AMATEKA YA EQUIPE YA LIVERPOOL FC

BYAKUSANYIJWE NA MUHAWENIMANA FULGENCE VERITE






AMATEKA ARAMBUYE YA EQUIPE YA LIVEPOOL FC


Liverpool Football Club, the most successful club in English football, has a long and colourful history.
Contents




* 1 Early history
o 1.1 The Split from Everton F.C.
* 2 From 1892 onwards
* 3 George Kay (1936-1951)
* 4 Don Welsh (1951-1956)
* 5 Phil Taylor (1956-1959)
* 6 The Bill Shankly Era (1959-1974)
* 7 The Bob Paisley Era (1974-1983)
* 8 The Joe Fagan Era (1983-1985)
* 9 The Kenny Dalglish Era (1985-1991)
* 10 The Graeme Souness Era (1991-1994)
* 11 The Roy Evans Era (1994-1998)
* 12 The Gérard Houllier Era (1998-2004)
* 13 The Rafael Benítez Era (2004-2010)
* 14 Roy Hodgson Arrives (2010-)
* 15 2007 Takeover
* 16 Criticism of fans by UEFA
* 17 Chronological list of trophies won
* 18 Season-by-season record
* 19 Notes and references


AMATEKA YA MBERE: Early history
YATANGIYE ISANGIYE IKIBUGA NA EQUIPE YA EVERTON FC: The Split from Everton F.C.
Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C.


Liverpool F.C. was founded after an internal dispute within Everton F.C. The dispute was between the Everton F.C. committee and brewer John Houlding, the leaseholder of the Anfield ground and president of Everton F.C.


The Everton committee viewed Tory councillor Houlding as having a personal financial and political agenda. There was a sharp conflict on the business model of how the club was run. Relations were cold once the Everton committee saw Houldings intentions and moves.


Anfield was owned by Houlding one year after Everton moved in. Houlding bought the land from landowner Orrell. Everton initially made a donation to a local hospital in lieu of rent. After one year they were paying rent to their own president. Mr Orrell owned the adjacent land.[1] Houlding had sole lucrative selling rights on all refreshments at the ground.[2]


The largely Methodist based politically Liberal leaning Everton F.C. committee were uneasy with this, especially the potential selling of alcohol. This would take revenue away from the club. Houlding also increased the rent from £100 to £250 per year, after Everton came 2nd in the second Football League season, 1890. Everton offered a compromise of £180. An international match was hosted, England vs. Ireland indicating the quality of Anfield at the time. The rent was not a major issue as the club's profits were substantial. However, from paying a small contribution to a local hospital, Everton five years later was paying £250, a substantial sum in those days.


The flashpoint came when Orrell wanted to legally run a road through the new main stand to access his land. This entailed Everton buying Anfield and Orrell's land or renting both. Everton members accused Houlding of knowing of the legal right of way and allowing the new stand to be built. If renting Everton would be dealing with two different landlords. Orrell's land Everton F.C. did not need, but being forced to rent or buy it. The Everton committee were wanting Houlding to negotiate on the combined Anfield and Orrell's land rent of £370 or the purchase of both. Houdling and Orrell said the £370 was non-negotiable. Houlding stood to make a killing on selling Anfield to Everton, if the club bought his land. Houlding did not negotiate with Everton who moved to Goodison Park on the north side of Stanley Park, after Houlding attempted to hijack the club undiplomatically serving a notice to quit to force their hand.[2][3][4]


The original name of Liverpool F.C. was to be Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds, Ltd., or Everton Athletic for short, adopting blue. The name was registered on 15 March 1892 while Everton was still occupying and playing at Anfield in a attempt by Houdling to hijack the club. Houlding wanted to take over Everton's fixtures and position in the Football League. However the club name was changed to Liverpool F.C., after protests from Liverpool R.F.C., when the Football Council refused to recognise the team as Everton. The company changed the name from Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd to Liverpool F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd in June 1892.[5]


The root of the dispute was fundamental differences of ownership. Houlding wanted ownership to be within a small group of people, giving annual returns. The Everton Committee wanted a large spread of ownership, via shares, as it was viewed as a community club. On moving to Goodison Park Everton issued 5,000 shares for fans. The directors owned 6% of the club. Liverpool F.C. stayed largely owned by a few people in the corporate model with the directors owning 52% of the club, and has remained so throughout its history. Everton played its last home match at Anfield on 18 April 1892 vs. Bolton Wanderers F.C.[2][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
[edit] From 1892 onwards


Houlding and the new Liverpool F.C. had an international standard ground, but no team. John McKenna was appointed a director of Liverpool, and went to Scotland, where he signed thirteen professionals for the new club. The team was labelled "the team of the Macs" because eight of the thirteen Scottish signings had a "Mc" prefix. They played their first game against Rotherham Town, winning 7-1 with Malcolm McVean scoring their first ever goal, which was also the first occasion an English domestic team had fielded a side consisting entirely of non-English players.


An ambitious application to join the Football League was rejected. Liverpool kicked off life in the Lancashire League with an 8-0 win at Anfield against Higher Walton with a team composed entirely of Scottish players[13]. John Smith scored the first competitive goal. Ending the first season as champions and beating Everton 1-0 in the first Merseyside derby, in the 1893 Liverpool Senior Cup final at Bootle F.C.[citation needed] Liverpool F.C. was elected to the Football League alongside Woolwich Arsenal.
Graph showing the final league position of Liverpool F.C. in the English football league system 1894–2007


McVean scored the club's first league goal in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough Ironopolis and ended the season unbeaten and Second Division Champions, winning a test match 2-0 against Newton Heath (soon to be renamed Manchester United) and promotion to the First Division.


Upon the arrival of manager Tom Watson, a 3-time-championship-winner at Sunderland, the strip changed from blue and white quarters to the famous red and white, and in 1901 Scottish international Alex Raisbeck was the first Liverpool captain to collect the Football League championship. League champions again in 1906, when Everton also won the FA Cup, the ground capacity was increased with the building of a huge cinder bank behind the south end goal. It was christened the Spion Kop, after a Boer War battle of 1900 where over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, with many being from Liverpool.


Liverpool played their first FA Cup final, the last at Crystal Palace, and the first attended by the reigning monarch, George V, losing 0-1 to Burnley in 1914. However, the club were also involved in the 1915 British football betting scandal, one of the earliest match-fixing scandals which saw four Liverpool players banned, although the bans were rescinded in 1919. Liverpool soon bounced back; in 1921-2 and again in 1922-3, captained by England full-back Ephraim Longworth, Liverpool were champions.
[edit] George Kay (1936-1951)


Honours Won : League Championship (1947)
George Kay, manager of Liverpool from 1936 to 1951.


George Kay was recruited from Southampton in June 1936, to replace George Patterson, who was unable to continue the managerial side of his role. Kay's career as Liverpool manager started poorly, with only three wins and four draws from the first twelve matches. This run included a 2-6 defeat at Portsmouth's Fratton Park on 2 September and a 2-5 defeat at Brentford; the only bright spot in this spell was a 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town on 12 September, with two goals from Fred Howe. Results improved slightly as the season progressed and Liverpool finished Kay's first season in charge in 18th place in Division 1.


Despite the set-back of an opening day 1-6 defeat at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, Liverpool finished the 1937-38 season comfortably in mid-table, with Alf Hanson top scorer on 14 league goals. In the following season, Liverpool again finished in 11th position in the table, with Berry Nieuwenhuys, Willie Fagan and Phil Taylor joint top scorers in the league with 14 goals each.


In readiness for the next season, Kay snapped up young defender Bob Paisley on a free transfer from Bishop Auckland, as well as another future Liverpool legend Billy Liddell, but all their careers were then interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.


After the war, the club took the unusual decision to tour the United States and Canada. It was Kay's theory that the climate and diet in North America would be extremely beneficial to the players. The punishing schedule of 10 matches in less than a month meant that the Liverpool squad started the first post-war season in far better physical shape than many of their competitors.


