logo
Why this is the most inspiring football anthem in the country

Why this is the most inspiring football anthem in the country

Telegraph08-05-2025
Frank Lampard listens to it when he is walking the dog, his children send him pre-match voice notes of them singing it and minutes before their team steps out for the Championship semi-final first-leg tie against Sunderland, Coventry City fans will belt out 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns'.
The song was on the debut album of the same title by the rock band The Enemy and, almost 20 years after its release, it has become the unofficial anthem of Coventry City and the club's supporters.
Coventry fans' rousing pre-match rendition of 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns' before last year's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley went viral and the song has quickly become recognised as one of the most original and inspiring club anthems.
Coventry City fans with The Enemy's 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns'
Superb #CCFC pic.twitter.com/D1TxXqc2ZT
— Tom Burrows (@TBurrows16) April 21, 2024
Lampard was only vaguely aware of the song before being appointed Coventry manager at the end of November, but it has quickly become a favourite of his and his family.
'From my part, I've loved it,' Lampard told Telegraph Sport. 'It gets the tingles going pre-game every time I hear it. I play it in the car and on my dog walks. And my two youngest have really taken to it as well. My wife Christine, sent me a voice note of my daughter singing it before a game.'
On the song's impact on his players, Lampard added: 'I can't speak for them, but I'm sure that, like me, they will have a lot of affection and feeling for it and how the fans react to it pre-game.'
Such is the resonance of the song within the club that supporters have had the words 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns' tattooed on to themselves.
Andy Hopkins is the bass player for the Enemy and a lifetime Coventry City fan. He became aware of the song catching on among supporters and has been overwhelmed by the reaction to it.
'To start with, it was a small group of people, then it got bigger and bigger, and it was the FA Cup semi-final when it really took off,' said Hopkins. 'I couldn't go, but after it every week people sent videos to me and it was absolutely amazing.
'Everybody's embraced it since then. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I'm in the stadium and I hear everyone singing it. I remember being in the crowd singing it and nobody had noticed me until a couple of lads grabbed me and started shouting 'we can't believe we're singing it with you'. It made me feel really proud. My grandad and my uncles, who got me into football, would be so overwhelmed by it.'
Interrupting a family holiday in Turkey to talk to Telegraph Sport because 'it's worth it for Cov', Hopkins revealed that the song has taken on a deeper meaning for him since the death of his brother Richard.
'I've been a Coventry fan since birth. Normally I'm there every other week, but it's been a bit less this year because it's been difficult after I lost my brother. The song was kind of catching on at Coventry when we dedicated it to my brother at his funeral. I said that I wanted everyone to think about him when we sing it at the football, so it means a lot more to me than anyone knows. He was a Coventry City fan as well and I've got pictures of me and him in the garden with Cov tops on.'
True to the sentiment of the song, 39-year-old Hopkins has lived in or around Coventry for his entire life and believes music and football underline the pride locals have in their city.
'Tom [Clarke, the lead singer], lived on Far Gosford Street for a bit and it's about when he was there and the lyrics are about what he saw there and how he felt. But he loved it as well and it's about embracing what you love and where you're from. It's got a real affection to it and a lot of people move away from where they grew up or go travelling, but there's still a special feeling to going home. For us, Cov is home and we've never really moved away.
'The passion people from Coventry have about the city is really strong. It's been really striking how many Coventry City shirts you see in the city these days and it will get even bigger if we can get promoted. It's been a while. We went down to League Two, we had to play at Northampton, but the fans and the city never gave up on the club.'
Told about Lampard's affection for the song, Hopkins said: 'That's absolutely amazing. I loved Mark Robins and I think the whole crowd did, but Frank Lampard has done a brilliant job. I grew up watching Frank Lampard – he was my era and he's a proper legend. I think it's been really impressive how he's embraced the fanbase and the city. Everyone really appreciates that, probably more than he knows. It's not all been about him, it really comes across that he wants Coventry to do well.'
Lampard and the Coventry fans will be hoping 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns' will get another airing at Wembley – this time in this year's Championship play-off final.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Micah Richards tells Arsenal to sign £80m star after Manchester United win
Micah Richards tells Arsenal to sign £80m star after Manchester United win

