Why LFC? Mumbai Reds open up

Why do men, women and children who live thousands of miles away from Merseyside and who possibly may never set foot inside Anfield have such an affinity with Liverpool?

While in Mumbai for an LFC-Standard Chartered Football Clinic we met up with a group of passionate Reds to try and find out the answer to that very question. Why Liverpool FC?

Schubert Coutinho: "Why Liverpool? I don't know - I've just always loved them. I think I fell in love with the club about 10 years ago. Steven Gerrard was the first player I really admired and that was five years or so before the Premier League really took off in India. Five years ago, you couldn't find many fans who shared the same passion as you did for the Premier League team but now that's all changing. Football is getting bigger in India and while Chelsea have lots of fans due to their recent success, their supporters are completely different to the fans who support Liverpool."

Placid Wadhawan: "Why Liverpool? I used to live abroad, in the Gulf, and, believe it or not, it was the fact that Candy sponsored Liverpool that attracted me in the first place. I was just a kid and I loved candy - sweets - so that was the hook. Once I started watching and saw Peter Beardsley and John Barnes, that was it. I was hooked. Something about the club just hit a nerve and now, 20 years or so later, here I am standing here with 'You'll Never Walk Alone' tattooed on my arm. It's been true love ever since."

Mehul Jobanputra: "Why Liverpool? It started in 1999 when I was introduced to football. I started following Liverpool and then the treble season happened. I remember watching the FA Cup final and seeing Michael Owen score those two goals and thinking, 'This is my club'. I read up about the history of the club and I immediately felt a sense of association with Liverpool. In India, everything revolves around cricket but Liverpool seemed like a great team with a great history and I wanted to be a part of it. Now, my whole weekend revolves around the Liverpool match. What I can and can't do at a weekend is totally dictated to by when Liverpool play."

Mangesh Nadkarni: "Why Liverpool? It started 10 years ago. Liverpool were playing Newcastle and Michael Owen scored. He was my favourite player and I just felt and instant connection to the club. I learned about the history of the club on the internet and read all about Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly. I read up on Hillsborough and it inspired me to help set up the Mumbai Liverpool FC Supporters Club. That was about three and a half years ago and at first there were only 20 of us but word spread and now we've got 150-200 members. Everyone is really passionate."

Amod Mallya: "Why Liverpool? I'm not sure there is a particular reason. I started watching football matches and before I knew it, I was watching Liverpool more than any other team and so I suppose I became a Liverpool fan that way. My cousin was a Liverpool supporter and that probably helped influence me. My favourite player at first was Steve McManaman because of the way he used to dribble, then it was Michael Owen and then Robbie Fowler before he left. I co-founded the Mumbai Liverpool FC Supporters Club because we wanted to share our passion for the club over here with fellow fans. At first, it was hard to spread the word to fellow fans in Mumbai but social media has changed all that and now, when we have screenings of our game, we even get fans from Pune coming down to watch the game with us. The fan base is growing all the time."

Tanay Ganatra: "Why Liverpool? I love red. And I hate blue! Seriously though, it was the Gary McAllister free-kick against Everton that did it for me. There's so much pride and passion associated with Liverpool that who wouldn't want to be a part of it. Over here, the fans are so dedicated to Liverpool it's unreal. The club has brought so many people together in Mumbai - it doesn't matter what religion you are or what background you have, the only thing that matters is that you support Liverpool. Before, us Liverpool fans used to watch the matches at home on our own. Now, we get together and watch the games together in a bar. That's a real achievement."

Omkar Jadhav (left): "Why Liverpool? It's the passion of the club and the fans. It's from the heart. What happened in Istanbul sums up the club for me. That was the greatest night of my life."

Manas Singh (right): "Why Liverpool? Gary McAllister, 94^th minute. I was nine or ten at the time that goal went in and that cemented Liverpool in my heart forever. It started as a bout of curiosity, turned into passion and has become an addiction."

Kishore Sundar (left): "Why Liverpool? They're the best. It's not about money, it's about passion. Steven Gerrard defines Liverpool Football Club for me. He's the captain, he scores goals and he makes things happen. He's a history maker. His goals against Olympiacos and AC Milan in the final of the Champions League changed Liverpool forever."

Aditya Shevoy (right): "Why Liverpool? Well, in India, football fans generally support Manchester United or Chelsea. Those fans think Liverpool are a joke because we've not won anything for a few years. I guess I started supporting Liverpool because there's something different about our club and our fans when you compare it to those two clubs. Xabi Alonso was my favourite player and I couldn't believe he was sold. Our problem is that we've never replaced him. It hurts when we don't do well and it can be depressing supporting Liverpool but like the anthem says, you'll never walk alone as a Liverpool fan. The fans of Manchester United and Chelsea in India will be supporting Manchester City next season. Our fans will always be Liverpool fans."

Abhinna Shreshtha (left): "Why Liverpool? Michael Owen. I started watching Liverpool in 2001 and then I read up all I could about what the club meant to the fans back in England. I liked what I read and I liked and still do like the attitude of the club. They never give up. There will be richer teams than Liverpool and there'll be better teams than Liverpool but no one will fight like Liverpool."

Kirtan Mankad (right): "Why Liverpool? Bill Shankly. I started watching Liverpool during the treble season because that achievement was big news in India. It was all over our media. We were a real team, not a team made up of a few superstars. I used to play national football for Gujarat and I understand what it means to play in a team where everyone works hard for one another. That was something Bill Shankly talked about a lot and when I read his quotes, it inspired me."

Sahil Chugh (left): "Why Liverpool? The history, the tradition and the 'You'll Never Walk Alone' anthem. I first started watching Liverpool in 2004 and I immediately did all I could to try and learn about the history of the club. I learned about Hillsborough and that had a big effect on me. In terms of players, it's Gerrard and Carragher for me. What they have given for this club is unbelievable."

Vishaz Mulchandam (right): "Why Liverpool? It's probably down to a friend I had at school. He had a connection in England who would send over DVDs of Liverpool games and we'd all watch them together. It was a school thing. To be honest though, I think I liked Liverpool before I even saw them play. I'd heard so much about them and then when I saw them, I knew they were the team for me."

Anurag Rana (left): "Why Liverpool? The passion, the fans, the atmosphere, the European nights at Anfield. The Steven Gerrard goal against Olympiacos and Andy Gray's commentary about it. The sleepness nights thinking about formations... it's everything about the club. If you ask me who my favourite player is, I'd say Jay Spearing. That may surprise a few fans but to me he is brilliant. He always gives 100% and knows what it means to pull on the Liverpool shirt. I think he's great with Lucas in the middle and should play more."

Sriram Gopalkrishnan (middle): "Why Liverpool? It's the only football club where the fans stand by the team even if they are losing. There's a quote that if you can't support us when we lose, don't support us when we win. That is Liverpool Football Club. We stick together because we're a family."

Nidhi Shankar (right): "Why Liverpool? I could say the finals against Alaves, AC Milan or West Ham but to me it's more about the way the club conducts itself. Even at the weekend, the Swansea manager was praising our supporters. It's the whole 'You'll Never Walk Alone' anthem. When we were dominating football, it was an even playing field and we dominated because we were rightfully the best team. Now it's far from being an even playing field and the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea are artificial winners in my eyes because that's about money buying success. Liverpool is different and that's why I support them."