As his first season covering Liverpool FC as a beat journalist reaches its halfway point, Mo Stewart gives his experience from behind the scenes so far.
It’s been quite the year for all of us of a red persuasion; 2024 started and ended with handsome victories to leave Liverpool top of the Premier League, but in between there were some seismic changes.
As changes go, it’s hard to top getting a new head coach, but on a personal level life feels just as different for me as it does for Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
At 43 years old I am in the position I have dreamed of since realising as a nine-year-old that I wouldn’t make it as a player.
I’m an independent journalist working in and around my favourite team, able to ask Slot and his players questions and analyse their answers for a hungry global fanbase.
As this year ends, it feels like the perfect time to take stock of what I’ve learned in the last three-and-a-half months as a beat reporter at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby, and the press room and radio gantry at Anfield.
In the style of my press conference reviews, I have three top takeaways to deliver.
1. The man at the top controls the atmosphere
Over his nine-year tenure, it was no surprise that such a gregarious personality as Klopp would have full control over his domain.
More surprising is that Slot has been able to have a similar influence so soon afterwards, with a much more understated hand on the tiller.
From my first days as a new face in the building, it has been noticeable how relaxed and friendly the atmosphere has been. The groundsmen, receptionists, security guards, press officers, youth players and coaches are all singing from the same hymn sheet, without cynicism or suspicion.
For a team fighting for the top honours, where every draw is a disaster, it would be easy for Slot to feel tense and confrontational.
His appointment hadn’t convinced everyone, and coupled with a summer transfer window considered at best underwhelming and at worst negligent, plenty across the football world were gleefully expecting the Dutchman to fall flat on his face.
To see him before, after and during his press duties, you would never know it. A smile and a laugh have never been far away, and have diffused many potentially awkward situations.
Results have offered Slot an extended honeymoon period, but there has been plenty that could have left him frustrated.
There have been the constant references to Klopp; the random incompetence of refereeing decisions; the sheer volume of demands on his time; and yes, those weekly questions about the contracts of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
And yet, week after week, all enquiries are met with grace and understanding. It’s truly impressive to witness.
2. Everyone has to work together
The most surprising element I’ve witnessed is the extent to which everyone recognises the need to work together.
People who from the outside appear to be working at crossed purposes, or in competition, are actually invested in making sure all parts of the machine are moving smoothly.
The LFC press team – who I suspect would prefer not to be named – deserves a large part of the credit here. Whether they’re poachers turned gamekeepers, or just experienced enough to have seen it all, they understand when to allow us a bit of rope and when to pull it tight.
(The spread provided to journalists before a pre-Christmas press conference at the AXA)
They’re all extremely approachable, only liable to lose their temper if you leave empty coffee cups lying around!
As journalists, it’s important to build a working relationship of mutual respect with the press team and the boss, but with a new man in the chair comes a feeling-out process – pushing the boundaries to see how they react to uncomfortable lines of questioning.
The manner in which the contract questions have turned into a running joke on and off camera is a credit to them all.
If the worst should happen and any of the trio don’t extend their stay, the tone may change. However, there’s no doubt that the respect will remain.
Respect is also how I’d describe my relationship with my peers in the pack.
Although it helps that I’ve worked with the likes of Paul Gorst, David Lynch and Beth Lindop in my time at The Anfield Wrap and as part of the Echo group at Liverpool.com, some traditional journalists have been dismissive of fan media and the evolution of the industry it has caused.
Within the Liverpool beat, I have been warmly welcomed. It’s been a thrill to be able to converse with people whose work I’ve absorbed and admired for years, like Paul Joyce, Juliette Ferrington and Andy Hunter.
The conversations I’ve had, and those that I’ve overheard, have been an invaluable part of my education.
3. The best question is the one that gets the best answer
Building a rapport with Slot has been by far the most enjoyable part of the proceedings.
To see a smile stretch across his face as I unfurl my often overlong questions is thrilling, and for him to give such detailed answers has made my job so much easier.
The most important job of a journalist is to get interesting information from your subject, and Liverpool’s head coach has been a fountain of fascinating knowledge from the moment he arrived.
My reputation as a ‘stats nerd’ has caused no end of amusement amongst my friends and family, but I take it as an appreciation that my questions are always about football, as opposed to the extracurriculars.
I take advantage of the freedom I have to ask whatever I like, with no producers demanding headline-grabbing quotes.
All managers want to talk about football, and I will continue to give Slot that opportunity.
The hardest part has been to make sure I don’t get caught up in any ideas of a burgeoning bromance, and stick to the plan.
I have changed my mind over a question plenty of times because I could easily predict the answer. My internal self-assessment is always ‘does this question make me look good, or does it get a good response?’.
There’s no doubt it helps my career if people know who I am, but I am not, and never should be, the story.
Thank you all for engaging with my work, and helping me on my journey as a journalist. Here’s to bigger and better experiences in 2025, and perhaps a trophy parade or two.
? You can follow Mo Stewart on X, @The_Mighty_Mojo, and tune into his YouTube channel here.
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