Metro

time7 minutes ago

  • Metro

Micah Richards tells Arsenal to sign £80m star after Manchester United win

Micah Richards has named the signing Arsenal should make to 'solve a lot of problems' after their opening Premier League victory over Manchester United. Mikel Arteta's side, who are expected to challenge for the title yet again after three successive second-place finishes, began the 2025-26 campaign with a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. The Gunners were far from at their fluent best but were gifted an early goal following a mistake from United back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and then withstood significant pressure from the hosts to return to north London with the three points. Ex-England defender Richards described it as a 'massive win' for Arsenal and said the team's strength in depth was impressive after Arteta used Myles Lewis-Kelly and Jurrien Timber as second-half substitutes. The only real weakness Richards saw in Arsenal was at left-wing, where Gabriel Martinelli started before being replaced by ex-Chelsea star Noni Madueke, who prefers to operate off the right. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. Richards believes Arsenal would benefit from the addition of another left-winger before the transfer deadline and says signing Real Madrid's Rodrigo would 'solve a lot of problems'. Arteta expressed interest in signing Rodrygo earlier in the summer but the Gunners are not currently pursuing the Brazilian, who is valued at around £80m. Arsenal were interested in Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, who could have played on the left, but it is their north London rivals Tottenham who are closing in on £68m deal. 'I still think Arsenal are a left winger short or a left forward short,' former Manchester City defender Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast. 'But Arsenal's bench today was so strong with Lewis-Skelly and Timber coming on. Mikel Arteta can change the full-backs now and it doesn't affect the team, the quality doesn't go down. 'That will really help them throughout the season. I prefer Noni Madueke on the right so I just look at that position on the left-hand side and if they could sort that. 'They were linked with Rodrygo and that could solve a lot of problems for them. 'But it's a massive win for Arsenal away from home and just gives them that momentum at the start of the season.' While Arsenal were not at their best at Old Trafford, Arteta was full of praise for the 'resilience' his team showed to beat an improved Manchester United. More Trending 'We came here away and won which is a big result. We were clearly not at our best,' the Gunners boss told BBC's Match of the Day. 'We attacked the box and we reacted well to unusual mistakes. The team reacted time after time in an incredible way. Very proud of that because that is why we got the opportunity to win the game. 'We showed a resilience and a will to win. They put you on the ropes here, you will have to have moments when you suffer. To find a way to win at this ground, I'm very happy with the team.' Arsenal will look to make it two wins from two next Saturday when Premier League new-boys Leeds United visit the Emirates Stadium. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Arsenal star in talks to leave after being left out of squad against Man Utd MORE: Ian Wright names Man Utd star who was 'nowhere near good enough' against Arsenal MORE: Shocking stats behind Viktor Gyokeres debut as Mikel Arteta offers explanation

Can you solve it? Are you a matcha for these tasty Japanese puzzles?
Can you solve it? Are you a matcha for these tasty Japanese puzzles?

The Guardian

time8 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Can you solve it? Are you a matcha for these tasty Japanese puzzles?

