Ragnhild Lund Ansnes, who owns Hotel Tia, spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about her connection to Liverpool
Ragnhild Lund Asnes watching her team beat Ivory Coast at the Ullevaal Stadium and has returned tonight for the match against England
Ragnhild Lund Asnes watching her team beat Ivory Coast at the Ullevaal Stadium and has returned tonight for the match against England(Image: Ragnhild Lund Asnes)
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A Liverpool pub owner has spoken about her whistle stop visit back home to Norway to watch tonight's match against England in the national stadium. Ragnhild Lund Ansnes is a published author, who also runs Hotel Tia in Anfield, and she has embraced her Liverpool community since she moved to the city 10 years ago.
However, the proud Norwegian has returned to the nation's capital in Oslo with her husband, Jostein Ansnes, and children, Elias and Elvira, to watch Saturday night's World Cup game on the big screen at a sold out Ullevaal Stadium. She told the ECHO in an interview how she wanted her children to see what makes her home country special after they had spent the majority of their lives growing up on Merseyside.
She said: "My kids were 7 and 10 when we moved and I thought they need to see this no matter how it goes today. They need to see what football can do for you as a nation. We got up at 3am to go and it's cost a mini fortune. We are here for a good 30 hours or so."
Ragnhild is someone who understands the power of football as it was her love for Liverpool FC that motivated her to leave her job as a talk show host on national radio to move from Trondheim to Merseyside a decade ago. The move has been a success as she regularly runs events at Hotel Tia and co-authored Bruce Grobbelaar's autobiography in 2018.
She has connected with the culture of the city on a deeper level than football as Ragnhild said it is easy for a Norwegian to settle in this part of the world due to a shared history between the two regions that stretches back centuries.
She said: "Liverpool as a city and Liverpool as a team has changed my life. You have so much Viking DNA and so many Viking names. Kirkby means Church Town. Ormskirk means Snake Church.
"We've got so much in common in terms of personality too. It's quite similar in terms of how we look at life. The people are very hospitable. We can throw a few jokes, we’ve got a lot of self-irony. The more you joke about someone, the more you like them. I think Aussies, Scousers and especially the North Norwegians have a lot in common. There are a lot of similar traits, so it's easy as a Norwegian to feel as home in Liverpool."
It is for this reason why Ragnhild's family has connected so much to their Liverpool surroundings as she said: "My kids feel just as Liverpudlian as they feel Norwegian. I think they’re both pretty much 'Scousewegians'.
"Even though my son could study for free in Norway, he decided to go to University of Liverpool so they are very connected to the city."
Liverpool and Norway are deeply connected from a shared history that stretches back decades
Liverpool and Norway are deeply connected from a shared history that stretches back decades
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But tonight is all about her Norwegian roots as the country's incredible run in the World Cup continues against the Three Lions in Miami. Ragnhild watched Norway's World Cup round of 32 win over Ivory Coast inside the national stadium and she said this compares to some of her favourite moments following Liverpool. She added: "I’ve been to so many big finals as a Liverpool fan, which have been incredible. But watching that round of 32 game on the big screen in my own national stadium is up there. It was just electric."
The mania surrounding the national team is in full flow in Norway and she can't wait to be inside the stadium with thousands of her proud compatriots. She said: "It's going to be like an arm-pinching moment. In these few hours I've been in Oslo, I’ve never seen more Norwegian kits in my life. They are everywhere. It's impossible to get a hold of them."
Ragnhild is predicting a 2-2 draw that will be decided on penalties as she hopes more heroics from [goalkeeper] Ørjan Nylan will dump England out the World Cup. While a Norway win could make the Scandinavian unpopular in certain parts of the country, Ragnhild is confident she will just fine coming back to Liverpool as Scouse separatism is a feeling held by many in Liverpool, as it's a topic of debate whether people identify with, or support, the England national team.
This is something she has noticed as she told the ECHO: "It's been quite moving to see this last week since England and Norway were drawn against each other, I've only had support for Norway. Every single person I've met. Whether it's a taxi driver, a lady at the till, a friend, a neighbour, they all want Norway to win.
"In other parts of England if you come home after Norway's pinched a win and made sure it's 64 years of hurt, not just 60, you would be dreading coming back because everyone will just give you the evil eye. But in Liverpool, I think we will return as champions if we pull off this huge miracle tonight."
No matter what the result, the Norwegian is proud of the way this summer's tournament has showed off the best of her home country as a combination of thrilling football and Viking row celebrations have stolen the hearts of a global audience.
She said: "We've already united the country in a way I've never seen anything like it. Can you imagine what this will do for little Norway? It's just been showing off Norway and what we've got to offer the world in such a funny, warm, cute, quirky kind of way."