Liverpool

Liverpool FC is one of the most successful football clubs in the world, since their formation in 1892 by John Houlding; a director of Everton, who had initially played at Anfield. They decided to move out after major fall outs over rent to form their own club at Goodison Park. 

Liverpool were elected to the Football League for the 1893-94 season after winning the Lancashire League in their debut season. The team were promoted to the First Division at the first attempt but were relegated twelve months later.

Tom Watson was appointed as manager as Liverpool won the second division for a second time in 1895-96, going on to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup the following campaign. They repeated the Cup run in in 1898-99 as well as finishing as league runners-up.

In 1900-01 Liverpool claimed their first ever League title, with Alex Raisbeck skippering the side, but were relegated in 1903-04. A third Division Two title followed a year later with the run continuing in 1905-06 as the club was crowned as champions of England once again.

The 1913-14 season saw Liverpool reach the FA Cup final, where they went down 1-0 to Burnley at Crystal Palace. David Ashworth was manager as the club won further league titles in 1921-22 and 1922-23 before being replaced by Matt McQueen and then George Patterson with Elisha Scott the goalkeeper.

Anfield’s capacity was increased with the extension of the famous Spion Kop, but further success eluded the team. George Kay was in charge of the side as they lifted the league crown on a fifth occasion in 1946-47; the first after the resumption following World War Two after a series of mid table finishes in the seasons proceeding the conflict.

In 1949-50 Liverpool reached a second Cup final; this time losing to Arsenal at Wembley. Don Welsh replaced Kay, who was struggling with ill health, as manager. The team was in decline and were relegated at the end of the 1953-54 campaign.

Phil Taylor was appointed manager in May 1956 and remained in charge until December 1959. The new boss would prove to be the greatest Christmas present fans of ‘The Reds’ would ever receive as Bill Shankly arrived from Huddersfield Town.

The former Scottish international player revolutionised the club and help rebuild it from top to bottom. A mutual love would be forged between Shankly and the people of the city. Local youngsters Ian Callaghan and Roger Hunt were introduced to side in his first season at the helm.

Twenty four players were released but the coaching team of Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett retained as the famous ‘Boot Room’ was formed. Finances were made available, with Ian St John and Ron Yeats arriving from north of the border.

Liverpool won the second division title in 1961-62 to return to the top flight. More signings arrived including keeper Tommy Lawrence as the team defeated Everton for the first time since 1950 as they went on to seal their sixth league championship in 1963-64.

It was the start of the Merseybeat phenomenon in the city, with music playing a great part in its psyche. The Gerry and the Pacemakers hit, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was adopted by fans on the Kop as the clubs anthem.

Shankly changed the kit to all red as he said it made his players look more intimidating, in one of his many psychological strategies. In 1964-65 Liverpool went all the way to the semi-final of the European Cup, defeating Internazionale 3-1 at Anfield in the first of many famous European nights at the stadium.

However, the team lost the second leg 3-0 in controversial circumstances. The Reds went on to Wembley, winning the FA Cup 2-1 after extra time to Leeds United to crown a memorable season.

In 1965-66 Liverpool won Division One once again as well as reaching the European Cup Winners Cup final; which ended in a 2-1 defeat to Borrusia Dortmund at Hampden Park. The team entered a transitional period, despite ending as league runners-up in 1968-69.

Young players including Ray Clemence, Steve Heighway and Emlyn Hughes arrived as the team reached another FA Cup final in 1970-71; this time losing in extra time to Arsenal. John Toshack was signed for a record fee to lead the attack.

Kevin Keegan was bought from Scunthorpe United, as he and Toshack formed an immediate lethal partnership. It led to an eighth league championship and a first European trophy as the UEFA Cup was secured on aggregate against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

A new Main Stand was built as John Smith took over as chairman. A second FA Cup was won in 1973-74 as Liverpool put in a superb performance to defeat Newcastle United 3-0 with hard man Tommy Smith marshalling the defence with Phil Thompson.

Shankly signed Ray Kennedy from Arsenal before announcing his shock resignation, with Bob Paisley taking over at the helm with the club foundations firmly in place. It led to an uneasy period with Shankly still attending training at Melwood before Paisley had to ask him to refrain.

New signings Phil Neal, Jimmy Case and Terry McDermott were brought in as Liverpool pipped Queens Park Rangers in the final match of the 1975-76 season to be crowned as league champions once more.

To add to the league the UEFA Cup was won for a second time after an aggregate win over Club Brugge, which saw a fightback from 2-0 down in the home first leg to secure a 3-2 win. However, the 1976-77 season was to trump it.

