Those who have only been following football only over the past two decades will find it hard to believe, such is the hype around the game, but there was a time when it was significantly harder to follow your team. Football fans were treated as louts whose working class background automatically meant little or no intellectual faculties.

It is with this attitude as a backdrop that fanzines started popping up. These home-made magazines – initially most were made up of photocopied pages stapled up together – gave a voice to those fans that didn’t have an outlet before and, indirectly, helped showcase their talent. What emerged was a generation of writers with wit, insight and sarcasm that changed the face of the game.

Such was the popularity of fanzines that every club had at least one going. Indeed, in each issue the magazine When Saturday Comes – itself born as a fanzine – used to print two whole pages with the names of details of all fanzines in existence and the finest of prints had to be used in order to fit them all in.

The internet, with its immediacy, has killed off practically all of these fanzines (even if the excellent The Liverpool Way survives till this day whilst The Kop and the official publication are the lone survivors as far as magazines are concerned). Who needs to read a month old piece when there are blogs, message boards and social networks that are being updated every second?

Yet, despite all of that, there is still a need for the printed paper: people still find it more evocative or simply more practical to grab a magazine and have a read whilst they’re winding down or on their way to work. That, at least, will probably be what Gareth Roberts is hoping for. In April, Roberts will be launching ‘Well Red’ a magazine that, as its website claims, is by Liverpool fans for Liverpool fans. We met up with him last week to see how his work was coming along and get a feel as to why fans should be buying his magazine.

What's your background both as a fan and in writing?
I've been a Liverpool fan all my life (I'm 33) and I've been going the match since 1990. As for the writing, like Liverpool FC, it's something I've been into since a very early age. I produced a Liverpool fanzine once in school as a project for English. It was called 'Any Spares?'. It wasn't the best to be fair, Well Red will be much, much better! I've been a journalist now for 12 years.

Where did the idea for the magazine come about?
It's something I've wanted to do for a long time but for one reason and another, I just never got around to it. It was always my aim to try and make a living out of writing about Liverpool. That hasn't happened, so the magazine is my attempt to live the dream! Seriously though, I've had a lot of good feedback about my blog which I launched two years, so I thought, why not?

What will be the difference between your magazine and others that are out there?
It's independent. So there's no agenda or company line to toe. If something needs to be said, it will be said. Pretty much every other Liverpool publication has an official connection to the club. Clearly, they are unlikely to criticise or question the club, which of course sometimes is necessary. Well Red is written by the fans, for the fans. So if there's a subject that's on fans' minds - be that ticket prices or the owners - we will write about it without having to seek the approval of the powers that be at the club.

Does it worry you that so many fanzines as well as magazines have folded in recent years?
Of course it's a consideration. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. The only way of knowing if it is sustainable in the long term is by launching it and seeing what happens. I've got every confidence that it is a good read and it will do well. I think the death of print media is greatly exaggerated - there's still a place for it and there's plenty of Liverpool fans out there who never go near a computer. It's just about identifying the right niche and catering to its needs. With a bit of luck, that's exactly what Well Red will do.

What access will you have to players for interviews? And, in general, what has been the reaction of the club so far?
I haven't approached the club about interviewing players and I wouldn't expect it to sanction them. They have their own weekly publication featuring exclusive interviews with current players - we're looking to offer something different. One of the big things about the mag will be features on our history and ex-players. We'll also be interviewing fans about their memories as well as offering guest columns to fans who are good writers - and there are plenty of them about. For instance in the first edition we have contributions from Tony Barrett from The Times and Paul Tomkins, author of eight bestselling books about Liverpool. As I said earlier, it's very much a fans' publication - almost like When Saturday Comes, but just about Liverpool.

How would you like the magazine to progress? What are your plans?
Well the first edition will only be available to buy in and around Merseyside, in North Wales and in Ireland, as well of course via the internet. But should it do well, I'd hope to extend that sale nationwide. Long term, I'd like to build a web presence to complement the magazine. Hopefully it will quickly gain a reputation as a place for quality opinion, detailed analysis and agenda-free, fan focused assessment of all things Red.

Finally, how can people get the magazine?
The first edition will hit all major newsagents in the areas mentioned in April. But fans from anywhere in the world can order a copy via paypal on the website: www.wellredmag.co.uk

Pre-orders are sent direct from the printers and will arrive before the magazine is in the shops. The first edition has a limited print run while we test the water and when they're gone, they're gone! So people should order as soon as possible if they want to guarantee receiving issue one.