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:''For the Uruguayan club, see [[Liverpool FC (Montevideo)]].''
{{Current}}
{{Infobox Football club |
clubname = Liverpool FC |
image = [[Image:Liverpool FC logo.png|150px|Liverpool emblem]] |
fullname = Liverpool Football Club |
nickname = The Reds |
founded = 1892 |
ground = [[Anfield|Anfield Stadium]]<br />[[Liverpool]] |
capacity = 45,362 |
sponsor = [[Adidas]] |
chairman = {{flagicon|England}} [[David Moores]] |
chief executive = {{flagicon|England}} [[Rick Parry]] |
manager = {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Rafael Benítez]] |
assistant manager = {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Pako Ayesteran]] |
league = [[FA Premier League]] |
season = [[FA Premier League 2005-06|2005-06]] |
position = Premier League, 3rd |
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leftarm1=DD0000|body1=DD0000|rightarm1=DD0000|shorts1=DD0000|socks1=DD0000|
pattern_la2=_redshoulders|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=_redshoulders|
leftarm2=FFFF00|body2=FFFF00|rightarm2=FFFF00|shorts2=FFFF00|socks2=FFFF00
}}


'''Liverpool Football Club''' are a football club based in [[Liverpool]], in the north west of [[England]]. They play at Anfield but are currently trying to get permission for a new stadium about 200 metres away. They play in the [[FA Premier League]] and are the [[Football records in England#Most successful teams overall|most successful club]] in the history of [[Football in England|English football]].<ref>Liverpool have won more Football League titles, European Cups, UEFA Cups, League Cups and European Super Cups than any other English team. They have also won the Champions League 5 times and so are entitled to keep one of the original trophies. The only major competition Liverpool haven't won more than other teams is the FA Cup.</ref> Liverpool have won eighteen [[Football League First Division|First Division]] titles, seven [[FA Cup]]s, seven [[Football League Cup|League Cup]]s, five [[UEFA Champions League|European Cups]]<ref name=EC>Up until 1992, the premier European competition was named the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]; since then, it has been the [[UEFA Champions League]].</ref> and three [[UEFA Cup]]s. Liverpool are also a member of the [[G-14]] group of leading [[Europe]]an football clubs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.g14.com/G14members/index.asp | title=G-14's members | work=g14.com | accessdate=12 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref>
The club was involved in two of the biggest tragedies in European football &mdash; at [[Heysel Stadium disaster|Heysel]] in 1985 when thirty-nine spectators died,<ref name="heysel">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/29/newsid_2733000/2733979.stm | title=On This Day - 29th May 1985: Fans die in Heysel rioting | work=BBC News | accessdate=12 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref> and at [[Hillsborough disaster|Hillsborough]] in 1989 where ninety-six people lost their lives.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_2491000/2491195.stm | title=On This Day - 15th April 1989: Soccer fans crushed at Hillsborough | work=BBC News | accessdate=12 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref> After the Heysel disaster, English clubs were banned from [[UEFA#Competitions|European competition]] for a period of five years, and Liverpool were excluded for six years.<ref name="heysel"/> The Hillsborough tragedy led to a [[Taylor Report|review of ground safety]] at all top English league clubs, and paved the way for legislation necessitating all-seater stadiums in the top-flight.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/318497.stm | title=A hard lesson to learn | work=BBC News |accessdate=12 September |accessyear=2006}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Liverpool Football Club}}
<!--This section is just a summary of the main article on the history of the club, so that the overall article length of the article can be kept manageable and it does not become a duplicate of the main article, as this can lead to problems such as people having to make their edits twice, the articles contradicting each other and so on. Edit this as you see fit, but please don't make it much longer. If you want to write something long about the subject, please put it in the main article. Thanks, Aabha R, [[6 December]] [[2005]]-->

[[Image:Liverpool Champions League.jpg|thumb|300px|Steven Gerrard lifting the European Cup in 2005]]
[[Image:Kop_ynwa_banner.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Fans on the Kop hold aloft the team badge]]

[[Everton F.C.]] were founded 1878 and played at [[Anfield]] from 1884. In 1891 [[John Houlding]], the leaseholder of Anfield, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 a year. The Everton members objected, left Anfield and moved to [[Goodison Park]]. With an empty ground and just three players remaining, Houlding decided to form his own football club and on [[15 March]] [[1892]], Liverpool Football Club was born. The original name was to be Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds, Ltd., or Everton Athletic for short, but was changed to Liverpool F.C. after [[The Football Association]] refused to recognise the team as Everton. [[John McKenna]] was appointed director and signed thirteen Scottish professionals for the new club. Liverpool were elected to the [[Football League Second Division]] for the 1893–94 season. They ended the season unbeaten as Second Division Champions, and were promoted to the [[Football League First Division|First Division]]. In 1901, Liverpool won their first Football League championship; a feat that was repeated in 1906. They played their first [[FA Cup]] final in 1914, but lost 1-0 to [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]].

In 1921–22 and 1922–23 Liverpool won their first back-to-back League titles, captained by [[England national football team|England]] full-back [[Ephraim Longworth]]. This was to be followed by the longest barren spell in the club's history. It was felt that Liverpool might have recovered in 1947 when they became Champions once again, but it proved to be a false dawn, and in 1954 Liverpool were relegated. The years 1954-59 were the nadir for Liverpool, when the team languished in League Division Two (the old second level of professional football in England) and had no success in the F.A. Cup. Their record league defeat, 9-1 to Birmingham City, came in December 1954. A small glimmer of success was a 4-0 upset of rivals Everton in the F.A. Cup in January 1955. This was a the only light in a gloomy decade however that included a Cup exit to Southend United in January 1957.

[[Bill Shankly]] was appointed manager in December 1959. Over the next fifteen years he transformed Liverpool into one of the top club sides in Europe. Within his first year, he released twenty-four players and rebuilt the team. Shankly's efforts would pay dividends. In his third season as manager, Liverpool won the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] Championship by eight points and were promoted to the top flight where they have remained ever since.

Having started the 1960s in the Second division, Liverpool would end that decade as a major domestic power. In 1964, Liverpool lifted the League Championship for the first time in seventeen years. They were League Champions again in 1966, having won their first ever FA Cup in the previous season, beating Leeds United 2-1 in the final.

Liverpool had won their eighth league title and defeated [[Borussia Mönchengladbach]] to win their first European trophy, the [[UEFA Cup]], in 1973. However, a year later, after another FA Cup victory, Shankly retired from management. His assistant, [[Bob Paisley]], was offered the chance to manage the team. Paisley would prove to be one of the most successful managers in the history of football. In the nine seasons he managed the club, Liverpool would win a total of twenty-one trophies, including three European Cups, a UEFA Cup, six league titles and three consecutive League Cups.

Liverpool's first [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] was won in 1977. The final was played in Rome, and Liverpool defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1. The next year Liverpool would retain the trophy, beating [[Club Brugge]] 1-0 in the European Cup final at [[Wembley Stadium|Wembley]], and in 1979 the club broke another record winning the league title with sixty-eight points and only sixteen goals conceded in forty-two matches. Paisley's third and last European Cup victory came in 1981 with a 1-0 victory in the final over [[Real Madrid]]. Only one domestic trophy eluded him - the FA Cup.

The succession of winning managers appointed from within the club's staff is worthy of note. These managers are often referred to as 'the boot room boys' after a part of Anfield where Liverpool staff learned strategy and allegedly stored gin<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/1418093.stm |title=The legacy of the boot room |work=BBC News |accessdate=12 September |accessyear=2006}}</ref>. Just as Shankly had been succeeded by Paisley, so too did Paisley hand over the reins to his assistant, veteran coach [[Joe Fagan]]. He was aged 63 when he became manager in 1983. In his first season in charge, Liverpool become the first English club to win three major trophies in a single season — the League title, the League Cup and the European Cup. However Fagan's career was only to last two seasons, and would end in tragedy. In 1985 Liverpool again reached the European Cup final. The match was to be played at [[Heysel Stadium]] but, before kick-off, [[Heysel Stadium disaster|disaster struck]] Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged Juventus fans causing a retaining wall to collapse, killing thirty-nine Juventus fans. The match was played regardless and Liverpool lost 1-0 to Juventus. All English clubs were consequently banned from participating in European competition for five years with Liverpool receiving a ban for ten years (later reduced to six), whilst fourteen of their fans received convictions for involuntary manslaughter.

In 1985 [[Kenny Dalglish]], already idolised as perhaps Liverpool's greatest player, became Liverpool's first player-manager. His reign would see the club win another three League Championships and another two FA Cups including a double in 1985/86 at Everton's expense. His initial season in charge saw the club winning the league title and beating arch rivals Everton 3-1 in the FA Cup final to become only the third team to win the league championship/FA Cup [[The Double|double]] in the 20th century (after [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Spurs]] (1961) and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] (1971)). However, Liverpool's successes were overshadowed by the [[Hillsborough disaster]]. On [[15 April]] [[1989]], when Liverpool were playing [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] in an FA Cup semi-final, hundreds of Liverpool fans were trampled on the terraces. Ninety-four fans died that day and a ninety-fifth fan died in hospital from his injuries four days later. A ninety-sixth fan died nearly four years later never having regained consciousness. The [[Taylor Report]] later ruled that the main reasons for the disaster were overcrowding due to a failure of police control.

1992 saw [[Graeme Souness]] installed as manager. However, apart from an FA Cup win in his first year, his reign was not successful. After a shock exit from the FA Cup at the hands of [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] at Anfield, "Boot room" veteran [[Roy Evans]] took over. While his tenure saw some improvement in league form, in five seasons the club never finished higher than third. His only trophy win was the 1995 League Cup. [[Gérard Houllier]], the former [[France national football team|French]] national coach, was drafted into the Liverpool management team for the 1998-99 season to work alongside Roy Evans, but the partnership didn't work out and Evans resigned part way through the season.

2000–01 was Liverpool's best season for many years as the team completed a unique treble of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. They finished second in 2002, a year in which Houllier suffered a heart attack during a match with [[Leeds United AFC|Leeds]] and had to undergo major heart surgery. Liverpool looked like becoming a force in English Football once again, but Houllier would only win one more trophy in his time in charge, another League Cup in 2003. Against a background of growing disquiet amongst Liverpool supporters, Houllier and Liverpool parted by mutual consent at the end of the 2003–04 season.

[[Spanish people|Spaniard]] [[Rafael Benítez]] took over and in his first season Liverpool finished a disappointing fifth in the Premier League. The season had a surprising ending, however, as Liverpool won their fifth [[2005 UEFA Champions League Final|European Cup final]] in [[Istanbul]]. The Reds met the heavily favoured Italian club [[A.C. Milan]] in an astonishing final. Liverpool trailed 3-0 at half time and looked much the poorer side over the first 45 minutes, but they made a dramatic comeback by scoring three goals in a period of only six minutes in the second half, forcing extra time. Liverpool went on to win the penalty shoot-out thanks to goalkeeper [[Jerzy Dudek]].

In 2005–06 Liverpool gathered 82 points in the Premiership, their highest points total since 1988, and won the FA Cup in yet another dramatic [[FA Cup Final 2006|final]], this time against [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham]] in which Liverpool trailed 3-2 until Captain Steven Gerrard fired home a goal from 35-yards out, as the [[P.A system]] was announcing injury time. They also picked up the
UEFA Super Cup in a 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow.

At the very start of the 2006-07 season, Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 to win the Community Shield, after Peter Crouch scored the winner.

On December 4, 2006 [[Sheikh Mohammed]] engaged in takeover negotiations for Liverpool in a deal rumoured to be worth £479m. The bid was through his Dubai International Capital (DIC) investment group.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6205386.stm BBC report on DIC bid]</ref> As an adjunct to the takeover, it has been speculated that DIC also initiated a bid to purchase [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]] for £19.75m.{{fact}}

{{See also|Liverpool F.C. seasons}}

==Notable former players==
Over the course of Liverpool's history, many players have enjoyed extremely successful careers with the club, and established themselves as favourites with the fans. There is a huge amount of debate among supporters as to which players might be considered the most notable.

In the period before the [[World War II|Second World War]] several players played for Liverpool for lengthy periods of time, earning themselves great admiration. Among these were [[Ephraim Longworth]], a solid full-back who became Liverpool's first [[England national football team|England]] captain in 1921, and [[Elisha Scott]], who played in goal for Liverpool for 22 years, making him the longest serving Liverpool player ever. In front of goal, of particular note is [[Gordon Hodgson]], who scored a record 17 hat tricks playing for the club in the 20s and 30s.

In the 1960s, as Bill Shankly transformed the club into a European power, several players established themselves as key elements of Liverpool's success. Among them was [[Ron Yeats]], who Shankly famously described as his "colossus",<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lfchistory.net/player_articles_view.asp?article_id=156&player_id=450 |title=Ron Yeats: The Colossus |work=lfchistory.net |accessdate=12 September |accessyear=2006}}</ref> and [[Roger Hunt]], who scored 245 league goals (still a club record) as well as being part of England's [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup winning team]] in [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]].

Paisley's additions to the squad were a massively important factor in Liverpool's success during the 70s and 80s. Two Scottish signings of 1977 had a particular impact: [[Alan Hansen]], who was a part of 3 European Cup winning teams, and [[Kenny Dalglish]], known to fans as 'King Kenny'<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/dalglish/ |title=Profile of Kenny Dalglish |work=Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv) |accessdate=12 September |accessyear=2006}}</ref>, would excel as a Liverpool player before becoming Liverpool's first Double-winning manager. In 1980 Paisley also signed a young [[Ian Rush]], who would go on to become the club's leading goalscorer.