The team retained their league title; for a tenth occasion, ended up runners-up to Manchester United in a classic FA Cup final but progressed to the final of the European Cup which included a famous second leg quarter final against Saint Etienne.

The final at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico saw Liverpool defeat Borussia Mönchengladbach in a European final for the second time. Goals from McDermott, Smith and Neal sealed a 3-1 victory before Keegan said farewell to the club to move to Hamburger SV.

Kenny Dalglish was signed from Celtic as Keegan’s replacement, in what proved to be another seminal moment for the club with Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen also joining the club. The team finished as runners-up in the League Cup and league but retained the European Cup.

A Dalglish goal at Wembley was enough to defeat Club Brugge before Liverpool went on to dominate Division One as they won the league in 1978-79 and 1979-80. The following season saw the club win the League Cup for the first time with victory over West Ham United.

However, this was eclipsed at Parc de Princes as the Reds defeated Real Madrid 1-0 with a late Alan Kennedy goal to lift the European Cup for a third time. Liverpool won their thirteenth league title in 1981-82 as well as retaining the League Cup against Tottenham Hotspur as Bruce Grobbelaar became the first choice keeper.

1982-83 saw another league championship arrive at Anfield, while the League Cup was won once again; this time with a win against Manchester United. Paisley retired as manager with his assistant Joe Fagan taking over.

Fagan’s debut season saw the league and League Cup retained in 1983-84 with Liverpool also winning the European Cup for a fourth time as the goals of Ian Rush were too much for the opposition.

The final was again at Stadio Olimpico in Rome against host club AS Roma. The game went to penalties as Grobbelaar’s theatrics put off the home players before Alan Kennedy scored the decisive spot kick in a hostile atmosphere.

In 1984-85 the club ended without a trophy but reached a disastrous European Cup final at Brussels’ Stade du Heysel against Juventus. Serious crowd disorder led to the collapse of a wall and the death of thirty nine fans; mosty Italian. The game went ahead and ended in a 1-0 Juve win, but the day would have far greater consequences.

Fagan retired with Dalglish taking over as player-manager. English clubs were banned from Europe for an indefinite period with Liverpool facing a further three years exile. Dalglish led his team to the league title in 1985-86 as well as completing the double following an FA Cup triumph over Everton.

The 1986-87 campaign was less fruitful, but form returned in 1987-88 following the signings of Peter Beardsley, Steve McMahon, John Barnes and John Aldridge. A seventeenth league crown was won but the double was denied as Wimbledon defeated the Reds in the final of the FA Cup. To see Dalglish's majestic team at their very best, click here:

The 1988-89 season was one of drama, triumph and tragedy. The FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest was to prove one of the saddest days in football history. Serious overcrowding and neglect from the match authorities saw the death of ninety-six supporters in the ensuing crush.

The game was abandoned before Liverpool won the rematch and then went on to defeat Everton after extra time to lift the Cup for a fourth time. The double was denied when Arsenal scored a stoppage time goal in the final game of the season to jump above the Reds to win the league title.

Dalglish and players were present at every funeral; which would have a huge effect on everyone connected with the club. The Taylor Report into the disaster saw the removal of high fences and all seater stadiums. Liverpool regrouped and won their eighteenth league title.

Dalglish resigned through stress in February 1991 as Ronnie Moran took over in a caretaker capacity until former player Souness took over. In 1991-92 the new manager tried to replenish the side with signings such as Dean Saunders and Mark Wright. The club were readmitted into European competition, a year after other English sides.

The FA Cup was won 2-0 against Sunderland before Anfield was given a new Kemlyn Road Stand while the famous Boot Room was altered into press accommodation. Youngster Robbie Fowler made his way into the team before Souness was sacked in January 1994 with coach Roy Evans taking over. 

A new seated Spion Kop was opened for the 1994-95 season which ended in a Cup final defeat to Manchester United but League Cup victory over Bolton Wanderers. Steve McManaman progressed through the youth set up with Jamie Redknapp, Nigel Clough and Stan Collymore arriving but some of the other signings were not as successful. 

Michael Owen broke into the team for the start of the 1997-98 season as Paul Ince arrived to bolster the midfield. Gérard Houllier was appointed as co-manager next to Evans for the start of the 1998-99 season before Evans stepped aside a few months later. 