The season started slowly, with four victories and three defeats in the first seven games. The victories included a 7-4 match against Chelsea on 7 September, in which Bob Paisley made his league debut for the club and Billy Liddell scored his first league goal. There was also a 5-0 defeat away to Manchester United (played at Maine Road). Things began to improve and a run of seven consecutive victories in February and March set the club on the way to the championship.


Liverpool had a long run in the F.A. Cup, eventually going out to Burnley in the semi-final, after a replay. The club did, however, pick up the Lancashire Senior Cup, Lancashire County Combination Championship Cup and Liverpool Senior Cup along the way.


As the season reached its climax, several clubs were still in contention and on 31 May 1947 Liverpool went to Molineux to meet the leaders, Wolverhampton Wanderers needing to win to take the championship, as well as other results going in their favour. Liverpool won the match 2-1, other results went their way and the Reds were champions of the Football League for a fifth time. It was George Kay's finest moment as a football manager.


Top scorers in the Championship season were Jack Balmer and Albert Stubbins with 24 league goals each. They continued to be prolific scorers during Kay's period in charge but the club was unable to come close to another championship, finishing each of the next three seasons in the lower part of the top half of the table. In 1950, they reached the F.A. Cup final for the first time in 36 years, but the match at Wembley ended in a 2-0 victory for Arsenal.


By now, Kay was clearly not a well man and he retired in January 1951, to be replaced by Don Welsh
[edit] Don Welsh (1951-1956)


Honours Won : -


Don Welsh succeeded George Kay as Liverpool manager in 1951. He had played for Liverpool during the Second World War as a guest, and had also won the FA Cup with Charlton in 1947. Unfortunately for Welsh, he inherited a team that was coming to the end of its time. After spending on some new players such as Alan A'Court, Welsh could not prevent the team from sliding down the table and into relegation for the first time in over 50 years.


Liverpool almost made it back to Division 1 in 1956. However despite that close result, Welsh was not to be given another chance and was sacked in 1956, the first time this had happened to a Liverpool manager in 64 years of existence. He was replaced by Phil Taylor.
[edit] Phil Taylor (1956-1959)


Honours Won : -


Phil Taylor took over as Liverpool boss in 1956 after the sacking of Don Welsh. He was immediately given the task of leading Liverpool to promotion back to Division 1. Taylor soon found the pressure of getting Liverpool back into the top division almost intolerable. The club finished third in 1957 and a fourth place followed that in 1958.


In January 1959 Liverpool suffered their most humiliating defeat when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by non-League Worcester City. Taylor resigned on 17 November 1959.[14]
[edit] The Bill Shankly Era (1959-1974)


Honours Won : League Championship (1964), Charity Shield (1964), FA Cup (1965), League Championship (1966), Charity Shield (1966), League Championship (1973), UEFA Cup (1973), FA Cup (1974), Charity Shield (1974)


Runner-Up : Charity Shield (1965), European Cup Winners Cup (1966), League Championship: (1969), FA Cup (1971), Charity Shield (1971), League Championship: (1974),


Bill Shankly became Liverpool manager in December 1959 and over the next 15 years he transformed them into one of the top club sides in Europe. Shankly utilised The Boot Room for a second purpose; the location of coaches meetings. The founder members with Shankly of the boot room staff were Joe Fagan, Reuben Bennett and Bob Paisley.[14]


Within a year they had released twenty four players but notably retained striker Roger Hunt and full back Gerry Byrne. Fellow Scots Ian St John and Ron Yeats were signed from Motherwell and Dundee United respectively.[14] Winger Ian Callaghan also established himself in the team. In 1961-62, Shankly's third season as manager, they duly won the Second Division championship by eight points and were promoted to the top flight.[14] They have remained ever since, never finishing below eighth in the league.


In 1964, Liverpool lifted the League Championship.[14] It was also the year in which the team adopted its now famous all red strip. They failed to retain the championship trophy the following season but compensation came in the form of a first-ever FA Cup (a 2-1 Final win over Leeds United). [14] That year they also played for the first time in the European Cup where the first match was against KR Reykjavik. This first European campaign ended at the semi-final stage against Italian club Internazionale, going out 4-3 on aggregate.[14] In a tie still remembered on Merseyside, Liverpool won the first leg 3-1 only to lose the second leg 3-0.


The following year Liverpool regained the championship and also reached the European Cup Winners Cup Final - losing 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund after extra time.[14] By now Shankly was one of the most highly rated managers in the game and his squad contained some of the finest players in England. Despite this success Shankly was already planning further signings. Future internationals Emlyn Hughes, John Toshack and Kevin Keegan were signed from clubs in the lower divisions as the 60s team was gradually dismantled.


Liverpool returned to a European final again, the UEFA Cup final in 1973. The opponents were Borussia Mönchengladbach. Played over two legs, Liverpool ran out 3-2 aggregate winners.[14] The Final appeared over after the first leg with Liverpool 3-0 winners. However, Mönchengladbach fought back in the second leg to win 2-0, giving Liverpool a narrow victory.


They won the FA Cup again a year later with a convincing 3-0 final win over Newcastle United. Shankly stunned the footballing world soon afterwards by announcing his retirement. The club's players and fans tried to persuade him to carry on, and a local factory even threatened to go on strike. Shankly ignored these pleas and joined the club's fans on The Kop as a spectator, while he handed over his managerial duties to Bob Paisley.
[edit] The Bob Paisley Era (1974-1983)


Honours Won : League Championship (1976), UEFA Cup (1976), Charity Shield (1976), League Championship (1977), European Cup (1977), Charity Shield (1977), European Cup (1978), League Championship (1979), Charity Shield (1979), League Championship (1980), Charity Shield (1980) League Cup (1981), European Cup (1981), League Cup (1982), League Championship (1982), Charity Shield (1982) League Cup (1983), League Championship (1983)


Runner-up : League Championship (1975), Charity Shield (1976), FA Cup (1977), League Cup (1978), League Championship (1978), European Super Cup (1978), Intercontinental Cup (1981)


Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Clemence
Neal
Hansen
Thompson (C)
A. Kennedy
Lee
Souness
McDermott
R. Kennedy
Dalglish
Johnson
1981 European Cup Final starting lineup.


Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Clemence
Neal
Hansen
Thompson
Hughes (C)
Case
Souness
McDermott
R. Kennedy
Dalglish
Fairclough
1978 European Cup Final starting lineup.


Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Clemence
Neal
Hughes (C)
Smith
Jones
Case
Callaghan
McDermott
R. Kennedy
Keegan
Heighway
1977 European Cup Final starting lineup.


Shankly's 55-year-old assistant Bob Paisley, was promoted to the position of manager for the 1974-75 season after failing to persuade his predecessor to carry on. Paisley was manager of Liverpool from 1974 until 1983, and during those nine years he became one of the most successful managers ever to take charge of an English club. His one and only season without winning a trophy was his first, 1974-75.


Paisley's second season brought the league title (the first of six under his management). In 1977 the championship was retained and the team won the European Cup for the first time in the club's history. The final was won with 3-1 over old foes Borussia Mönchengladbach.[14] This game in Rome was Kevin Keegan's last for the club. The European Cup was retained the following year with a 1-0 win in the final against F.C. Brugge with the goal scored by Kenny Dalglish[14], Keegan's replacement. Dalglish had been put through by future captain Graeme Souness.


1978-79 was a record breaking year as the league title was won with 68 points and only 16 goals conceded in 42 matches [15]. The following season brought another league title. Paisley's third and last European Cup victory came in 1981 with a 1-0 victory in the final over Real Madrid. The unexpected scorer of the winning goal was defender Alan Kennedy.[14] The only domestic trophy to previously elude them, the League Cup, was also won that season with another defender, Alan Hansen, grabbing the winning goal.


A defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day 1981 saw Liverpool drop to eleventh place, and their opponents went top of the league on that day, but a string of victories brought the title back to Anfield. Ironically, they sealed the title on the final day of the season with a 1-0 home win over Manchester City, who in contrast had suffered a terrible run of form in the second half of the season and slumped to 12th place. [2]


The League Cup was also retained, with a 3-2 win over FA Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur in extra time. Young midfielder Ronnie Whelan scored twice, with the other goal coming from emerging striker Ian Rush who had signed from Chester two years earlier but only that season broke into the first team. [3]


1982-83 saw Liverpool retain the league title and also the League Cup. They faced some stiff competition early on, for instance by the end of October they were top of the league but a mere four points separated them from the rest of the top 10, which included regular challengers like Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur but also a host of unlikely sides including West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City. [4] By Christmas, the title challenge was still fairly wide open with just five points separating them from nearest contenders Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, and unlikely challengers Watford and West Ham United still keeping up their surprise challenge. [5] By the end of February, however, 14 points separated Liverpool from their nearest contenders Watford and the title race was effectively won. [6] The title was confirmed on St George's Day with four games remaining in spite of a 2-0 home defeat by underdogs Norwich City. [7] A unique third successive League Cup triumph had been secured on 26 March when goals from Alan Kennedy and Ronnie Whelan gave them a 2-1 win over Manchester United in the final at Wembley Stadium.


Such was the success of Liverpool, who won six of the nine league titles they contested for during Paisley's management, that the manager himself once quoted: Mind you, I've been here during the bad times too - one year we came second.[8]


The big question for fans at the conclusion of that season was who would replace Bob Paisley. Before retiring he won a total of twenty-one trophies, including three European Cups, a UEFA Cup, six league titles and three consecutive League Cups during his spell as manager. Under Paisley, a new era of stars emerged. They included Graeme Souness, Ian Rush, Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish.
[edit] The Joe Fagan Era (1983-1985)


Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Grobbelaar
Neal
Hansen
Lawrenson
A. Kennedy
Lee
Johnston
Souness (C)
Whelan
Dalglish
Rush
1984 European Cup Final starting lineup.


Honours Won : League Cup (1984), League Championship (1984), European Cup (1984)


Runner-up : Charity Shield (1983), Charity Shield (1984), Intercontinental Cup (1984), European Super Cup (1984), League Championship (1985), European Cup (1985)


Long-serving coach Joe Fagan (aged 62) was named as manager of Liverpool's first team on the retirement of Bob Paisley, and the 1983-84 season got off to a fine start for Liverpool, though autumn and early winter did see a few surprise defeats for Liverpool. They began October with a 1-0 home defeat by unfancied Sunderland, leaving them sixth in a table - behind three teams (including leaders West Ham United) who had never won the title before. [9] Their form improved over the next few weeks as they rose to the top of the table, staying there on 10 December despite being crushed 4-0 by a Coventry City side who were making a surprise title challenge. [10] They entered 1984 still top of the league, three points ahead of Manchester United. [11] But there were few blips after the turn of the year, and they collected their first silverware of the season on 28 March, beating neighbours Everton 1-0 in the League Cup final replay three days after a goalless draw in the first match. The league title was sealed on 12 May with a goalless draw at relegation bound Notts County, [12] and 18 days later became the first English club to win three major competitions in the same season. After a 1-1 draw in open play,[13] Liverpool defeated Roma in the European Cup final after an extrovert performance by Bruce Grobbelaar.[14]


1983-84 had also seen young striker Ian Rush continue to establish himself as a world class goalscorer, with fellow rising stars like Ronnie Whelan and Steve Nicol continuing to put on impressive performances on a regular basis. The close season, however, saw the sale of key midfielder Graeme Souness who joined Sampdoria of Italy. Fagan signed John Wark from Ipswich Town to fill the gap in midfield.


Liverpool made a slow start to the 1984-85, standing 12th in the First Division at the end of September [14] and still in a similar position a month later, with their fierce rivals Everton standing second and Manchester United sixth. More worryingly, with a quarter of the season gone they were still lagging behind relative minnows like Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Southampton. [15] By Christmas, however, they had muscled in on the title race and had climbed up to fifth place, still level on points with West Bromwich Albion and Southampton, but just six points off the top of the table - being led by Everton. [16] They were also going well in the FA Cup and European Cup. However, their FA Cup dream was ended on 17 April when they lost 2-1 to Manchester United in the semi-final replay four days after drawing the original game 2-2. With four games to go, their title bid had ended as Everton claimed the league title for the first time in 15 years. On the continental scene, Liverpool had booked their place in the European Cup final for the fifth time in their history. They were drawn to play Juventus of Italy at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium but the game was overshadowed by off field events.[14]


Before kick-off, Liverpool supporters broke down a dividing fence and charged the Juventus supporters resulting in the death of 39 people who were crushed to death when a wall collapsed. The sequel to the tragedy was an indefinite ban on all clubs in European competitions, with a recommendation by UEFA that Liverpool should serve an extra three years once all other English clubs were readmitted.


Fagan retired after the Heysel Disaster and handed over the reins to former Liverpool striker Kenny Dalglish, who was given the role of player-manager. Fagan died at the age of 80 in July 2001 after a long illness.
[edit] The Kenny Dalglish Era (1985-1991)


Honours Won : League Championship (1986), FA Cup (1986), Charity Shield: Shared (1986), League Championship (1988), Charity Shield (1988), FA Cup (1989), Charity Shield (1989), League Championship (1990), Charity Shield: Shared (1990)


Runner-up : League Cup (1987), League Championship (1987), FA Cup (1988), League Championship (1989)


Fagan handed over the reins to striker Kenny Dalglish, who had established himself as a world class player and now wanted to prove himself as a manager.


At first, it looked as though Dalglish's appointment was going to coincide with the balance of power in English football shifting from Anfield to Old Trafford, as by the end of September the league table was being led by Manchester United (who had won all of their first 10 league games), with Liverpool nine points behind in second place. [17] By Christmas, however, the gap between Liverpool and United had been narrowed to four points, with Everton - along with surprise title challengers West Ham United, Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday - close behind. [18] They had already eliminated Manchester United from the League Cup, and there was the FA Cup campaign just around the corner, and all the talk at Anfield was now about a challenge for a unique domestic treble. That dream was ended, however, on 5 March, when Liverpool were edged out of the League Cup in the semi-finals by Queen's Park Rangers - one of the First Division's least fancied sides. Their title dream also appeared to be fading, as they were now third in the league and eight points adrift of Everton. [19] After a strong run of form in the final weeks of the season, the league title was finally sealed on the last day of the season as they won 1-0 at Chelsea and finished two points ahead of runners-up Everton and four points above third placed West Ham United. They were also in the FA Cup final - where they took on Everton on 10 May. An early goal by Gary Lineker gave the blue half of Merseyside the lead, but the tables turned in the second half as Ian Rush scored twice and Craig Johnston hit the other goal as Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners to become only the third club of the 20th century (and the fifth since the formation of the Football League in 1888) to win the league title and FA Cup in the same season. It was a perfect first season in management for Kenny Dalglish, marred only by the fact that UEFA had voted for the ban on English clubs in European competitions to continue into the 1986-87 season, so there was no question of Liverpool being able to challenge for another European Cup triumph.


1986-87 saw Liverpool face competition from an even bigger number of clubs for the league title, which they had now won 16 times. Wimbledon, playing their first season as a First Division club and only their tenth in the Football League, were the leaders in early September, with Liverpool fifth. [20] They were still fifth at the end of October with Nottingham Forest leading the way closely followed by Norwich City (newly promoted), Everton and Arsenal. However, their traditional rivals Manchester United were battling at the wrong end of the table with manager Ron Atkinson about to be dismissed in favour of Alex Ferguson. Although Liverpool's dominance at the top of the league was safe for a few seasons yet, it would be Ferguson's United who would eventually end their dominance. [21] There was a sign of things to come on Boxing Day 1986 when Liverpool suffered their only league home defeat of the season - 1-0 to Manchester United. Although United were still only 14th in the league and building for the future rather than making an immediate title challenge, it was putting the Liverpool team under a great deal of pressure - they were fourth in the league and seven points behind leaders Arsenal, who after a few lean seasons were being rejuvenated impressively by new manager George Graham. [22] Late January saw Liverpool fall victim to one of the biggest shock results of the season, when they lost 3-0 at home to Luton Town (a First Division team but one still lacking a major trophy to their name) in the FA Cup third round replay. However, the first hurdle exit from the FA Cup gave them more time to concentrate on their league title challenge, and by the end of February they were level on points with Everton at the top of the league, with Arsenal still pushing them hard - along with surprise title challengers Luton Town and Norwich City. [23]


Before the season began, star striker Ian Rush had decided to move to Juventus at the end of the campaign in a £3.2million deal. Rush was still one of the highest scorers in the league, but with player-manager Dalglish knowing that his playing days were numbered, and being doubtful of fellow striker Paul Walsh's ability to be Liverpool's main striker, he made a mid-season move for 28-year-old Oxford United striker John Aldridge, who partnered Rush until the end of the season.


