Believe Us: How Jürgen Klopp transformed Liverpool into title winners

by Melissa Reddy

‘Our incredible story under a supreme manager shared in all its glory.’ Jordan Henderson The definitive account of Jürgen Klopp’s astonishing revival of Liverpool Football Club. Liverpool Football Club’s stunning 2020 Premier League title victory deserves a place in the official record of great sporting achievements. The Reds became the first team in British history to hold the European Cup, Super Cup, World Club Cup and domestic league title simultaneously in a masterclass of free-scoring, full throttle footballing prowess. Journalist Melissa Reddy reveals the inside story of Jürgen Klopp’s astonishing revival of Liverpool, culminating in the club’s first domestic league trophy in thirty years. Featuring incisive and insightful reporting, and the thoughts of players, management and club hierarchy, Believe Us paints a vivid picture of this titanic sporting success. Reddy’s unparalleled access to the club brings interviews with everyone from fans and key backroom staff to players including talismanic captain Jordan Henderson, and of course Klopp himself. The perfect gift for any fan of the club or its inimitable leader, this is heavy metal football writing at its best.

Genres: Football, Nonfiction, Sports

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2021

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved reliving that. So well written and a perfect set of memories to feast on, much-needed during the back end of a tough year. And now you’re gonna believe us…

[Arpit Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously I am a little biased towards this book since I am a Liverpool FC fan. But this book provides some interesting insights into what goes behind making a team of mentality monsters . How do you deal with setbacks and come back stronger? How do you stay hungry to win even when you are way clear at the top of the league ? How do you deal with the burden of expectations of winning the league after ~25years ? How do you win when you arch rivals spend 10x times than you spend in the market ?
Most importantly , how do you change your mentality from doubters to believers ?
If you are a LFC fan or looking for answers to the above questions , read this book

[Colm Mccrory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insights as others have stated but it felt more like a collection of articles rather than a book. It is definitely worth reading for some of the background to what went on behind the scenes (that chapter is worth the money alone), but after loving the start of the book, some of it then felt a bit repetitive and the structure was a bit weird.

[Niel Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously a must read for a Liverpool fan. You'll find out why Jurgen Klopp is a great manager and an even better person. YNWA!

[Erlend Bergsagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I am a Liverpool fan.

A well written book about Liverpool from the time Klopp entered the club. With most of the focus on the 2018/19 season and 2019/20 Season.

Great insights and stories from important people in the club.
And a lot of interesting aspects of what the job as a manager demands

[infinite portals · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reddy's account of Klopp’s personality makes him into a figure who is at once both larger than life yet warmly relatable. His modest back story is a canvas for Hollywood stories. His magnetism and charisma is steeped in one of total authenticity. He is simultaneously both “The Normal One” and anything but! While the book is quite an exposition of hindsight is 20-20 it is still filled with insights not just about this season but Klopp's tenure as the Reds gaffer. My favorite part of the book is the front row seats to the watch party of a game that Reds were not even playing (Chelsea was taking on Man City in Project Restart), but the outcome that gave them the Premier League title - something they've waited 30 years for! It wonderfully juxtaposed an exciting sporting fixture with a never before witnessed reactions of a band of players being spectators!
A must read for all Liverpool fans, in my opinion. Personally, it was the perfect balm to a non-premier league weekend!

[amanda parrott · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read, but sad I finished it

I'm not that big on reading to be fair but lately I have found reading as help with the spare time we all have due to Covid . Having followed Melissa Reddy on social media for a while that her passion would definitely be in the book. an absolute must read for any Liverpool Fan and great insight about the team behind that ended the 30 year wait.

[Michael Emonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and insightful. A must-read for any Reds fan!

[Andrew Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

YNWA

[Tommo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good times!!!👍👌🔴

[Joe Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent inside story of the Jurgen Klopp years at Liverpool so far. Great interviews with those who were there and great sportswriting.

[Bernard Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short easy read on the incredible transformation of Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, the singular force driving the success of Liverpool over the last few years.

Reddy, a football journalist, relies on interviews of those close to Klopp to paint a picture of what has changed at LFC over the Klopp years. But in the process she loses some objectivity. The book ends up being something that the PR department of Liverpool FC would produce. Nevertheless, there are some takeaways for the average football fan.

1. Recruitment will make or break a club. For all that Brenden Rodgers achieved in that one wonderful 2013-2014 season, his forays in recruitment were disasterous. Liverpool used to sign players like Joe Allen, Fabio Borini, Iago Aspas, Rickie Lambert and Lazar Markovic. Rodgers also considered selling Jordan Henderson in exchange for Clint Dempsey. OMG. By contrast, players like VVD, Alisson, Fabinho, Keita, Oxlade Chamberlain, Andy Robertson, Gini Wijnaldum were brought in under Klopp. Totally different quality.