A poor couple of seasons led to Houllier reshaping the team by bringing in the likes of Dietmar Hamman, Sami Hyypiä and David James. This led to a triumphant 2000-01 season with a sixth League Cup triumph; against Birmingham City and a sixth FA Cup win; against Arsenal with both games at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 

The UEFA Cup was won against Deportivo Alavés in Dortmund, with Gary McAllister playing a huge part in the season along with the goals of Fowler and Owen. Houllier suffered serious heart problems in the 2001-02 season as Phil Thompson stood in during his recovery. 

The following season saw the team get off to great start in the league, but the form subsided. The League Cup was lifted after a win against Manchester United. A season without much improvement saw Rafael Benítez arrive as the new manager for the 2004-05 season. 

It proved to a poor one domestically, but Liverpool reached the retitled Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul. Steven Gerrard had become a leading force in the side by this time along with fellow local lad Jamie Carragher and Spaniards Luis García and Xabi Alonso. 

Liverpool recovered from a 3-0 deficit at half time to win the game on penalties after extra time. The action can be seen here. A seventh FA Cup was lifted in 2005-06 after another victory on penalties after the game against West Ham United ended 3-3. 

The Moores family sold the club to Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks who promised large investment for new players and a new stadium on Stanley Park. Liverpool reached the 2006-07 Champions League final in Athens where AC Milan exacted revenge with a 2-1 win as Pepe Reina, Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt starred for the Reds throughout the campaign.

Fernando Torres arrived at Anfield to fire in the goals as the Reds ended as league runners-up in 2008-09. Liverpool continued to play good football but were not winning competitions. Benitez was replaced as manager by Roy Hodgson in the summer of 2010.

In October 2010 the club was finally sold with a financial crisis looming to another set of to the Fenway Sports Group consortium led by Boston Red Sox owner John W Henry and Tom Werner after an acrimonious court battle to the relief of frustrated Liverpudlians.

Hodgson’s spell in charge was a disaster and he was replaced by returning hero Dalglish in January 2011. At the end of the season Dalglish made several signings including Jordan Henderson. The 2011-12 campaign saw the Reds reach the finals of the League and FA Cup but saw a victory over Cardiff City and then a loss to Chelsea. Luis Suárez became the latest Kop scoring hero.

Dalglish was sacked and replaced by the impressive former Swansea City manager Brendan Rogers at the seasons end. Off the pitch the Hillsborough Victims group continued to appeal into a new hearing which was eventually successful, with the verdict being amended from ‘accidental death’ to ‘unlawful killing’.

Plans were abandoned for a new stadium with the new owners instead made plans to redevelop and enlarge Anfield. The Reds finished in seventh position in the 2012-13 season as Luis Suarez scored the goals provided by local hero Steven Gerrard. Another local lad Jamie Carragher hung up his boots at the end of the season following an illustrious career.

In 2013-14 Liverpool looked like they would lift the title for the first time in twenty-four years. It would have been a fitting tribute to those who had lost their lives at Hillsborough a quarter of a century earlier.

Chelsea won at Anfield three games from the end of the season which went a long way to handing the title to Manchester City. Liverpool had put on a tremendous display of attacking football, but they also conceded far too many goals.

After yet another offence, this time on international duty, Suarez was banned and then sold to FC Barcelona. Rogers signed a plethora of players with the fee, but they failed to gel as the Reds ended the season in sixth place along with an FA Cup semi-final appearance.

The season ended with Steve Gerrard departing the club to move to Los Angeles Galaxy. Rogers looked to shape a new side with Danny Ings, James Milner and Christian Benteke among the new players coming in. After a poor start to the 2015-16 season Rogers was sacked and replaced by German Jürgen Klopp.

Manchester City defeated Liverpool on penalties in the rebranded EFL Cup final before reaching the final of the Europa League where they were defeated by 3-1 by Sevilla despite taking the lead through Daniel Sturridge.

The new Main Stand was opened as Philippe Coutinho led the team who ended in fourth position in the league. The signing of Mohamed Salah in the summer of 2017 knitted well with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and James Milner as Klopp remoulded his side.

Liverpool reached the Champions League final of 2017-18 but went down 3-1 to Real Madrid in Kiev. Virgil van Dijk started his first full season in 2018-19 in defence with new goalkeeper Alisson and midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri as they ended as league runners-up despite only losing one game.

However, huge consolation came in the Champions League as Liverpool were crowned as champions of Europe for a sixth time. After defeating FC Barcelona in an epic semi-final, Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 2-0 as Salah and Divock Origi scored in Madrid's Estadio Metropolitana.

