you watch him in an
interview he seems very self-possessed, quite relaxed and open – the friendly
side. Then you read stories about him going ballistic behind closed doors and
really whipping up the passions. I suppose that’s what any good coach does,
but in Klopp the switch from light to dark is marked.

I’ve never heard of him doing the ‘hair-dryer’ a la Fergie, nor does he ever
throw his players under the bus a la Mourinho. Yet you pick up hints here and
there that he does have a temper on him. You can see glimpses of it now and
then, for instance, that interview with Geoff Shreeves after the Man City game
we lost 4-0, but it would be unnatural if he didn’t blow his top now and again.
 

Your love of pop culture also takes centre stage

and added an extra layer of entertainment and
uniqueness to the discourse, is this a particular
literary device you use in all your writing?
The Klopp book, as readers will discover, isn’t just about football, it’s about
being a fan and about the need for heroes. I thought as a middle-aged man I
was long past the stage of hero-worship. When I was a kid I was very
susceptible to influences, football at first, playing it, watching it, reading Shoot!
magazine and generally immersing myself in the game. As I grew older I
found myself more involved in music and reading and films, because they
satisfied a cerebral, inquisitive side. I think too much footie would drive you
mad; it would be terrible if that was the only thing in your life.

The stuff about a particular reference to The Flight of the Phoenix came up

when I was pondering Klopp’s style of leadership, with its sense of mission
and entitlement. It’s that German idea of I-know-best.
Hardy Krüger plays the arrogant young technocrat who believes he can
rescue this crew of hopeless oldsters and incompetents from dying in the
desert, but first he has to establish his absolute authority over them. I couldn’t
help thinking of Klopp and his will to win. The film haunted me for years, and I
thought it might be fun transposing its central plot device into a little sketch
about Subbuteo starring the young Jurgen. It amused me, anyway, and I hope
it will amuse my readers.