Liverpool also reached the League Cup final that season, but lost 2-1 to Arsenal.


Liverpool were clear leaders of the First Division by the end of March 1987, [24] but they were soon eclipsed by Everton and even a 3-1 win over their neighbours at Anfield at the end of April meant that their local rivals were still three points ahead with a game in hand. [25] A 1-0 defeat to Coventry City on 2 May effectively ended Liverpool's title bid, and Everton won their game the next day to ensure that the Anfield boardroom was left without a trophy for only the second season in a decade.


Rush departed to Juventus when the season ended, but the 1987 close season saw two high profile signings by Kenny Dalglish, who paid a national record £1.9million for Newcastle United and England striker Peter Beardsley and a further £900,000 for Beardsley's England team mate John Barnes from Watford to complete a new-look attack to combine with John Aldridge.


UEFA once again voted for the ban on English clubs in European competitions to continue for at least another season, meaning that Liverpool would not be able to compete in the 1987-88 UEFA Cup. Indeed, the recommendation that they should serve an extra three years once the ban had been lifted on other English clubs made it seem likely that Liverpool's European isolation would now continue into the 1990s.


1987-88 would prove to be one of the greatest seasons in Liverpool's history. In the opening stages of the campaign, it looked as though it might prove to deliver a surprise title outcome as Jim Smith's Queen's Park Rangers were top of the league at the end of September. [26] But Liverpool were in no mood to be left behind by underdogs, and by Christmas they were seven points clear of nearest rivals Arsenal and had a game in hand. They had also yet to lose a league game. The new forward line of Aldridge, Barnes and Beardsley was undoubtedly the most formidable in the league. It wasn't until 20 March that their record 29-match unbeaten start to the league season was ended, and even then it mattered little as Liverpool were 14 points ahead of their nearest rivals (a resurgent Manchester United) and had two games in hand. It was going to take something little short of a miracle if Liverpool were going to be deprived of their 17th league title and the championship trophy would be making its way to Old Trafford for the first time since 1967. [27] They put their title role beyond all doubt on St George's Day with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. [28]


Liverpool had also reached the FA Cup final that season and would be taking on Wimbledon - one of the league's newest members, having completed only their 11th season as a Football League side and their second as First Division members, but already giving the big clubs a run for their money. Many of the leading bookmakers had Liverpool as firm favourites to win with odds as narrow as 4-1 - making them the hottest favourites for the trophy in postwar years. In the 35th minute of what would prove to be a classic game, Peter Beardsley fought off a hard tackle from an opponent and fired the ball into the back of the net, only for the goal to be disallowed. Two minutes later, a looping header from Wimbledon midfielder Lawrie Sanchez left Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar stranded and the south west Londoners took a 1-0 lead. In the 61st minute, it looked as though Liverpool were on the verge of turning the tables as John Aldridge was upended by Wimbledon defender Clive Goodyear and a penalty was awarded. However, Aldridge became the first player to miss a penalty in an FA Cup final as Dave Beasant saved his shot. Wimbledon held onto their lead until the final whistle, and Liverpool were denied a unique second double. [29]


UEFA then voted for the ban on all English clubs in European competitions to continue for a fourth season, meaning that Liverpool once again missed out on the chance of another European Cup bid.


Ian Rush returned to Liverpool for the 1988-89 season for a national record fee of £2.8million, after an unsuccessful spell at Juventus. His return sparked rumours about the future of John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley, with it seeming possible that one of these players would be forced out of the club by the return of Rush. But it didn't quite happen that way. Dalglish decided to operate a 4-3-3 formation so Rush could play alongside both of these players, though a series of niggling injuries hindered him and he was restricted to seven goals from 24 First Division games in his first campaign back on Merseyside.


Rush's slightly less than rip-roaring start to his second Anfield spell was symbolic of Liverpool's unremarkable early season form. By the end of October, they were fourth in the league and eight points behind surprise leaders Norwich City - a club who had never finished higher than fifth in the top flight and had only so far played a total of 15 seasons in the top flight. More worryingly, they were once place below a Millwall side who were in the top flight for the first time. [30] It was a similar story by Christmas, as Liverpool were still eight points off the top of a table still being led by Norwich City, only now they were in sixth place and also behind Derby County and Coventry City. [31] It was well into March before they emerged as title contenders, and even by the end of that month they were still five points off the top of the league, now standing third behind leaders Arsenal and second placed Norwich City - but they had the advantage of a game in hand over the North Londoners. [32]


Then came one of the worst tragedies ever to hit sport. On 15 April 1989, Liverpool travelled to Hillsborough Stadium for the FA Cup semi-final where they took on Nottingham Forest. Just six minutes into the game, play was halted as it became evident that fans were being crushed in the overcrowded Leppings Lane end of the ground. Fans were pouring over the security fences in an attempt to escape the mayhem, and before long it was becoming clear that people were being seriously injured and possibly even killed. 94 fans died that day in a tragedy which soon became simply known as "Hillsborough". A 95th victim died in hospital from his injuries four days later. [33] The death toll became 96 in March 1993, when Tony Bland died after being in a coma for nearly four years. [34] Liverpool players and staff were generally commended for their behaviour in the aftermath of the tragedy. John Aldridge however was criticised when in the rescheduled semi final game against Forest, Aldridge in celebration ruffled the hair of a distraught Brian Laws after Laws had scored an own goal.


For a while it seemed as though the 1988-89 FA Cup campaign would be cancelled, but it was soon decided that the competition would go on and the semi-final was played again at Old Trafford three weeks later. Liverpool defeated Nottingham Forest 3-1 to book a place in the final against Everton - the second Merseyside FA Cup final in four seasons. [35] Liverpool's resurgence in the league had continued, and a 5-1 win over relegation bound West Ham United in the penultimate game of the season saw them open up a three point lead over Arsenal. Ironically, Arsenal were their opponents for the final league game of the season at Anfield, and would have to win by at least two clear goals to deprive Liverpool of a unique second double. [36] As the game entered its final minute, Arsenal were leading 1-0 but that would be enough to keep the league title at Anfield and see Liverpool make history, but with only seconds remaining Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas scored the goal that saw the league title head for Highbury for the first time since 1971. [37]


UEFA voted for the ban on English clubs to continue into the 1989-90 season, and so Liverpool were unable to make a challenge for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.


1989-90 began with much anticipation about the season that lay ahead and who would be challenging for the honours. Liverpool and Arsenal were the inevitable title favourites of many observers, but teams like Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were also mentioned as possible contenders following a series of high profile signings. Liverpool began the season well enough, but a 4-1 defeat at Southampton on 21 October saw them fall into second place behind Everton, who were making a serious bid for the title after two seasons of relatively mediocre form. Southampton were also emerging as surprise title contenders, as were Arsenal, although the much anticipated challenge from Manchester United was not emerging. [38]


As the decade ended, Liverpool were leading the First Division with a four-point margin over Aston Villa, now managed by Graham Taylor who at his former club Watford had so nearly pipped Liverpool to the title seven years earlier. The challenge by Everton, in contrast, had ebbed away as their local rivals had slumped from top to 10th in just two months. [39]


By April 1990, Aston Villa had briefly overtaken Liverpool in the league and Kenny Dalglish's men had also suffered a surprise FA Cup semi-final exit at the hands of unfancied Crystal Palace, but in the end they secured their 18th league title by a nine-point margin. [40]


Such was Liverpool's dominance of the domestic scene from 1985 to 1990 that they were the only English clubs who would have qualified for a European competition in each of the seasons that all English clubs were isolated from Europe.


