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Liverpool F.C.

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For the Uruguayan club, see Liverpool FC (Montevideo).
Liverpool FC
Liverpool emblem
Full nameLiverpool Football Club
Nickname(s)The Reds
Founded1892
GroundAnfield Stadium
Liverpool
Capacity45,362
ChairmanEngland David Moores
ManagerSpain Rafael Benítez
LeagueFA Premier League
2006-07Premier League, 8th

Liverpool Football Club are a football club based in Merseyside, in the north west of England. They play at Anfield but are currently trying to get permission for a new stadium about 200 metres down the road. They play in the FA Premier League and are the most successful club in the history of English football.[1] Liverpool have won eighteen First Division titles, seven FA Cups, seven League Cups, five European Cups[2] and three UEFA Cups. Liverpool are also a member of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.[3]

The club was involved in two of the biggest tragedies in European football — at Heysel in 1985 when thirty-nine spectators died,[4] and at Hillsborough in 1989 where ninety-six people lost their lives.[5] After Heysel, English clubs were banned from European competition for a period of five years, and Liverpool were excluded for six years.[4] The Hillsborough tragedy led to a review of ground safety at all top English league clubs, and paved the way for legislation necessitating all-seater stadiums in the top-flight.[6]

THIS TEAM ARE CRAP + CHRIS'S MUM LIKES TO EAT RUBBER CHICKENSBold textLink title

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 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 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",[7] and Roger Hunt, who scored 245 league goals (still a club record) as well as being part of England's World Cup winning team in 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'[8], 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 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

pne r the best

Colours and badge

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 Anderlecht, as Ian St. John recalled in his autobiography:

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.[9]

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.

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". 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 article: Anfield
File:Anfield+birdseyeview.jpg
Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C.

The Anfield stadium was built in 1884 on land adjacent to 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 Natal that was the site of a battle in the Second Boer War, where over 300 men of the 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 size 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-outs 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. In Liverpool's 2004/05 the crowd capacity was at an average of 85 per cent full.

New stadium

On July 30 2004, Liverpool City Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 61,000 seat stadium just 300 yards away from Anfield at Stanley Park.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13]

Club culture

The song "You'll Never Walk Alone", originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein 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.[14] The song's title also adorns the top of the 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 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". 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; 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". They also cheerfully sung Always Look on the Bright Side of Life as broken leg victim Alan Smith was carried off the pitch.

Under Rafael Benitez, 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 tricks. The most goals scored by a player in a single match is 5, which has been achieved by Andy McGuigan, 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 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 in 1935 (0-8) and Birmingham City F.C. in 1954 (1-9).

See also Liverpool F.C. statistics

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Poland POL Jerzy Dudek
3 DF Ireland EIR Steve Finnan
4 DF Finland FIN Sami Hyypiä
5 DF Denmark DEN Daniel Agger
6 DF Norway NOR John Arne Riise
7 MF Australia AUS Harry Kewell
8 MF England ENG Steven Gerrard (captain)
9 FW England ENG Robbie Fowler
10 MF Spain ESP Luis García
11 MF Chile CHI Mark González
12 DF Brazil BRA Fábio Aurélio
14 MF Spain ESP Xabi Alonso
15 FW England ENG Peter Crouch
16 MF England ENG Jermaine Pennant
17 FW Wales WAL Craig Bellamy
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 FW Netherlands NED Dirk Kuyt
22 MF Mali MLI Mohamed Sissoko
23 DF England ENG Jamie Carragher
25 GK Spain ESP José Reina
26 MF England ENG Paul Anderson
28 DF England ENG Stephen Warnock
29 DF Argentina ARG Gabriel Paletta
32 MF Netherlands NED Boudewijn Zenden
35 MF England ENG Danny Guthrie
36 MF England ENG Adam Hammill
37 MF England ENG Lee Peltier
38 FW England ENG Craig Lindfield
39 DF England ENG Stephen Darby
40 GK England ENG David Martin
45 DF England ENG James Smith

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
20 GK England ENG Scott Carson (Charlton - to June 2007)
24 FW France FRA Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Recreativo Huelva - to June 2007)
-- MF Ireland EIR Darren Potter (Wolverhampton Wanderers - to June 2007)
-- MF Senegal SEN Salif Diao (Stoke City - to January 2007)
-- FW France FRA Djibril Cissé (Marseille - to June 2007)
-- MF France FRA Anthony Le Tallec (Sochaux - to June 2007)
-- DF England ENG Danny O'Donnell (Crewe - to December 2006)

For recent transfers, see the "Transfer Deals" section of 2006-07 in English football.