The Reds finally won the Premier League, their first title in thirty years, with a brilliant performance throughout the 2019-20 season, finishing eighteen points ahead of Manchester City in second place. The side ended the following season in third place while the capacity at Anfield was extended with a new main stand.

In 2021-22 the Reds won their ninth League Cup as Chelsea were defeated in the final on penalties. The London side were also beaten on spot kicks as Liverpool won the FA cup a few months later. However, Klopp’s side fell in the final of the Champions League, going down 1-0 to Real Madrid in the Paris encounter.

A trophy less season ensued. In January 2024 Klopp announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

Liverpool FC will play in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season.

My visits

Liverpool 3 Chelsea 0 (Sunday 14 December 1986) Division One (att: 25,856)

I took the opportunity to get on a coach run by Scarborough and Chelsea fan, Andy Borrie to the game. It was a lively coach to say the least, with beer free flowing especially after a top up in Huddersfield. 

We got to the ground and parked in Stanley Park to walk up, keeping very close attention to any loitering Liverpool fans as some of them had terrible reputations at the time in relation to knife abuse. We were in the corner section of the Anfield Road stand with the Chelsea fans. There were a fair gathering of Rangers supporters backing the Blues as both clubs had close allegiances at the time.

The Anfield Road Stand had terracing in the corner for away fans and then one single seated tier round to the Main Stand, which consisted fully of seats after a conversion of the former terraced paddock. 

To our left the Kemlyn Road Stand was also a single tier of seats, apart from the nearest section which was also terracing for visiting fans. The far end was taken over by the legendary "Kop". It was a large tier of terracing where the most vocal fans packed in and gave visiting players witty advice.

Chelsea were OK in this game shown on live TV, but were no match for an excellent Liverpool side. Ronnie Whelan gave the Reds the lead with a first half free kick. Steve Nicol provided Ian Rush with a perfect cross to head home before he completed the scoring with thirteen minutes remaining with a deft chip over Eddie Niedzwiecki in the Blues net.

It was a long coach journey home, especially with a pub stop thrown in for good measure.

Monday 18th October 2010: Stadium Tour

I was on Merseyside for a few days sightseeing and groundhopping so I decided an official stadium tour was in order after going around Goodison Park earlier in the day. I walked across Stanley Park to the Anfield Road End where I stopped for a few minutes reflection at the Hillsborough and Heysel memorials and to see the Bill Shankly Gates. I continued to the Arkles pub for a quiet pint.

The atmosphere in here was animated even though there was only a handful of punters inside. Liverpool had lost the derby at Goodison the day before and Roy Hodgson had said he had considered it a good performance. A Reds fan was going round looking for support in his belief that the manager was talking rubbish. It was good cheap entertainment!

I walked around behind The Kop to the Museum and to pay for the tour. I went upstairs and looked through the excellent exhibition for an hour. There was some very interesting stuff inside including plenty of videos to watch of the glory days.

The tour led by two scousers, who played the attempted role of a comedy duo, but who knew their stuff and kept everyone entertained. I had been on many tours and some can be very much the same. 

At least these two put some energy into it. We went into the changing rooms, which were extremely sparse and the boardroom and the VIP facilities. The walk down and then up the steps to touch the "This is Anfield" sign was special. We were then pitchside.

Anfield had changed considerably, mainly because of the Taylor Report. A new Kop Stand was built. A two tiered Centenary Stand replaced the Kemlyn Road Stand, equipped with corporate facilities and an extra seating tier was added to the Anfield Road Stand.

Still the club are not satisfied as the ground offers no prospects of expansion owing to its proximity to housing and roads. The club argue that they cannot maximise profits to keep up with the other big clubs. Grand plans were announced by Hicks and Gillett to build a huge stadium in Stanley Park. To see them click here:

We waited with baited breath to see if the finances could be raised to go ahead. Many loyal fans are against it anyway, while England's 2018 World Cup bid was partly reliant on it. Interesting times were ahead as the new owners didn't make it their priority.

I suggested that they may share with Everton as the Goodison tour guide had suggested. This was dismissed out of hand by our guides. The tour ended with us on The Kop while we were given a chat and Hillsborough was mentioned for the only time on the tour.

All in all I enjoyed my time. I said my thank you's and caught the bus into the windy city before enjoying a lovely meal. I had considered finding a game that evening, but the weather and the thought of trying out some real ales in the city and in the excellent Stamps Two pub near to my warm and pleasant bed and breakfast on the northern outskirts at Waterloo. 

I recommend both highly and they can be checked out here and here: