LiverpoolFootballClubareanEnglishfootballclubbasedinLiverpool.TheyplayatAnfieldbutarecurrentlyawaitingfinanceforanewstadiumapproximately200metresawayinneighbouringStanleyPark.TheyplayintheFAPremierLeagueandintermsoftrophieswonarethemostsuccessfulclubinthehistoryofEnglishfootball.[1]LiverpoolhavewoneighteenFirstDivisiontitles,sevenFACups,sevenLeagueCups,fiveEuropeanCups[2]andthreeUEFACups.LiverpoolarealsoamemberoftheG-14groupofleadingEuropeanfootballclubs.[3]
TheclubwasinvolvedintwoofthebiggesttragediesinEuropeanfootball—atHeyselin1985whenthirty-nineJuventusfansdied,[4]andatHillsboroughin1989whereninety-sixoftheirownfanslosttheirlives.[5]AftertheHeyseldisaster,EnglishclubswerebannedfromEuropeancompetitionforaperiodoffiveyears,andLiverpoolwereexcludedforsixyears.[4]TheHillsboroughtragedyledtoareviewofgroundsafetyatalltopEnglishleagueclubs,andpavedthewayforlegislationnecessitatingall-seaterstadiumsinthetop-flight.[6]
History
Mainarticle:HistoryofLiverpoolFootballClub
StevenGerrardliftingtheEuropeanCupin2005
FansontheKopholdalofttheteambadgeLiverpoolF.C.werefoundedbyJohnHouldingin1892toplayinhisAnfieldstadium.FortheprevioussevenyearsthestadiumhadbeenusedbyEvertonF.C..However,in1891,Houlding,theleaseholderofAnfield,purchasedthegroundoutrightandproposedincreasingtherentfrom£100to£250ayear.TheEvertonmembersobjected,leftAnfieldandmovedtoGoodisonPark.Withanemptygroundandjustthreeplayersremaining,Houldingdecidedtoformhisownfootballclubandon15March1892,LiverpoolFootballClubwasborn.TheoriginalnamewastobeEvertonF.C.andAthleticGrounds,Ltd.,orEvertonAthleticforshort,butwaschangedtoLiverpoolF.C.whenTheFootballAssociationrefusedtorecognisetheteamasEverton.JohnMcKennawasappointeddirectorandsignedthirteenScottishprofessionalsforthenewclub.LiverpoolwereelectedtotheFootballLeagueSecondDivisionforthe1893–94season.TheyendedtheseasonunbeatenasSecondDivisionChampions,andwerepromotedtotheFirstDivision.In1901,LiverpoolwontheirfirstFootballLeaguechampionship;afeatthatwasrepeatedin1906.TheyplayedtheirfirstFACupfinalin1914,butlost1-0toBurnley.Contrarytosomepopularopinion,LiverpoolF.C.hasstrongrootsinProtestantismratherthanCatholicism.SeveraloftheclubsearlydirectorswereconnectedtotheOrangeOrder,includingfounderJohnHouldingandJohnMcKenna.LiverpoolF.C.alsohadstrongconnectionstotheWorkingMen'sConservativeAssociation(WMCA),thepoliticalexpressionoftheLiverpoolProtestantAssociation.[7]
In1922and1923Liverpoolwontheirfirstback-to-backLeaguetitles,captainedbyEnglandfull-backEphraimLongworth.Thiswastobefollowedbythelongestbarrenspellintheclub'shistory.Post-warLiverpoolseemedtohaverecoveredwhenin1947theybecameChampionsonceagain,butitprovedtobeafalsedawn,andin1954Liverpoolwererelegated.Between1954and1962theteamlanguishedintheSeconddivisionandhadnosuccessintheFACup.Liverpool'srecordleaguedefeat,9-1toBirminghamCity,cameinDecember1954.
BillShanklywasappointedmanagerinDecember1959.OverthenextfifteenyearshetransformedLiverpoolintooneofthetopclubsidesinEurope.Withinhisfirstyear,hereleasedtwenty-fourplayersandrebuilttheteam.Inhisthirdseasonasmanager,LiverpoolwontheSecondDivisionChampionshipbyeightpointsandwerepromotedtothetopdivision,wheretheyhaveremainedeversince.
Havingstartedthe1960sintheSeconddivision,Liverpoolwouldendthatdecadeasamajordomesticpower.In1964,LiverpoolliftedtheLeagueChampionshipforthefirsttimeinseventeenyears.TheywereLeagueChampionsagainin1966,havingwontheirfirsteverFACupinthepreviousseason,beatingLeedsUnited2-1inthefinal.LiverpoolwontheireighthleaguetitleanddefeatedBorussiaMönchengladbachtowintheirfirstEuropeantrophy,theUEFACup,in1973.However,ayearlater,afteranotherFACupvictory,Shanklyretired.Hisassistant,BobPaisley,wasofferedthechancetomanagetheteam.
Paisleybecameoneofthemostsuccessfulmanagersinthehistoryoffootball.Inthenineseasonshemanagedtheclub,Liverpoolwouldwinatotaloftwenty-onetrophies,includingthreeEuropeanCups,aUEFACup,sixleaguetitlesandthreeconsecutiveLeagueCups.
