It’s a cliche, but Well Red is what it says on the tin ‘For Liverpool fans, by Liverpool fans’.
This is a magazine that doesn’t exactly feel like a magazine, and not just because it doesn’t have a glossy finish – although undoubtedly that does add to the authentic fans feel of the overall production.
It’s the content though that gives this the obvious fans feel; from the recognisable names like Tony Barrett, Dave Kirby and Paul Tomkins to the actual style of writing – passionate, informed and from the heart.
There’s also a nice blend of current affairs and nostalgic pieces, thrown in with interviews with ex-Reds Brian Hall and Alan Kennedy and you have an impressive first issue for Well Red.
It’s tough times for Liverpool fans at present with so many divisions on everything from the owners, the manager, the style of play and the effectiveness of Dirk Kuyt – opinions differ and now more so than ever has the Kop been so disheartened. So in that respect editor Gareth Roberts has done well to put together a fans magazine that offers perspective on most these issues.
With fanzines and print media in general often viewed as a dying breed given the explosion of the internet, it’s nice to see a venture like Well Red and I for one hope it’s a success. Speaking of fanzines, while this has a much more professional look to it, with good quality images and well laid out pages, there’s still some of the fanzine banter of mocking the Blues and the backpage caption.
Anyone familiar with football fanzines may draw comparisons between Well Red and Geordie publications True Faith and The Mag.
As Gareth himself confesses, it will be sales that ultimately decide Well Red’s fate. It’s out in shops across Merseyside from Thursday and available to rest of the world via wellredmag.co.uk so get your copy for a good read.
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