On 22 February 1991, with Liverpool halfway through a two-horse race with Arsenal for the league title and the day after an epic 4-4 FA Cup clash with Everton (a game which saw their rivals come back from a goal down 4 times), Kenny Dalglish dropped a bombshell by handing in his resignation as manager, claiming he could no longer cope with the pressure of managing the club. First-team coach Ronnie Moran took charge of team affairs for several weeks before Graeme Souness was named as the club's new manager. By that stage, Liverpool were slipping behind in the title race and finished runners-up to Arsenal who completed the season with just one defeat from 38 games.


1990-91 also saw the retirement of club captain Alan Hansen after a careering spanning nearly 20 years - the final 14 of which had been spent at Anfield and seen the player play a big part in an almost endless


It was also the final season at the club for Peter Beardsley, who after four years at Anfield crossed Stanley Park in a £1million move to Everton. 1990-91 saw the arrival of young midfielder Jamie Redknapp and the debut of fellow midfielder Steve McManaman. Both of these players would go on to play a major part in Liverpool's performances throughout the 1990s. In June 1991, Liverpool paid £2.9million (a national record) for Derby County striker Dean Saunders and £2.5million for his team mate, England defender Mark Wright, as Souness looked to achieve title glory at Anfield as a manager just as he had done as a player.
[edit] The Graeme Souness Era (1991-1994)


Honours Won : FA Cup (1992)


Runner-up : League Championship (1991), Charity Shield (1992)


Graeme Souness had a reasonable start to his career as Liverpool manager. His first season saw the club win the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Wembley, a success which ensured they would be competing in the European Cup Winners Cup for the 1992-93 season. He sold several good players such as Ray Houghton, and Steve Staunton and spent recklessly on expensive new players like the £2million spent on Paul Stewart, Torben Piechnik and Istvan Kozma. None of these players were particularly successful, with both Piechnik and Kozma gone within two years, and Stewart lasting nearly four years although he had not played for two years before his departure.


While Michael Thomas and Mark Wright were signed for 1.5m and 2.2m respectively, however, they spent most of the time under Souness's tenure at Liverpool on the sidelines injured. Goalkeeper David James. a £1million signing from Watford, and full backs Stig Inge Bjørnebye a £600,000 signing from Rosenborg and Rob Jones signed from Crewe at the cost of just £300.000 would excel at Liverpool, but under Souness's successor. One of the most bizarre transfers was the signing of striker Dean Saunders for a British transfer record of £2.9million from Derby County in the summer of 1991. He proved to be a success alongside fellow Welshman Ian Rush up front but after only six matches into the 1992-1993 season, he was surprisingly sold onto Aston Villa for £2.5million, making a loss of £400,000.


The youth team coached by Liverpool legend Steve Heighway produced several players for the first team, like Robbie Fowler, Dominic Matteo and Steve McManaman, while two of Daglish's last signings, Jamie Redknapp and Don Hutchison, broke into the first team under Souness. However Hutchinson was sold on after several disciplinary problems. The veteran striker Ian Rush meanwhile, was still scoring goals as freely as ever despite being in his thirties. Long-serving goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was often being kept out of the team by promising young shot-stopper David James.


Liverpool finished sixth in the first-ever F.A. Premier League and never looked like title challengers at any stage during the season, occupying a lowly 15th place in the table as late as March. In the summer the coach pinned his hopes for the new season on two players, current England international Nigel Clough signed for £2.275m from relegated Nottingham Forest and central defender Neil Ruddock for £2.5million from Tottenham Hotspur.


The duo fitted in perfectly into Souness's 4-4-2 formation, and in the first game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday, Clough bagged a double in a 2-0 victory, and then scored a goal from a beautifully executed backheel at Loftus Road in a 3-1 win over QPR, and then Souness's team trashed Premier League newcomers Swindon Town 5-0 with Neil Ruddock netting his first goal. However that was as good as it got, as Liverpool despite taking the lead with Clough's four goal in his first match for the Reds, lost 2-1 to Tottenham at Anfield. Liverpool did beat Leeds United 2-0 in the following match but two 1-0 defeats to Coventry City, and Blackburn Rovers clearly showed that nothing had changed from the previous season. It all come to ahead in the Merseyside derby in the next match, when Steve McManaman and Bruce Grobbelaar got into a scuffle during the match. The team was in disarray and the title looked further than ever. On Match of the Day, Alan Hansen pinpointed the weakness in Nigel Clough in tackles and winning the ball back as one of the problems. The striker's form dipped and he was played in midfield as emerging youngster Robbie Fowler was given his first start in the Football League Cup match against Fulham, in which he scored in a 3-1 victory. In the return leg at Anfield, he scored all five goals in a 5-0 rout. A legend was born. To instill some strength in the Liverpool ranks, Souness signed full-back Julian Dicks from West Ham, costing £1.6m with David Burrows and Mike Marsh moving in the other direction.


In the end, Liverpool were dumped out of the League Cup by Wimbledon on penalties. The FA Cup seemed to be Liverpool's only hope of silverware that season, and were drawn against Bristol City. The first match was played at Ashton Gate, where Fowler nearly scored with his backside after a miskick from the City keeper. Ian Rush scored for the Reds, and Wayne Allison scored for the opposition; however, floodlight failure meant the match had to be played again. It finished 1-1 again, with the same players scoring for their respective clubs and a replay was scheduled for Anfield. At home, Liverpool were poor, with City's strike duo Junior Bent and Wayne Allison causing problems for Steve Nicol and Neil Ruddock in the Reds defence. Liverpool lost 1-0 after curling left footed effort from Brian Tinnion, and Souness resigned on 28 January 1994, and coach Roy Evans was appointed as manager.


In March 1992, Graeme Souness suffered from a heart condition which required a triple bypass operation. This indirectly led to him falling out of favour with Liverpool fans as he sold the story of his recovery to The Sun. The Sun has long been boycotted by people from Merseyside (regardless of footballing allegiance) due to its insensitive reporting of the Hillsborough disaster.
[edit] The Roy Evans Era (1994-1998)


Honours Won : League Cup (1995)


Runner-up : FA Cup (1996)


"Boot room" veteran Roy Evans took over from Souness. Evans had been on the club's pay roll for some 30 years, having been a bit-part player under Bill Shankly before becoming a coach. In his first game in charge against Norwich City at Carrow Road, the team looked rejuvenated and managed to grab a point in a 2-2 draw. He guided Liverpool to an eighth place finish in the 1993-94 Premier League campaign, young striker Robbie Fowler scoring 29 goals in all competitions which led to him being voted PFA Young Player of the Year.


During pre-season, he gave an ultimatum to several of his players like Neil Ruddock and Julian Dicks to get into shape or find another club. Evans signed only one player during the summer of 1994, Danish reserve team keeper Michael Stensgaard a £300,000 buy from Hvidovre. Despite a promising career ahead of him, he would never play for the Liverpool first team, and retired after an injury he sustained setting up an ironing board. Evans was determined to get his players into shape, and in the club's first game of the season, they trashed Crystal Palace 6-0 at Selhurst Park, a result that vindicated the manager's decision not to buy big over the summer. The manager lined up with a 4-4-2 formation with David James, right back Rob Jones, left back Stig Inge Bjørnebye, centre back Steve Nicol, centre back Neil Ruddock, centre midfield John Barnes, right wing Steve McManaman, centre midfield Jan Molby, left wing Mark Walters, and strikers Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler. On the first two days of September 1994, Evans signed promising Republic of Ireland defender Phil Babb from Coventry City for £3.75m and Wimbledon's John Scales for £3.5m, and the duo were introduced to the side in a new-look 3-5-2 formation at St James Park against Newcastle.


In his first full season (1994-95) Liverpool finished fourth in the Premiership and won the League Cup, beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the final.