Liverpool'sfirstEuropeanCupwaswonin1977.ThefinalwasplayedinRome,andLiverpooldefeatedBorussiaMönchengladbach3-1.ThenextyearLiverpoolretainedthetrophy,beatingClubBrugge1-0intheEuropeanCupfinalatWembley,andin1979theclubbrokeanotherrecordwinningtheleaguetitlewithsixty-eightpointsandonlysixteengoalsconcededinforty-twomatches.Paisley'sthirdandlastEuropeanCupvictorycamein1981witha1-0victoryinthefinaloverRealMadrid.Onlyonedomestictrophyeludedhim-theFACup.
Thesuccessionofwinningmanagersappointedfromwithintheclub'sstaffisworthyofnote.Thesemanagersareoftenreferredtoas"thebootroomboys"afterapartofAnfieldwheretheLiverpoolstaffdiscussedstrategyandallegedlystoredgin[8].JustasShanklyhadbeensucceededbyPaisley,sotoodidPaisleyhandoverthereinstohisassistant,veterancoachJoeFagan.Hewasaged63whenhebecamemanagerin1983.Inhisfirstseasonincharge,LiverpoolbecomethefirstEnglishclubtowinthreemajortrophiesinasingleseason—theLeaguetitle,theLeagueCupandtheEuropeanCup.HoweverFagan'sreignendedwithtragedythefollowingseason.In1985LiverpoolagainreachedtheEuropeanCupfinal.ThematchwasagainstJuventusandwastobeplayedatHeyselStadiumbut,beforekick-off,disasterstruck.LiverpoolfansbreachedafenceseparatingthetwogroupsofsupportersandchargedtheJuventusfans.Theresultingweightofpeoplecausedaretainingwalltocollapse,killingthirty-ninefans,mostlyItalians.ThematchwasplayedregardlessandLiverpoollost1-0toJuventus.AllEnglishclubswereconsequentlybannedfromparticipatinginEuropeancompetitionforfiveyearswithLiverpoolreceivingabanfortenyears(laterreducedtosix),whilstfourteenoftheirfansreceivedconvictionsforinvoluntarymanslaughter.TheeventisknownastheHeyselStadiumdisaster.
In1985KennyDalglish,alreadyregardedasoneofLiverpool'sgreatestplayers,becameLiverpool'sfirstplayer-manager.HisreignwouldseetheclubwinanotherthreeLeagueChampionshipsandtwoFACupsincludingaleagueandcupdoublein1985–86.However,Liverpool'ssuccesseswereovershadowedbytheHillsboroughdisaster.On15April1989,whenLiverpoolwereplayingNottinghamForestinanFACupsemi-final,hundredsofLiverpoolfanswerecrushedagainstperimeterfencing.[5]Ninety-fourfansdiedthatdayandaninety-fifthfandiedinhospitalfromhisinjuriesfourdayslater.Aninety-sixthfandiednearlyfouryearslaterneverhavingregainedconsciousness.TheTaylorReportlaterruledthatthemainreasonsforthedisasterwereovercrowdingduetoafailureofpolicecontrol.[9]
1992sawGraemeSounessinstalledasmanager.However,apartfromanFACupwininhisfirstyear,hisreignwasnotsuccessful.AfterashockexitfromtheFACupatthehandsofBristolCityatAnfield,"Bootroom"veteranRoyEvanstookover.Whilehistenuresawsomeimprovementinleagueform,infiveseasonstheclubneverfinishedhigherthanthird.Hisonlytrophywinwasthe1995LeagueCup.GérardHoullier,theformerFrenchnationalcoach,wasdraftedintotheLiverpoolmanagementteamforthe1998-99seasontoworkalongsideRoyEvans,butthepartnershipdidn'tworkoutandEvansresignedpartwaythroughtheseason.
2000–01wasLiverpool'sbestseasonformanyyearsastheteamcompletedauniquetrebleoftheFACup,LeagueCupandUEFACup.Theyfinishedsecondin2002,ayearinwhichHoulliersufferedaheartattackduringamatchwithLeedsandhadtoundergomajorheartsurgery.LiverpoollookedlikebecomingaforceinEnglishFootballonceagain,butHoullierwouldonlywinonemoretrophyinhistimeincharge,anotherLeagueCupin2003.AgainstabackgroundofgrowingdisquietamongstLiverpoolsupporters,HoullierandLiverpoolpartedbymutualconsentattheendofthe2003–04season.
SpaniardRafaelBeníteztookoverandinhisfirstseasonLiverpoolfinishedadisappointingfifthinthePremierLeague.Theseasonhadasurprisingending,however,asLiverpoolwontheirfifthEuropeanCupfinalinIstanbul.TheRedsmettheheavilyfavouredItalianclubA.C.Milaninanastonishingfinal.Liverpooltrailed3-0athalftimeandlookedmuchthepoorersideoverthefirst45minutes,buttheymadeadramaticcomebackbyscoringthreegoalsinaperiodofonlysixminutesinthesecondhalf,forcingextratime.Liverpoolwentontowinthepenaltyshoot-outthankstogoalkeeperJerzyDudek.
In2005–06Liverpoolgathered82pointsinthePremiership,theirhighestpointstotalsince1988,andwontheFACupinyetanotherdramaticfinal,thistimeagainstWestHaminwhichLiverpooltrailed3-2untilCaptainStevenGerrardfiredhomeagoalfrom35-yardsout,asthePAsystemwasannouncinginjurytime.TheyalsopickeduptheUEFASuperCupina2-1winoverCSKAMoscow.
Attheverystartofthe2006-07season,LiverpoolbeatChelsea2-1towintheCommunityShield,afterPeterCrouchscoredthewinner.