2. A good football club has unity of vision and purpose. Klopp, Edwards and Gordon formed a wonderful triumvate at the top of the club and they genuinely worked with each other to raise standards. Klopp also made sure that everyone in the club - including backroom staff, groundsmen and fans - knew that they had an important role to play in building a top notch club. This inclusiveness brought a togetherness in the club that remains second to none.

3. Klopp's genius is not just that he has an amazing football brain. It is his unique ability to build high performing teams and keep them hungry. He has the gift of being able to say the precise right thing at the right time.

In short, Klopp will deservedly go down as one of the best managers of all time.

A reasonable read.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few things about Klopp and his impact on the teams he's managed but this one gave the best account of the incredible impact the man has had on Liverpool FC. Like Shankly and Ferguson at United, Klopp's influence doesn't end with the team and players, in fact, it's wide reaching throughout the club. As a testament of this, one of the first things Klopp did on his arrival was to have all the support and administration staff address the playing squad outlining their contribution to the club. Everyone sensed something special was about to happen and each person would get to contribute and participate in it. Fabulous stuff!

What made this so revealing were the first hand accounts from players, particularly Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson plus many others, Klopp's coaching team and the man himself.

Klopp's grown out of defeat and disappointment. Lots of it! But he doesn't let it define him, he uses it to learn more and to do better next time. It was a critical factor in his early days at Liverpool when they lost 2 Cup Finals in his first year and spurred the players on to the trophy success they've since enjoyed.

Reddy's book is a joy to read for any LFC fan and for any football fan really. Some readers may view it to be a little too positive not really highlighting some of the mistakes he's made in his current reign but my hunch Klopp's LFC legacy will be determined in the next few years. Can he lead the team to even more silverware and a set up his successor to carry on where he left off to leave a lasting legacy that is comparable to the great Shankly?

I'm excited to find out and sincerely hope he does.

[Aik Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful retelling of the rain parade after the long 30 year drought for all true Red fans. Jurgen Klopp incredible humanity shines through -- that more than even Shankly, Klopp comes out as a authentic human whose personality transcends the sports -- he would have made a great CEO of any corporate entity if he was in the corporate world. The changes he made to LFC is more than just the players front -- it's foundational and will prosper LFC far longer than the current players' careers. Transformational figure.

[Jacob Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melissa Reddy is one of the finest soccer writers in the world. The depth of her knowledge about Jürgen Klopp comes through well and provides the reader with an excellent understanding of how Liverpool became what it is today under his leadership. You could argue this book is a leadership book more than anything.

I wanted this book to be more about the day-by-day details of Liverpool’s title aspirations rather than a wholistic look at Klopp himself. My fault for not understanding the premise of the book more.

[Jon Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrifically accessible summary of Klopp’s first five years at Anfield, which smartly reflects his holistic approach to the club by acknowledging the usually unseen behind the scenes staff. Occasionally a little heavy on the adjectives and journalistic but conveys the energy and direction of the club under Klopp. Mildly irritatingly, someone seems to have done an inexplicable search and replace on the name of one of Liverpool’s key players (Mané rendered as Man throughout).

[Taher Bellah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A case study on leadership. What Klopp did at Liverpool goes way further than football. His management philosophy can be summarized in three parts; building an organization, building people, and building a legacy that will outlive both. He is a true genius when it comes to emotional intelligence.

[Megat Aiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reliving memories of the first phase of the Klopp era after several departure of aging core players in 2023 was really nice. Reminds us of how far this team has come and what to expect for the future.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short audiobook that I burned through in a couple of days. Includes great insight from players and behind the scenes stories about what has made the last 18 months so great.

[Derek Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspirational, very emotional, even from me as Liverpool rival fan. Highly recommended!

[Joebacca · Rating 4 out of 5]

how not to enjoy a book about your team?

not a nobel winner by any stretch...

[Gabbie Majer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repetitive in places but a great insight into the relationships at the football club.

[Will Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. Lots of good anecdotes and inside info. Most importantly though it was nice reliving the good times and has once again confirmed that I absolutely I love Jurgen Klopp

[Ynwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 // Très intéressant, à lire pour les supporters du LFC mais parfois un peu répétitif. J'ai eu un peu de mal avec la structure du livre; parfois il ressemblait plus à un journal qu'à un livre.

[Sampath Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm read with occasional gooseflesh moments for a Liverpool fan

[Lev Macht-Greenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 5 for Liverpool fans and a 3 for everyday readers = 4 on Goodreads, right?

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25.

[Cameron Roxburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything about the Reds deserves a 5 star rating.

[ana]

i get emo when i think of the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons ok....

[Salman Tiwana · Rating 5 out of 5]

great insight!