One ex-Liverpool player's mother launched a scathing attack on the fans who had criticised her son, something she later regretted
Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea is challenged by Paul Konchesky of Liverpool during the Barclays Premier League match in 2010
Paul Konchesky played for Liverpool but it wasn't the best period of his career
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Paul Konchesky said he knew his Liverpool career was in trouble after his mum launched a scathing attack on the club's fanbase in an impassioned Facebook rant.
Liverpool and West Ham United lock horns on Sunday afternoon at the London Stadium, and one man who knows a great deal about the teams is Konchesky, as he represented both clubs during his time at the top level. The left-back endured a less-than-satisfactory single season at Anfield, being loaned to Nottingham Forest after being criticised for his performances.
His life was made harder on Merseyside when his mum referred to Liverpool supporters as "Scouse s**m" and told the fans to stop "living in the past" before concluding that her son should "never should have left [Fulham]".
In an interview with The Guardian three years after leaving Liverpool, Konchesky spoke about the criticism he received and the toll it took on him.
"I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was hard for me," he said. "It opened my eyes to how big the club was - being there every day seeing people who live and breathe football. The expectation was so high. They’re good pressures, don’t get me wrong. But from where I’d been, it was a completely different pressure.
"I knew I was going to a big club, but I don’t know if I doubted I shouldn’t be going because of where I’d been before. Probably like the England thing, I should have been myself.”
The 44-year-old also addressed his mum's attack on the fans: "She regrets that 100 per cent. She didn’t like what she was hearing and she was trying to stick up for me, like I think a lot of mums would stick up for their kids. But obviously when I saw it, I thought: ‘I’m in a bit of trouble here.’
"Going back to Liverpool this season will be hard for me, because that is obviously going to come up, but I’ve got to try and rise above it. I will go back and hold my head up high. All I can say is that I tried my hardest there, and I’m proud I played 18 times for Liverpool, probably one of the greatest clubs in the world."
The defender went on to join Leicester City in 2011 and spent the next five years of his career there before being loaned to Queens Park Rangers.
Konchesky would close out his career at Gillingham, Billericay Town and East Thurrock United. Since calling it a day, he has worked as first team manager of West Ham United's women's team.
However, he left after one season, saying: "I am proud and honoured to have had the opportunity to manage this club. My players and my staff have always given me 100 per cent and, while some of our results have been disappointing this season, we still have a lot to be proud of."