Current staff

Manager Spain Rafael Benítez
Assistant manager Spain Pako Ayesteran
First team coach Scotland Alex Miller
Reserve team manager England Gary Ablett
Reserve team coach England Hughie McAuley
Goalkeeping coach Spain Jose Ochotorena
Head of Recruitment Malcolm Elias
Joint chief scouts Frank McParland and Eduardo Macia
Academy director Republic of Ireland Steve Heighway
Physiotherapist England Mark Browes, England Rob Price, Spain Víctor Salinas
Club masseur England John Wright
Masseurs England Paul Small, England Stuart Welsh, England John Wright
Club doctor England Mark Waller
Kit man England John Wright
Kit manager England Graham Carter

Managers

As of August 19, 2006. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L %
W. E. Barclay and John McKenna [15] England / Republic of Ireland August 1892 July 1896 101 58 17 26 57.43%
Tom Watson England August 1896 May 1915 740 327 141 272 44.19%
David Ashworth England December 1920 February 1923 58 25 24 9 43.1%
Matt McQueen Scotland February 1923 February 1928 229 94 61 74 41.05%
George Patterson England February 1928 May 1936 370 139 86 145 37.57%
George Kay England May 1936 February 1951 359 143 93 123 39.83%
Don Welsh England March 1951 May 1956 234 82 60 92 35.04%
Phil Taylor England May 1956 November 1959 153 77 32 44 50.33%
Bill Shankly Scotland December 1959 July 1974 753 393 185 175 52.19%
Bob Paisley England July 1974 May 1983 490 275 124 91 56.12%
Joe Fagan England May 1983 May 1985 122 65 34 23 53.28%
Kenny Dalglish Scotland May 1985 February 1991 297 180 76 41 60.61%
Ronnie Moran [16] England February 1991 April 1991 10 4 1 5 40%
Graeme Souness Scotland April 1991 January 1994 157 65 47 45 41.4%
Roy Evans England January 1994 July 1998 226 116 57 53 51.33%
Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier [17] England / France July 1998 November 1998 18 7 6 5 38.89%
Gérard Houllier [18] France November 1998 May 2004 306 157 75 74 51.31%
Rafael Benítez Spain June 2004 Present 124 70 24 30 56.45%

Honours

  • League[19] titles: 18
    • 1901, 1906, 1922, 1923, 1947, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990
  • League Cups: 7
    • 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003
  • Community Shields[20]: 15
    • 1964 (shared), 1965 (shared), 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 (shared), 1988, 1989, 1990 (shared), 2001, 2006
  • UEFA Super Cups: 3
    • 1977, 2001, 2005

Liverpool's tally of eighteen Football League championships is a record for English clubs, their nearest challenger being Manchester United with fifteen. Liverpool have also achieved the League and FA Cup "Double" in 1986 and two "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 European Cups[2] is an English record and the third highest total overall, after Real Madrid and A.C. 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 Inter Milan and Juventus. The tallies of seven League Cups and three European Super Cups are also English records.

See also

Notes and References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b c Up until 1992, the premier European competition was named the European Cup; since then, it has been the UEFA Champions League.
  3. ^ "G-14's members". g14.com. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b "On This Day - 29th May 1985: Fans die in Heysel rioting". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "On This Day - 15th April 1989: Soccer fans crushed at Hillsborough". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "A hard lesson to learn". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Ron Yeats: The Colossus". lfchistory.net. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Profile of Kenny Dalglish". Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv). Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Shankly: the hero who let me down". Ian St. John's autobiography serialised in The Times. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Reds stadium gets go-ahead". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Both clubs say a final no to joint stadium". Daily Post. {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate 12 September" ignored (help)
  12. ^ "Liverpool ground plan re-approved". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Liverpool get go-ahead on stadium". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Liverpool or Celtic: who Walked Alone first?". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ 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: "William E. Barclay: 'Joint Manager' (1892-96)". Liverpool official website. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help))
  16. ^ Ronnie Moran served as caretaker manager.
  17. ^ Houllier was brought into Liverpool in the summer of 1998 to share the burden with Evans as joint-managers.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the FA Premier League.
  20. ^ The trophy was known as the Charity Shield until 2002, and as the Community Shield since then.
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