Japan is a world puzzle superpower. Its grid logic puzzles – like Sudoku, Kakuro, KenKen and many more – are played across the world by millions every day. The country also has its own culture of mathematical puzzles, nurtured by the Academy of Recreational Mathematics, Japan, which was founded in 1979. Today's problems are by Yoshiyuki Kotani, a founder member of the Academy and a professor of engineering at Tokyo University. They are taken from his new book, Tasty Japanese Morsels in Recreational Mathematics. 1. Squid game Two octopuses will face off in a boxing match. Each octopus requires eight gloves. (There is no distinction between left and right gloves.) The rules of octopus boxing stipulate that an octopus must only wear gloves of the same colour. There is a bag containing 16 red gloves and 16 green gloves. Find the minimum number of gloves that must be drawn at random from the bag to guarantee that the colours of the gloves of the two octopuses are (a) the same. (b) different. (c) either the same or different. 2. Sum-o wrestling. The diagram below represents a multiplication in which all but two of the digits have been replaced by stars. Reconstruct the computation. 3. Another boxing puzzle A restaurant uses 4 × 4 and 5 × 5 Bento boxes each divided into exactly eight square sections, as shown in the diagram below The chef has asked you to create Bento boxes with rectangular boxes. Each Bento must still have eight square sections, even though, as in the example, the square sections do not have to be all of the same size. Design a 4 × 6 Bento box, a 3 × 9 Bento box, and a 5 × 6 Bento box. I'll be back at 5pm UK. PLEASE NO SPOILERS. Please discuss your favourite Japanese things. Tasty Japanese Morsels in Recreational Mathematics by Yoshiyuki Kotani s published by the American Mathematical Association. All the diagrams above are taken from the book. I've been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me. PS: Might anyone with computer skills be able to help me create a web page for a puzzle that involves dragging shapes around the screen? I hope to use the puzzle in a future column. If you think you can help, email me.

‘This is big boy stuff' – Roy Keane clashes with Micah Richards on Sky Sports but fans distracted by Daniel Sturridge
‘This is big boy stuff' – Roy Keane clashes with Micah Richards on Sky Sports but fans distracted by Daniel Sturridge

Scottish Sun

time9 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

‘This is big boy stuff' – Roy Keane clashes with Micah Richards on Sky Sports but fans distracted by Daniel Sturridge

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ROY KEANE clashed with Micah Richards following Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. But several fans found themselves distracted by Daniel Sturridge during the heated debate. 4 Roy Keane and Daniel Sturridge warred on Sky Sports Credit: Sky Sports 4 Daniel Sturridge looked relaxed as his colleague argued Credit: Sky Sports Keane, Richards and Sturridge made up the pundits panel for the first Super Sunday of the season. After the game, which was decided by Riccardo Calafiori's scrappy 13th minute goal, Keane and Richards disagreed over Altay Bayindir's role in the winner. Under pressure from William Saliba as Declan Rice swung in a corner, the United stopper failed to deal with the delivery, which was then prodded home by Calafiori. As Richards claimed that Bayindir had needed more protection, Keane fumed: "Micah, this is big boy stuff. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL COR-NER BLIMEY Fans spot Arsenal's sneaky new tactic to manipulate new Premier League rule "There's going to be mismatches. If they've got a lot more players bigger than you're leads, then you're going to be outmatched somewhere." As Richards continued to try and make his case, Keane snarled: "That's the goalkeeper, you can't babysit a goalkeeper." The former Manchester City star did relent a little bit, adding: "I agree with you that the goalkeeper should definitely do better. "But I also believe he should be protected a lot more." BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK As the argument waged on, Sturridge sat between the two warring pundits. The former Liverpool striker looked relaxed, with on leg crossed over the other. He's taking lessons from Mikel Arteta' joke fans as Ruben Amorim makes VERY bold claim after Man Utd's loss to Arsenal At certain points, Sturridge looked like he may have even been suppressing a laugh. Noticing the ex-England star's stance, several fans joked on social media. One wrote: "Sturridge sat between those two going back and forth was killing me." While a second posted: "Sturridge in the middle of these two debating is so funny to watch! Would love be front row for that too. Roy annoyed is comedy." A third joked: "Sturridge sitting there wishing he had a big fat cigar." And another added: "Danny sturridge loves this Keane/ Richards argument." Bayindir found himself starting between the sticks, despite Andre Onana being fit again. Onana was also snubbed from the bench, with Tom Heaton preferred. Asked about the station, boss Ruben Amorim said: "We try to choose the best players for each game, so next week is a different life. "This week, we chose these players. No (he is not injured), he's recovered but the other guys did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that." 4 Altay Bayindir had an afternoon to forget between the sticks Credit: Getty

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store