In the summer of 1995, Liverpool paid Nottingham Forest a British record fee of £8.5 million for striker Stan Collymore. Fowler and Collymore formed an impressive partnership for the 1995-96 season which saw veteran striker Ian Rush relegated to the substitute bench for much of the season before his departure on a free transfer to Leeds United. Liverpool continued to progress that season. But they finished third in the Premiership, eleven points behind champions Manchester United, seven behind runners-up Newcastle, and lost 1-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Still, Liverpool were recognised as a top team once again, and were starting to attract top players once more, to aid a talented group of young stars like Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Jamie Redknapp, who were peaking. The most notable signing of the 1996 close season was Czech midfielder Patrik Berger, a £3.25million acquisition from Borussia Dortmund.


Liverpool led the Premiership at several stages during the 1996-97 season, but in the end finished fourth and had to settle for a UEFA Cup place. They had been hoping to win the European Cup Winners' Cup for the first time, but lost to Paris St Germain in the semi finals. The squad's off the field lad culture excesses and underachievement tag on it had also resulted in the team getting derogatorily labelled as the 'Spice Boys'.


1997-98 saw Liverpool finish third in the Premiership for the second time in four years where they finished fourth on both other occasions. Though the critics had accused them as being 'nearly men' again, the highlight of the club's season was the emergence of young striker Michael Owen. Owen became the Premiership's equal top scorer in 1998 with 18 goals and became the youngest full England international at the time. He was also awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year Award.
[edit] The Gérard Houllier Era (1998-2004)


Honours Won : League Cup (2001), FA Cup (2001), UEFA Cup (2001), FA Charity Shield (2001), UEFA Super Cup (2001), League Cup (2003) Runner-Up : Premier League (2002)


Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Westerveld
Babbel
Hyypiä (C)
Henchoz
Carragher
Murphy
Hamann
Gerrard
McAllister
Owen
Heskey
2001 UEFA Cup Final starting lineup.


Gérard Houllier, the former French national coach, was drafted into the Liverpool management team for the 1998-99 season to work alongside Roy Evans. But Evans found that the partnership did not suit him and he quit that November, and at the end of which Liverpool finished a disappointing seventh - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.


2000-01 was Liverpool's best season for many years. The likes of Owen, Fowler, Gerrard and Hyypiä contributed to the club's third place in the Premiership (thus qualifying for the Champions League) as well winning the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup, followed by the Charity Shield and European Super Cup later in 2001. The League Cup was won by beating Birmingham City on penalties after a 1-1 draw, the FA Cup by beating Arsenal 2-1 with two goals from Michael Owen in the last ten minutes and the UEFA Cup by beating Alavés, in an extraordinary game, 5-4 in extra time.


By now, Liverpool's side contained a new set of players including goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, defender and captain Sami Hyypiä, young midfielder Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen's strike partner Emile Heskey.


Liverpool finished Premiership runners-up in 2001-02, their best league finish since 1991, but suffered a humiliating defeat in the League Cup Third Round at the hands of Grimsby Town. 2001 was also dramatic for Houllier personally as he suffered a major heart problem which kept him away from the club for three months starting in November.


Liverpool won another League Cup in 2003 but in 2003-04 Houllier had again failed to deliver the league title, in fact finishing thirty points behind the champions Arsenal. Although Liverpool qualified for the Champions League by finishing fourth (making three qualifications during his tenure), fans saw Houllier's conservative and defensive tactics as sacrificing too much attacking impetus to challenge Arsenal and Manchester United for the title. During this period Liverpool had their longest streak of not winning any games in the top flight. Against a background of growing disquiet amongst the Liverpool supporters, Houllier was dismissed on 24 May 2004 and subsequently replaced by the Spaniard Rafael Benítez who had just guided Valencia to the Spanish league title and UEFA Cup.
[edit] The Rafael Benítez Era (2004-2010)


Honours Won : European Cup (2005), UEFA Super Cup (2005), FA Cup (2006), FA Community Shield (2006)


Runner-up : Carling Cup (2005), European Cup (2007), Premier League (2009)


Soccer.Field Transparant.png
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypiä
Traoré
L. García
Alonso
Gerrard (C)
Riise
Baroš
Kewell
2005 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup.


Spaniard Rafael Benítez took over from Houllier, arriving from Valencia with whom he had just won La Liga title for the second time and the UEFA Cup. Liverpool finished a disappointing fifth in the Premier League. The season had a surprising ending, however, as Liverpool won their fifth European Cup final in Istanbul. After eliminating favourites Juventus in the quarter-finals, they beat English rivals Chelsea in the semi-finals, on the strength of a controversial second-leg goal from Luis García (dubbed the 'ghost goal' by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho). Many TV replays have been inconclusive as to whether the ball crossed the line although it is widely believed that had the goal not been given Chelsea's goalkeeper, Petr Čech, would have been sent off for a professional foul on striker Milan Baroš. According to a statement by match referee Ľuboš Micheľ, this is indeed the course of action he would have taken had his assistant referee not signalled that the ball had crossed the line.[16]


The Reds met the heavily favoured Italian club Milan in the final. Liverpool, having trailed 3-0 at half time, made a dramatic comeback and scored three goals in the second half forcing extra time. Liverpool went on to win the penalty shoot out with the heroics of goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek who imitated club legend Bruce Grobbelaar with the famous "wobbly legs" trick.


Although they were the current champions, Liverpool were in danger of not being able to defend their title. The English League's high UEFA ranking allows the maximum number of teams, four, to be entered into the Champions League competition. In the 2004-05 season, four English teams had qualified under then existing UEFA guidelines for the Champions League competition: Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Everton, who had finished in places first to fourth place respectively in the Premier League. Liverpool argued that as winners of the Champions League, they should be allowed to defend their title - the FA stipulated that their selections for the Champions League, as in any year, would go to the 4 highest placed clubs in the Premier League, excluding 5th placed Liverpool. The situation was eventually resolved by special dispensation of UEFA, which added Liverpool to the first qualifying round of the 2005-06 event. UEFA created an automatic berth in the qualifying round for every subsequent Champions League winner who had not qualified outright through the league.


For more details of Liverpool's entry into the 2005-06 competition, see Liverpool F.C. Champions League qualification 2005-06.


After a solid run through qualifying and the group stage, Liverpool's defence of the Champions League title ended in the last sixteen in March 2006, being knocked out 3-0 on aggregate by the unfancied Portuguese side, Benfica.


As the UEFA Champions League 2005 winners, Liverpool competed in the 2005 European Super Cup, beating CSKA Moscow 3-1 AET. Liverpool also earned the right as European Champions to represent UEFA in the FIFA Club World Championship 2005 held in Japan. Liverpool met São Paulo in the final where the game was decided in the Brazilians' favour by a single goal scored by São Paulo midfielder Mineiro.


After starting their FA Cup run against Luton with a 5-3 victory, Benítez's side broke an 85-year jinx [17] by beating Manchester United 1-0 in at Anfield on 18 February 2006, their first victory over their arch-rivals in the competition since 1921. The quarter final tie, away to Birmingham City F.C., saw what was then Benítez's highest scoring result with the Reds winning 7-0. This result was also Liverpool's biggest away win in the FA Cup. On 22 April 2006, Liverpool defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the semi-finals, with John Arne Riise and Luis García scoring to reach the FA Cup final to face West Ham United. This was the 13th time Liverpool had reached an FA Cup final.
Wikinews has related news: Liverpool win an exciting FA Cup final


In the final they claimed victory against West Ham, drawing 3-3 at full time with captain Steven Gerrard setting up the first, volleying home the second from inside the box and scoring an incredible equaliser in the 91st minute to take them to extra time and then penalties. They went on to win 3-1 on penalties with Pepe Reina saving three out of four penalties. This final was dedicated to club captain Steven Gerrard and was dubbed "the Gerrard final" for his inspirational performance. Being the last FA Cup game at the Millennium Stadium, it was fitting that it has been noted as one of the best modern FA Cup finals [18].


In 2005-06 Liverpool also gathered 82 points in the Premiership [19] - their highest points total since 1988 and the largest number of points achieved by a team in third position.


Liverpool's 2006–07 season began with a 2-1 victory over defending Premiership champions Chelsea to win the Community Shield.