Some of the [[FA Premier League|Premiership]]'s greatest ever players began and forged their careers at Liverpool. [[Steve McManaman]], [[Robbie Fowler]] and [[Michael Owen]] began their careers at the Liverpool Academy, emerging across the [[1990s]] among the batch that later included current captain [[Steven Gerrard]].
*{{see also|List of Liverpool F.C. players}}
*{{see also|100 Players Who Shook The Kop}}

==Colours and badge==
{{Football kit box |
align = right |
pattern_la = |
pattern_b = _whitehalf |
pattern_ra = |
leftarm = 000099 |
body = 000099 |
rightarm = FFFFFF |
shorts = 000099 |
socks = 000000 |
title = Liverpool's original home colours (1892–94)
}}
Liverpool's traditional colours are red and white, with the home kit being all red since the mid 1960s, however it wasn't always this way. In the early days, when the club took over Anfield from Everton, they also took the Toffee's colours of blue and white, wearing an almost identical kit to the Everton team of the time. In 1894 it was decided to adopt the city of Liverpool's colour of red, and in 1901 the city's [[liver bird]] was adopted as the club badge. For the next seventy years Liverpool's kit was red shirts with white shorts (socks alternated over the years from red, to black, to white, and back to red again).

In 1964, then Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly decided to send the team out in all red for the first time against [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]], as [[Ian St. John]] recalled in his autobiography:
{{cquote|He thought the colour scheme would carry psychological impact — red for danger, red for power. He came into the dressing room one day and threw a pair of red shorts to Ronnie Yeats. “Get into those shorts and let’s see how you look,” he said. “Christ, Ronnie, you look awesome, terrifying. You look 7ft tall.” “Why not go the whole hog, boss?” I suggested. “Why not wear red socks? Let’s go out all in red.” Shankly approved and an iconic kit was born.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2093-1817155,00.html |title=Shankly: the hero who let me down| work=Ian St. John's autobiography serialised in The Times| accessdate=12 September| accessyear=2006}}</ref>}}

Liverpool's away colours are traditionally white shirts and black shorts or all yellow. However in 1987 an all grey kit was introduced. The away kit was then grey until the centenary season of 1991–92, when it was replaced by a combination of green shirt and white shorts. Grey has never been used since. The current away kit is all yellow, and there is also a Champions League away kit which is mainly white, with a green stripe down the right hand side of both the shirt and shorts. Designed by [[Adidas]].

The current Liverpool badge is based around the traditional liver bird, which is placed inside a shield. Above the shield is a representation of Anfield's Shankly Gates bearing the title of club's famous theme tune, "[[You'll Never Walk Alone (song)|You'll Never Walk Alone]]". The twin flames at either side are symbolic of the Hillsborough memorial — an [[eternal flame]] burns outside Anfield in memory of those who died in the disaster.

== Stadium ==
{{Main|Anfield}}
[[Image:76693565 b44605f726 2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C.]]
The Anfield stadium was built in 1884 on land adjacent to [[Stanley Park, Liverpool|Stanley Park]], and was originally inhabited by [[Everton F.C.]] They left the ground in 1892 over a rent dispute. Anfield's owner, [[John Houlding]], decided to form a new club to play at the ground, which became Liverpool FC.

In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally renamed the [[Spion Kop]], after a hill in [[KwaZulu-Natal Province|Natal]] that was the site of a battle in the [[Second Boer War]], where over 300 men of the [[The Lancashire Queens Regiment Museum|Lancashire Regiment]] died, many of whom were from Liverpool. Fans that regularly use the Kop are known as [[Koppites]]. At its largest, the stand could hold 28,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world. Local folklore claimed that the fans in the Kop could "suck the ball into the goal" if Liverpool were playing towards that end - and in most games, Liverpool play the second half towards the Kop. The stand was considerably reduced in capacity due to safety measures brought in following the 1989 [[Hillsborough disaster]], and it was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, although it is still a single tier. The current capacity is 12,409.

The Anfield Road Stand is positioned at the opposite end to the Kop and houses the away-fans section. It is the newest stand at Anfield having been rebuilt in 1998 with a capacity of 9,074. The two side stands are the Main Stand, capacity 12,227, and the Centenary Stand, capacity 11,762. The Main Stand is the oldest part of Anfield, having remained largely untouched since it's redevelopment in 1973. It houses the players' changing rooms and the director's box. The [[dug-out]]s are also on this side of the pitch.

The Centenary Stand was previously known as the Kemlyn Road Stand until it was rebuilt for the club's [[centenary]] in 1992. This redevelopment saw all of the houses in Kemlyn Road demolished and the address become non-existent.

The current overall capacity of the stadium is 45,362.

