Friday, November 11, 2005


Football History: Liverpool FC

Liverpool Football Club (also known simply as Liverpool) is an English football club based in the North-West of England. It is the most successful team ever to have played in the English league. Since its founding in 1892, Liverpool has won five European Cups, the most recent in the 2004-5 season, and eighteen Football League titles. The club's home ground is the 45,362 capacity Anfield stadium, which is about three miles from the centre of Liverpool.

Liverpool F.C. were formed by John Houlding in 1892, being elected to the Football League alongside Woolwich Arsenal two years later. In 1901 Scottish international Alex Raisbeck was the first Liverpool captain to collect the Football League championship, and Liverpool were league champions again in 1906.

Liverpool lost their first FA Cup final to Burnley in 1914. In 1922 and again in 1923, captained by England full back Ephraim Longworth, Liverpool were champions. In 1946-7, the first season after World War 2, Liverpool were surprise League champions. Over a decade of mediocrity was to follow.

Bill Shankly is largely credited with bringing Liverpool from relative obscurity to the forefront of English football. He was appointed manager of Liverpool before the start of the 1959-60 season when they were in the Football League Second Division. Promotion to the Football League First Division was achieved in 1962 when Liverpool won the Second Division championship. Liverpool won the First Division Championship in 1964 and regained it two years later (1966), winning their first FA Cup in the season between their two title triumphs (1965). Liverpool won their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1973.

Success continued under Joe Fagan whose first season (1983-84) saw Liverpool set some of the most impressive records in English football. They won their fourth successive League Cup and their third successive League Championship as well as winning the European Cup for the fourth time in eight seasons.

Joe Fagan's second and final season as Liverpool manager had a traumatic ending when 39 supporters attending the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus were killed in the Heysel Stadium disaster. Kenny Dalglish succeeded him, clinching a Football League Championship/FA Cup double success in his first season, only the fifth team in English football to achieve such a feat. Two seasons later, Liverpool regained the League Championship, before a shocking 1-0 FA Cup final defeat against minnows Wimbledon.

Despite his successes, Dalglish's stint as manager was overshadowed by the tragic death in 1989 of 96 Liverpool supporters at the FA Cup semi final against Nottingham Forest, commonly referred to as the Hillsborough disaster. That season Liverpool dramatically lost the League Championship to Arsenal in the final match of the season. Liverpool's most recent league title was won in 1989-90, Dalglish's last full season in charge.

The past fifteen years have been relatively barren for Liverpool, with the domestic game being dominated by Manchester United and Arsenal. The major exceptions to this are the remarkable 2000-01 season, when Liverpool won three major cups, and the 2004-05 season when they won the European Cup under current manager Rafael Benítez.

Statistics:

• First Division titles 18*
  • 1901, 1906, 1922, 1923, 1947, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990
• Football League Second Division Champions 4
  • 1894, 1896, 1905, 1962
• Lancashire League Champions 1
  • 1893
• UEFA Champions League 5*
  • 1977 3-1 vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach
  • 1978 1-0 vs. Club Brugge
  • 1981 1-0 vs. Real Madrid
  • 1984 1-1 (4-2 in penalty shootout) vs. AS Roma
  • 2005 3-3 (3-2 in penalty shootout) vs. AC Milan
• UEFA Cup Winners 3*
  • 1973, 1976, 2001
• FA Cup Winners 6
  • 1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001
• FA Youth Cup Winners 1
  • 1996
• League Cup Winners 7*
  • 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003
• FA Community Shield Winners 14
  • 1964+, 1965+, 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977+, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986+, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2001
• European Super Cup Winners 3*
  • 1977, 2001, 2005
• Super Cup Winners 1
  • 1986
• Reserves Division One Winners 16
  • 1957, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 2000

* Comments:
Liverpool is the current European Powerhouse having beaten the likes of AC Milan, local rivals Chelsea and yes, even the mighty Bianconeri (Juventus). Sadly though, it's been a long time since Liverpool won the Premiership. They remain at the middle of the table and still aren't credible contenders for the League title. But maybe... just maybe they can win it.

Personally, I love their captain, Steven Gerrard because he really is the best defensive midfielder in the world. I usually play a defensive mid during games so he is someone who I look up too. Considering he is just 25, he's already a soccer legend because of his inspiring heroics during that fateful and unforgettable day in Istanbul (Don't know?Watch ESPN). When it comes to DMs gerrard is the guy. Lucky for Liverpool he never left even if he was offered much more than what Liverpool can offer.

6:08 PM