Although knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup by back-to-back defeats to Arsenal, Benítez guided Liverpool to the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League final after defeating Chelsea 4-1 on penalties in the semi final after a 1-1 aggregate score, once again thanks to Pepe Reina's heroics both in the match and the shootout of the second leg. Liverpool once again faced Milan in a rematch of the 2005 Champions League Final in Athens, Greece on 23 May. Liverpool, however, lost 1-2 despite a last-gasp goal by Dirk Kuyt.


The season of 2007-2008 saw the first season Liverpool had failed to reach a major final under the reign of Benítez. Despite not making a cup final and having a low tally in the Premiership table, this squad is considered Liverpool's strongest under Benítez. The best memory about this season for Liverpool will be the impressive campaign of new arrival Fernando Torres who bagged and outstanding 33 goals and the epic run to the Champions League semi-finals for 3rd time in 4 years under Benítez.


Liverpool looked like going out of the Champions League in the group stage after only collecting 1 point from their opening 3 games until they beat Beşiktaş (who had beaten Liverpool 2-1 a couple of weeks earlier in Istanbul) by a Champions League record margin by 8 goals to 0 at Anfield. Yossi Benayoun scoring a hat-trick.


Two Fernando Torres goals saw Liverpool secure a 4-1 victory over Porto at Anfield. It meant Liverpool had to become the first English club team to win at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille to qualify for the knock-out round.


Liverpool responded to this statistic by thrashing Marseille 4-0 to finish 2nd in the group and qualify for the knock-out round of the Champions League. They had scored an incredible 16 goals in their final 3 games to qualify.


In February they played Internazionale at Anfield for the first leg 3 days after Championship side Barnsley had knocked them out of the F.A Cup. Liverpool responded with an epic performance and despite the controversial red card of former Everton player Marco Materazzi Liverpool were the better team and got rewarded in the final 5 minutes with goals from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead to take to the San Siro. The second leg Inter never looked like scoring and despite another controversial red card for Inter, Liverpool's Fernando Torres scored a well taken goal to give Liverpool a deserved 1-0 win in the San Siro and 3-0 aggregate win. Liverpool beat Arsenal in the quarter finals, before being eliminated by Chelsea in the semi finals, in part due to a last-minute own goal by John Arne Riise in the 1st leg at Anfield.


In 2007-08 Liverpool finished a distant 4th in the Premier League, 11 points behind league champions and UEFA Champions League 2007-08 winners Manchester United. Qualification for the 2008-2009 Champions league was attained only thanks to a last-minute Dirk Kuyt winner in extra time in the 3rd qualifying round against Standard Liege. The summer also saw the signing of Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane with the departure of striker Peter Crouch to Portsmouth.


The 2008-09 season was one of Liverpool's finest, finishing 2nd behind Manchester United with 86 points, just 4 points below the champions. This season also saw Liverpool reach the quarter finals of the Champions League losing to Chelsea 7-5 over the two legs. However, Liverpool had defeated Real Madrid 5-0 in the previous round. After the arrival of Robbie Keane in the summer, he returned to Tottenham 6 months later. At the end of this season Xabi Alonso was sold to Real Madrid for a club record transfer fee, Alvaro Arbeloa also left for the Spanish side and Jermaine Pennant and Sami Hyypiä where both released. This summer also saw the arrival of Chris Mavinga from Paris Saint-Germain, Glen Johnson from Portsmouth and Alberto Aquilani from Roma.


2009-10 was a frustrating season for the Reds, who underperformed for much of the season and finished seventh in the Premier League (their lowest finish since 1999), though fortunately they were able to secure an eleventh successive European campaign through the UEFA Europa League due to the fact that runners-up Manchester United were League Cup winners and champions Chelsea were in the FA Cup final (with their opponents Portsmouth unable to play in Europe due to financial problems).[41] Rafael Benitez's job as manager was reportedly been under serious threat, with former manager Kenny Dalglish (back at the club since being appointed in a youth academy capacity in 2009) being touted as a possible successor[42], along with Fulham manager Roy Hodgson.[43] Rafa Benitez left Liverpool by mutual consent on 3 June 2010.[20]
[edit] Roy Hodgson Arrives (2010-)


On 1 July 2010, Roy Hodgson was officially appointed as manager of Liverpool, signing a three–year contract with the Anfield club. [21] He was appointed in time to welcome players not involved in World Cup action back to pre-season training at Melwood, and was officially unveiled to the media at press conference at Anfield on 1 July 2010. Hodgson, on his appointment said “This is the biggest job in club football and I’m honoured to be taking on the role of manager of Britain’s most successful football club. I look forward to meeting the players and the supporters and getting down to work at Melwood.”[22]
[edit] 2007 Takeover


In December 2006, Liverpool F.C. announced that the investment group DIC were considering buying out the club. They completed their due-diligence of the club and the offer of £450 million was convincing to the public that this was nearly a done-deal. Subsequently, George Gillett and Tom Hicks submitted an improved offer which saw Dubai Investment Capital pull out completely almost immediately afterwards.[citation needed] The Chief Executive of Liverpool Rick Parry, said the club "felt bullied" by DIC and did not want to make a decision to sell the club too quickly.[23]


On 6 February 2007, George Gillett, owner of the Montreal Canadiens, and Tom Hicks, owner of the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers respectively, assumed control of Liverpool F.C. in a deal worth a reported £470 million.[24] The Liverpool board of directors were unanimous and advised shareholders and Chairman David Moores (with his 51% stronghold) to accept the offer of £175 million. The deal also included £45 million of club debt and £215 million for the new stadium proposed for Stanley Park, with building expected to begin within 60 days. In the same press conference the new owners commented that the new stadium could sell naming-rights should it allow them added funds to bring in "one great player" a season.[25][26]. Commenting on the offer, George Gillett and Tom Hicks said: "Liverpool is a fantastic club with a remarkable history and a passionate fan base. We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future. The Hicks family and the Gillett family are extremely excited about continuing the Club's legacy and tradition."


Since the acquisition, Liverpool have bought Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Babel, and numerous youth players. In November 2007, a public dispute arose between Liverpool manager, Rafa Benítez and club owners, Gillett and Hicks over transfer policy for the January 2008 transfer window. Hicks was quoted as saying that "It is really time for Rafa [Benítez] to quit talking about new players and to coach the players we have".[27] In a subsequent press conference, Benítez used the reply "As always, I am focused on coaching and training my team." 15 times to a range of questions posed by journalists. Subsequent official club statements later confirmed that Tom Hicks and George Gillet were reluctant to commit to future transfer activity until later in the year, when the status of Liverpool's involvement in the UEFA Champions League had been resolved, and had therefore told Benítez to concentrate on coaching and training his existing pool of players.[citation needed]


On 22 January 2008 Liverpool fans, at the game between Liverpool and Aston Villa, protested against Gillett and Hicks' running of the club, and urged the pair to sell their shares in Liverpool F.C. to DIC. Neither owner, nor their representative Foster Gillett were present at the game. Subsequently, opposition to Hicks's ownership has started to become more structured, with groups emerging to campaign against them. Initially, Hicks stated that the entire incident was "a big misunderstanding blown out of all proportion" and that his relationship with Benítez couldn't be any better.


When he first purchased half of Liverpool F.C. Hicks stated that "Parry and Moores will have a continuing role, stability is a key to success." However, it was soon revealed that Hicks had requested for Rick Parry to hand in his resignation. Parry refused and this added more tension amongst the board members.
[edit] Criticism of fans by UEFA


Following the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, Liverpool Football Club was banned for an additional three years from competing in UEFA competitions (on top of the already unlimited ban imposed on all English teams) and their fans were blamed wholly for the disaster and 39 deaths. This ban was later increased to one additional year, meaning Liverpool could not enter the 1990/91 European Cup competition.


On 4 June 2007, UEFA spokesman William Gaillard was quoted in media reports citing a UEFA report claiming that Liverpool fans were 'the worst fans in Europe'.[28]


The most publicised claims from the report were that 'fans stole tickets from children' and that 'fans without tickets charged entry gates'. Furthermore, Gaillard claimed that up to '25 incidents involving Liverpool fans' had occurred since 2003, and were outlined in the report compiled by an unnamed police force in Europe.[29]


Liverpool F.C. Chief Executive Rick Parry responded to the criticism which mainly focused on the 2007 Champions League final in Athens. He said that "To have a stadium with no counting system and no turnstiles is unforgivable for any standard of the game, let alone a major final.".[30] Parry himself was criticised for effectively endorsing the fans behaviour by saying "We have told Uefa there will be 40,000 Liverpool fans in the ground by hook or by crook" in the build up to the match.[44]


Co-Chairman Tom Hicks went further, labelling Gaillard 'a clown', and continuing "It's a classic case of a bureaucrat trying to take the pressure off himself. They didn't handle it right; they didn't have proper ticketing procedures and unfortunately there were counterfeit tickets".[29]


However, Phil Hammond, who lost his son Philip at Hillsborough in 1989 and is chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, was also critical of the behaviour of the Liverpool fans, saying:


"My heart sank as I stood and watched what was happening. After what happened in Sheffield in 1989 I couldn’t believe Liverpool fans, of all people, could do such dangerous things. I honestly feared people were going to get crushed and we were going to have another Hillsborough. It was disgusting. The people who stormed into the stadium are the scum of the earth. They put at risk hundreds of lives and should be ashamed of themselves. The vast majority of Liverpool fans are impeccably behaved, but there has always been a hard core of mindless thugs that ruin it for the rest. It hurts me to say this, but I won’t be following Liverpool on their travels in future."


[45]


However, by 6 June 2007, UEFA president Michel Platini had retracted the accusation. Platini said that "No they are not the worst behaved in Europe...It's official, they are not the worst behaved."[29]


On 7 June 2007 it was reported that the report handed to British Minister for Sport and Tourism Richard Caborn did not contain any of the purported '25 incidents involving Liverpool fans', and that he - along with Platini - considered the matter closed.[31] It was also stated that UEFA spokesman Gaillard would possibly face disciplinary action over his original comments, which he now suggested had been misquoted.[32]
[edit] Chronological list of trophies won


* 1901: Football League Championship (manager: T. Watson)
* 1906: Football League Championship (manager: T. Watson)
* 1922: Football League Championship (manager: D. Ashworth)
* 1923: Football League Championship (manager: M. McQueen)
* 1947: Football League Championship (manager: G. Kay)
* 1964: Football League Championship (manager: B. Shankly)
* 1965: FA Cup (manager: B. Shankly)
* 1966: Football League Championship (manager: B. Shankly)
* 1973: UEFA Cup, Football League Championship (manager: B. Shankly)
* 1974: FA Cup (manager: B. Shankly)
* 1976: UEFA Cup, Football League Championship (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1977: UEFA European Cup, Football League Championship (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1978: UEFA European Cup (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1979: Football League Championship (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1980: Football League Championship (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1981: UEFA European Cup, Football League Cup (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1982: Football League Championship, Football League Cup (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1983: Football League Championship, Football League Cup (manager: B. Paisley)
* 1984: UEFA European Cup, Football League Championship, Football League Cup (manager: J. Fagan)
* 1986: Football League Championship, FA Cup (manager: K. Dalglish)
* 1988: Football League Championship (manager: K. Dalglish)
* 1989: FA Cup (manager: K. Dalglish)
* 1990: Football League Championship (manager: K. Dalglish)
* 1992: FA Cup (manager: G. Souness)
* 1995: Football League Cup (manager: R. Evans)
* 2001: UEFA Cup, FA Cup, Football League Cup, European Super Cup (manager: G. Houllier)
* 2003: Football League Cup (manager: G. Houllier)
* 2005: UEFA Champions League, European Super Cup (manager: R. Benítez)
* 2006: FA Cup (manager: R. Benítez)


[edit] Season-by-season record
Main article: Liverpool F.C. seasons


2010-
[edit] Notes and references


1. ^ "LFC Story". Liverpool F.C. http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/1882.htm. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
2. ^ a b c Kennedy, David; Collins, Michael. Community Politics in Liverpool and the Governance of Professional Football in the late Nineteenth Century. Cambridge University Press. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=468755#fn1.
3. ^ "History of Everton FC". http://www.liverpoolwiki.org/History_of_Everton_FC.
4. ^ The Football Grounds of Britain by Simon Inglis
5. ^ Graham. p. 14. [unreliable source?]
6. ^ Across the Park by Peter Lupson
7. ^ Association Football in Victorian England - A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900 by Philip Gibbons
8. ^ Dr. Everton's Magnificent Obsession by David France
9. ^ The Essential History of Everton FC by Mark Platt
10. ^ Everton F.C.: The Men from the Hill Country - The Development of Everton Football Club During the Reign of Queen Victoria by Tony Onslow
11. ^ The History of the Everton Football Club, 1878-1928 by Thomas Keates
12. ^ "Anfield - The Split in the Club". http://www.liverpoolwiki.org/History_of_Everton_FC#head-1148ff6cd173370bebb63dc736c560e1b37496e5.
13. ^ http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/football/Scots-passing-pioneers-shaped-football.3905190.jp
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Reuben Bennett", www.qosfc.com
15. ^ Liverpool Manager - Paisley www.liverpoolfc.tv
16. ^ Motion expert says Garcia's shot did cross the line
17. ^ Liverpool dump United out of FA Cup www.rte.ie
18. ^ "BBC News report, including video highlights (.asx video)". news.bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/sport_web/video/9012da680041ba0/bb/09012da680041d14_16x9_bb.asx. Retrieved 23 May 2006.
19. ^ Liverpool - 3rd, English Premiership stats.football365.com
20. ^ "Rafael Benitez leaves Liverpool: club statement". Telegraph. 2010-0603. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7801223/Rafael-Benitez-leaves-Liverpool-club-statement.html. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
21. ^ "Roy Hodgson leaves Fulham to become Liverpool manager". BBC Sport. 2010-07-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8721942.stm. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
22. ^ "Hodgson eager for star players to stay put". ESPN Soccernet. 2010-07-01. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=804694&sec=england&cc=5739. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
23. ^ "Parry explains takeover collapse". BBC News. 1 February 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6321789.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
24. ^ [1] Shareholders accepted American takeover bid, Mar 9 2007
25. ^ "US pair agree Liverpool takeover". BBC News. 6 February 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6323037.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
26. ^ "US business duo at Liverpool helm". BBC News. 6 February 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6244441.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
27. ^ Lowe, Felix (23 November 2007). "Hicks tells Benítez: quit fussing and just coach". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2007/nov/23/newsstory.liverpool1. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
28. ^ "Caborn and Parry hit back at Uefa". BBC News. 4 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6717793.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
29. ^ a b c "Uefa backtracks on Liverpool fans". BBC News. 5 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6721545.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
30. ^ "News Report". Guardian unlimited (London). 4 June 2007. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2095001,00.html. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
31. ^ icLiverpool - Future of UEFA official in fans row hangs in balance
32. ^ icLiverpool - Gaillard under pressure for 'worst fans' outburst


Sources: The official Liverpool FC website and The Official Liverpool FC Illustrated History by Jeff Anderson with Stephen Done (ISBN 1-84222-665-7)
[hide]
v • d • e
Liverpool Football Club
Honours · Players · Managers · Seasons · Europe · Records and Statistics · Reserves and Academy
History
History of Liverpool F.C. · Founding Fathers of Merseyside Football
Home stadium
Anfield · Stanley Park Stadium
Training ground
Melwood
Rivalries
Merseyside derby · Manchester United F.C. rivalry
Tragedies
Heysel disaster · Hillsborough Disaster
Liverpool F.C. songs
You'll Never Walk Alone · The Fields of Anfield Road · Ring of Fire · Anfield Rap · Poor Scouser Tommy
Related articles
Spirit Of Shankly · The Boot Room · LFC TV · Liverpool L.F.C. · G-14 · Superleague Formula team


Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Liverpool_F.C."
Categories: Liverpool F.C. | History of association football by club | History of Liverpool
Hidden categories: All articles lacking reliable references | Articles lacking reliable references from April 2009 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from January 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements from March 2008
Personal tools


NIBA UKUNDA EQUIPE YA LIVEPOOL FC URYOHERWE N'AYAMATEKA