=== New stadium ===
On [[July 30]] [[2004]], [[Liverpool City Council]] granted the club planning permission to build a [[Stanley Park Stadium|new 61,000 seat stadium]] just 300 yards away from Anfield at Stanley Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/gronudmove/tm_objectid=14487239%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=reds%2dstadium%2dgets%2dgo%2dahead-name_page.html |title=Reds stadium gets go-ahead |work=Liverpool Echo|accessdate=12 September|accessyear=2006}}</ref> Despite pressure from Governmental and funding bodies, Liverpool refused to share the proposed ground with their local rivals, Everton, and final talks on a groundshare failed in January 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/gronudmove/tm_objectid=15062892%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=both%2dclubs%2dsay%2da%2dfinal%2dno%2dto%2djoint%2dstadium-name_page.html |title=Both clubs say a final no to joint stadium |work=Daily Post|accessdate 12 September|accessyear=2006}}</ref> At that time the club was hoping to start construction in summer 2005 and open the ground in 2007, but agreements with regional funding bodies over the financing of associated regeneration projects proved to be difficult to obtain, and the start of construction delayed as a result. The old stadium will become a public plaza surrounded by apartments, offices, bars, restaurants and a hotel, and possibly including a memorial garden. Treatment of the old stadium requires sensitivity as a number of deceased fans have had their ashes officially scattered on the pitch over the years.

The plans needed to go before Liverpool City Council for a second time in March 2006 to ensure that the proposed stadium complied with new planning regulations. It was reported on [[11 April]] [[2006]] that the plans had passed without amendment. The club is now looking for investors to help fund the (estimated) £160m, 61,000 all-seater stadium.<ref>{{cite web | title = Liverpool ground plan re-approved | work = BBC News | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4901164.stm | accessdate = 23 May | accessyear = 2006 }}</ref>

On [[September 8]],[[2006]] Liverpool City Council agreed to give a 999 year lease of part of Stanley Park for construction of the new stadium. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2007, with the first game due to be held in Aug 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/5327426.stm |title=Liverpool get go-ahead on stadium |work=BBC News |accessdate=12 September|accessyear=2006}}</ref>

It is believed that part of the terms of the proposed takeover by [[Dubai International Capital]] will include £200 million to finance the new stadium

==Club culture==
<!-- Please cite a verifiable source to dispute any claim hereinafter. An unverifiable assertion may be reverted by other editors owing to Wikipedia's policy. Comments are welcome on the discussion page. Thank you. -->
The song "[[You'll Never Walk Alone (song)|You'll Never Walk Alone]]", originally from the [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] musical ''[[Carousel (musical)|Carousel]]'' and famously recorded by Liverpool musicians [[Gerry & The Pacemakers]], is the anthem of Liverpool FC and has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early 1960s.The song has since gained popularity among the fans of other clubs around the world. Claims that "You'll Never Walk Alone" was first sung by fans at other clubs have been dismissed as very unlikely.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/news/theknowledge/0,9204,912750,00.html |title=Liverpool or Celtic: who Walked Alone first? |work=Guardian Unlimited| accessdate=12 September |accessyear=2006}}</ref> The song's title also adorns the top of the [[Anfield|Shankly Gates]] which were unveiled [[26 August]] [[1982]] in memory of former manager, Bill Shankly. The "You'll Never Walk Alone" banner portion of the [[Anfield|Shankly Gates]] is also reproduced in the Liverpool FC crest.

Liverpool fans, singing "You'll Never Walk Alone", were featured in the [[Pink Floyd]] song, "[[Fearless (song)|Fearless]]". Other popular chants include "[[Fields of Anfield Road]]" (to the tune of "[[The Fields of Athenry]]"), "Poor Scouser Tommy" (first section to the tune of "[[Red River Valley (song)|Red River Valley]]''; second section to the tune of ''[[The Sash]]"), "Liverbird Upon My Chest" (to the tune of "[[Ballad of the Green Berets]]"), "We've Won It Five Times" (to the tune of "[[Sloop John B]]"), and "[[Ring of Fire (song)|Ring of Fire]]".

Under Rafael Benítez, today's Liverpool FC has gained a Spanish influence. As well as having a Spanish manager, the assistant manager, [[Pako Ayesteran]], and the goalkeeping coach, [[Jose Ochotorena]], are also Spanish, as is physiotherapist, Víctor Salina. However, there are only three Spaniards in the current squad, although ten players in total have been brought to Liverpool directly from [[La Liga]].

==Liverpool Ladies F.C.==

:''Main article - [[Liverpool L.F.C.]]''

Liverpool also has a ladies team. They play in the FA Women's Northern Division - the 2nd tier of the game, though they did spend a season in the Premier League in 2004. They started to use the Liverpool name in 1995, and their greatest achievement was an FA Cup final appearance in 1996.

==Club records and statistics==
[[Ian Callaghan]] holds Liverpool's appearance record, having made 848 over the course of 19 seasons from 1958–78. He also holds the record for league appearances with 640. Of the current squad [[Jamie Carragher]] has the most appearances with 426 (as of [[27 September]], [[2006]]). Carragher's total of 290 Premier League appearances is a club record.

Liverpool's all time leading goal-scorer is [[Ian Rush]], who scored 346 in two spells at the club in 1980–1987 and 1988-1996. Rush also holds the record for the most goals in a season with 47 in 1983–84. However, during his career, Rush could not surpass the league goal-scoring record of [[Roger Hunt]], which has stood at 245 since 1970. In the 1961–62 season, Hunt scored 41 goals, setting the club record for league goals in a single season. [[Gordon Hodgson]] is the club's third highest scorer, and holds the club record of 17 [[hat trick#Football (soccer)|hat tricks]]. The most goals scored by a player in a single match is 5, which has been achieved by [[Andy McGuigan]], [[John Evans (footballer)|John Evans]], Ian Rush and [[Robbie Fowler]]. Fowler also holds the club and Premiership record for the fastest hat trick from when he scored three past [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in 4 minutes, 32 seconds in the second game of the 1994–95 season.

Liverpool's first ever competitive game was in the Lancashire League against Higher Walton. They won 8-0 with a team not containing a single English player, consisting as it did largely of Scottish imports. Liverpool's biggest ever victory was 11-0 against [[Strømsgodset I.F.]] in 1974. Nine of the ten outfield players scored in this game — a Liverpool record. Crystal Palace were the victims of Liverpool's biggest league win, as in 1989 they were defeated 9-0. Liverpool's heaviest defeats were against [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield]] in 1935 (0-8) and [[Birmingham City F.C.]] in 1954 (1-9).

''See also [[Liverpool F.C. statistics]]''

== Current squad ==

<!-- THE NUMBERS LISTED HERE ARE THE *ONLY* OFFICIALLY-SUBMITTED ONES SO FAR FOR THE 06/07 SEASON. PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY OF THE 50+ PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY NUMBERS.-->{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=Poland|name=[[Jerzy Dudek]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=3|nat=Ireland|name=[[Steve Finnan]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=Finland|name=[[Sami Hyypiä]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=5|nat=Denmark|name=[[Daniel Agger]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=6|nat=Norway|name=[[John Arne Riise]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=Australia|name=[[Harry Kewell]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=England|name=[[Steven Gerrard]] |pos=MF| other=[[Captain (football)|captain]]}}
{{Fs player|no=9|nat=England|name=[[Robbie Fowler]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=Spain|name=[[Luis Javier García Sanz|Luis García]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=Chile|name=[[Mark González]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=12|nat=Brazil|name=[[Fábio Aurélio]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=Spain|name=[[Xabi Alonso]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=England|name=[[Peter Crouch]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=England|name=[[Jermaine Pennant]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=Wales|name=[[Craig Bellamy ]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=Netherlands|name=[[Dirk Kuyt]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=Mali|name=[[Mohamed Sissoko]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=England|name=[[Jamie Carragher]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=25|nat=Spain|name=[[José Manuel Reina Páez|José Reina]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=England|name=[[Paul Anderson (footballer)|Paul Anderson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=28|nat=England|name=[[Stephen Warnock]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=29|nat=Argentina|name=[[Gabriel Paletta]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=32|nat=Netherlands|name=[[Boudewijn Zenden]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=34|nat=Spain|name=[[Miguel Roque Farrero|Miki Roque]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=35|nat=England|name=[[Danny Guthrie]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=36|nat=England|name=[[Adam Hammill]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=37|nat=England|name=[[Lee Peltier]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=38|nat=England|name=[[Craig Lindfield]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=39|nat=England|name=[[Stephen Darby]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=40|nat=England|name=[[David Martin (footballer)|David Martin]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=42|nat=Morocco|name=[[Nabil El Zhar]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=45|nat=England|name=[[James Smith (footballer)|James Smith]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs end}}

*''See [[Liverpoolfc.tv Player of the Season]] table''
*''see also [[Liverpool F.C. Reserves]]''

===Out on loan===

{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=England|name=[[Scott Carson]]|pos=GK|other=[[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton]] - to June 2007}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=France|name=[[Florent Sinama-Pongolle]]|pos=FW|other=[[Recreativo Huelva]] - to June 2007}}
{{Fs player|no=34|nat=Ireland|name=[[Darren Potter]]|pos=MF|other=[[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] - to June 2007}}
{{Fs player|no=--|nat=Senegal|name=[[Salif Diao]]|pos=MF|other=[[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] - to January 2007}}
{{Fs player|no=--|nat=France|name=[[Djibril Cissé]]|pos=FW|other=[[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]] - to June 2007}}
{{Fs player|no=--|nat=France|name=[[Anthony Le Tallec]]|pos=MF|other=[[FC Sochaux-Montbéliard|Sochaux]] - to June 2007}}
{{Fs player|no=--|nat=England|name=[[Danny O'Donnell]]|pos=DF|other=[[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe]] - to December 2006}}
{{Fs end}}

''For recent transfers, see the "Transfer Deals" section of [[2006-07 in English football#Transfer Deals|2006-07 in English football]].''

==Current staff==

{| cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
|Manager||{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Rafael Benítez]]
|-
|Goalkeeping coach||{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Jose Ochotorena]]
|-
|Head of Recruitment||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Malcolm Elias]]
|-
|Joint chief scouts||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Frank McParland]] and {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Eduardo Macia]]
|-
|Academy director||{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Steve Heighway]]
|-
|Physiotherapist||{{flagicon|ENG}} Mark Browes, {{flagicon|ENG}} Rob Price, {{flagicon|ESP}} Víctor Salinas
|-
|Club masseur||{{flagicon|ENG}} John Wright
|-
|Masseurs||{{flagicon|ENG}} Paul Small, {{flagicon|ENG}} Stuart Welsh, {{flagicon|ENG}} John Wright
|-
|Club doctor||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark Waller]]
|-
|Kit man||{{flagicon|ENG}} John Wright
|-
|Kit manager||{{flagicon|ENG}} Graham Carter
|-
|Assistant manager||{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Pako Ayesteran]]
|-
|First team coach||{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Alex Miller]]
|-
|Reserve team manager||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gary Ablett (footballer)|Gary Ablett]]
|-
|Reserve team coach||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Hughie McAuley]]
|}

==Managers==
''As of [[August 19]], [[2006]]. Only competitive matches are counted.''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Name
!rowspan="2"|Nat
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="5"|Record
|-
!P!!W!!D!!L!!%
|-
|align=left|[[W. E. Barclay]] and [[John McKenna]] <ref>The official Liverpool website lists Barclay and McKenna as joint managers. Barclay held the post of "secretary-manager" and McKenna held the post of "coach-manager". (Reference: {{cite web | url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/managers/barclay/ | title=William E. Barclay: 'Joint Manager' (1892-96) | work=Liverpool official website |accessdate=12 September|accessyear=2006}})</ref>
|{{flagicon|England}} / {{flagicon|Ireland}}
|align=left|August 1892
|align=left|July 1896
||101||58||17||26||{{#expr:58/101*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Tom Watson (football)|Tom Watson]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|August 1896
|align=left|May 1915
||740||327||141||272||{{#expr:327/740*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[David Ashworth]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|December 1920
|align=left|February 1923
||58||25||24||9||{{#expr:25/58*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Matt McQueen]]
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|February 1923
|align=left|February 1928
||229||94||61||74||{{#expr:94/229*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[George Patterson (football)|George Patterson]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|February 1928
|align=left|May 1936
||370||139||86||145||{{#expr:139/370*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[George Kay]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|May 1936
|align=left|February 1951
||359||143||93||123||{{#expr:143/359*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Don Welsh]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|March 1951
|align=left|May 1956
||234||82||60||92||{{#expr:82/234*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Phil Taylor (football)|Phil Taylor]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|May 1956
|align=left|November 1959
||153||77||32||44||{{#expr:77/153*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Bill Shankly]]
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|December 1959
|align=left|July 1974
||753||393||185||175||{{#expr:393/753*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Bob Paisley]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|July 1974
|align=left|May 1983
||490||275||124||91||{{#expr:275/490*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Joe Fagan]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|May 1983
|align=left|May 1985
||122||65||34||23||{{#expr:65/122*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Kenny Dalglish]]
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|May 1985
|align=left|February 1991
||297||180||76||41||{{#expr:180/297*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Ronnie Moran]] <ref name="care">Ronnie Moran served as [[caretaker manager]].</ref>
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|February 1991
|align=left|April 1991
||10||4||1||5||{{#expr:4/10*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Graeme Souness]]
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|April 1991
|align=left|January 1994
||157||65||47||45||{{#expr:65/157*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Roy Evans]]
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|January 1994
|align=left|July 1998
||226||116||57||53||{{#expr:116/226*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|Roy Evans and [[Gérard Houllier]] <ref>Houllier was brought into Liverpool in the summer of 1998 to share the burden with Evans as joint-managers.</ref>
|{{flagicon|England}} / {{flagicon|France}}
|align=left|July 1998
|align=left|November 1998
||18||7||6||5||{{#expr:7/18*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|Gérard Houllier <ref name="absence">Houllier was absent from October 2001 to February 2002, due to illness. During this time, [[Phil Thompson]] stepped in as temporary manager (P33 W16 D12 L5). These matches are included in Houllier's record.</ref>
|{{flagicon|France}}
|align=left|November 1998
|align=left|May 2004
||306||157||75||74||{{#expr:157/306*100 round 2}}%
|-
|align=left|[[Rafael Benítez]]
|{{flagicon|Spain}}
|align=left|June 2004
|align=left|Present
||126||72||24||30||{{#expr:71/125*100 round 2}}%
|}

== Honours ==
*'''[[Football League First Division|League]]'''<ref>Up until 1992, the top division of [[Football in England|English football]] was the [[Football League First Division]]; since then, it has been the [[FA Premier League]].</ref> '''titles: 18'''
**1900-01, 1905-06, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1946-47, 1963-64, 1965-66, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1989-90

*'''[[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]s and [[UEFA Champions League]]'''<ref name=EC>Up until 1992, the premier European competition was named the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]; since then, it has been the [[UEFA Champions League]].</ref>''' titles: 5'''
** [[European Cup 1976-77|1977]] 3-1 vs. [[Borussia Mönchengladbach]]
** [[European Cup 1977-78|1978]] 1-0 vs. [[Club Brugge K.V.|Club Brugge]]
** [[European Cup 1980-81|1981]] 1-0 vs. [[Real Madrid]]
** [[European Cup 1983-84|1984]] 1-1 (4-2 in penalty shootout) vs. [[A.S. Roma|AS Roma]]
** [[UEFA Champions League 2004-05|2005]] 3-3 (3-2 in penalty shootout) vs. [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]]
*'''[[UEFA Cup]]s: 3'''
**[[UEFA Cup 1972-73|1973]], [[UEFA Cup 1975-76|1976]], [[UEFA Cup 2000-01|2001]]
*'''[[FA Cup]]s: 7'''
**1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006

*'''[[Football League Cup|League Cup]]s: 7'''
**1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, [[Football League Cup Final 1995|1995]], [[Football League Cup Final 2001|2001]], [[Football League Cup Final 2003|2003]]
*'''[[Community Shield]]s'''<ref>The trophy was known as the [[Charity Shield]] until 2002, and as the [[Community Shield]] since then.</ref>''': 15'''
**1964 (shared), 1965 (shared), 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 (shared), 1988, 1989, 1990 (shared), 2001, 2006
*'''[[European Super Cup|UEFA Super Cup]]s: 3'''
**1977, 2001, 2005

Liverpool's tally of eighteen Football League championships is a record for English clubs, their nearest challenger being [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] with fifteen. Liverpool have also achieved the League and FA Cup "[[The Double|Double]]" in 1986 and two "[[The Treble|Trebles]]". The first treble of League, League Cup and European Cup was achieved in 1984 (the first English club to win three major competitions in a single season) and a second treble was achieved in 2001 with the winning of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.

Liverpool's total of five [[UEFA Champions League|European Cups]]<ref name=EC/> is an English record and the third highest total overall, after [[Real Madrid]] and [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]]. The fifth victory in 2005 entitled Liverpool to receive the [[UEFA badge of honour]], thus allowing them to keep the trophy permanently.

Liverpool's total of three UEFA Cups is a record for English clubs and also ties the overall record with [[F.C. Internazionale Milano|Inter Milan]] and [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]]. The tallies of seven League Cups and three European Super Cups are also English records.

==Notes and references==

<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

==External links==
<!-- ATTENTION! Please do not add links without discussion and consensus on the talk page. Undiscussed links will be removed. -->
{{commonscat|Liverpool FC}}
* [http://www.liverpoolfc.tv Liverpool F.C. official site]
* [http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/ Official page for Liverpool Echo and Daily Post stories covering Liverpool F.C.]
* [http://www.premierleague.com/liverpool-football-club.html Premierleague.com — Liverpool Football Club]
* [http://www.lfchistory.net LFCHistory.net] - Articles and statistics relating to Liverpool F.C.
* [http://www.lfcwire.com/ LFCWire.com] - 24/7 Liverpool FC Updates
* [http://www.rafasredmen.info RafasRedMen] - Liverpool News and Talk

<!-- Please DO NOT add fan sites -->

{{Liverpool F.C.}}
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[[Category:Liverpool F.C.|*]]
[[Category:Football (soccer) clubs established in 1892]]
[[Category:English football clubs]]
[[Category:G-14 clubs]]
[[Category:FA Premier League clubs]]

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Revision as of 15:11, 12 December 2006

Liverpool suck

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