A Brief History of Liverpool FC

It’s the middle of the week and as other clubs turn their attentions to Champions League qualifying, Liverpool gets to rest up for its weekend encounter with Swansea City. There is no European football this season as the team rebounds from a rough period.Things haven't always been this way of course, from humble beginnings Liverpool became the most successful English club ever, and one of the most successful clubs in the world.  Let’s take a moment then for a brief overview of the club’s 120-year history.

1. Liverpool Football Club Is Formed: June 3rd 1892

 
Liverpool Football Club, 1892 

On this historic day Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Ltd was formally recognized by the British Board of Trade.  Four years earlier Everton FC was formed as one of the foundation clubs of the fledgling Football League, and the club played its games on a stretch of green between Anfield Road and Walton Breck Road. The ground was owned by John Houlding who was a Tory Member of Parliament, and who would become club President, and future Mayor of Liverpool.  A dispute between Houlding and the rest of the Club executives over the rent to be paid resulted in Everton vacating the grounds. Between 1884 and 1889 the rent increased from £100 to £250 per year, yet here was Houlding proposing another rent increase in 1890, plus the bold suggestion that the club should buy Anfield (and an adjacent property from him).  The Board demurred, and the two factors parted ways.The reality, however, was that Houlding had made an interest-free loan to Everton FC and saw this opportunity as a great way to be rewarded for his initial risk in the club, as well as for the club to own its own grounds, with room for expansion.Whether he was being mercenary or a visionary depends on whether one’s perspective ran Red or Toffee blue, but no matter, Liverpool FC rose from the ashes of the dispute, and the rest as they say, is history.

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2. Reds Crowned Champions for the First Time: 29th April, 1901

 
1901 League Champions Liverpool FC

Back row: Ottey, John Glover, Andy McGuigan, Foster, John “Sailor” Hunter, Thomas John Hunter, Raby Howell. 

Middle row: Soulsby, Charlie Wilson, Sam Raybould, Tom Robertson, Bill Perkins, William Goldie, Maurice Parry, J. Chapman (Trainer) 

Front row: John Walker, Richard Morris, Alex Raisbeck, Jack Cox, Billy Dunlop.

 First Division

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts
1	Liverpool	34	19	7	8	59	35	1.686	45
2	Sunderland	34	15	13	6	57	26	2.192	43
3	Notts County	34	18	4	12	54	46	1.174	40
4	Nottingham Forest	34	16	7	11	53	36	1.472	39
5	Bury	34	16	7	11	53	37	1.432	39
6	Newcastle United	34	14	10	10	42	37	1.135	38
7	Everton	34	16	5	13	55	42	1.310	37
8	The Wednesday	34	13	10	11	52	42	1.238	36
9	Blackburn Rovers	34	12	9	13	39	47	0.830	33
10	Bolton Wanderers	34	13	7	14	39	55	0.709	33
11	Manchester City	34	13	6	15	48	58	0.828	32
12	Derby County	34	12	7	15	55	42	1.310	31
13	Wolverhampton Wanderers	34	9	13	12	39	55	0.709	31
14	Sheffield United	34	12	7	15	35	52	0.673	31
15	Aston Villa	34	10	10	14	45	51	0.882	30
16	Stoke	34	11	5	18	46	57	0.807	27
17	Preston North End	34	9	7	18	49	75	0.653	25
18	West Bromwich Albion	34	7	8	19	35	62	0.565	22

3. Bill Shankly Hired as Manager: 1st December, 1959

 

On this day Liverpool Football Club announced that Huddersfield Town boss Bill Shankly was hired to replace Phil Taylor, and a legendary association was born.Liverpool had first offered the job to Shankly, but he passed on the opportunity since the manager was not given freedom to choose the side at the time.  Nine years later the club would make Shankly the first manager to name his own lineup in hiring him on his own terms.

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4. Reds Win First FA Cup Title: 1st May, 1965

1965 FA Cup Final: Liverpool v. Leeds

Third time was the charm for Liverpool, who having lost their previous two FA Cup finals in 1914 and 1950, faced a surging  at Wembley.  Three seasons before Leeds had narrowly avoided relegation from the Second Division, now they competed for best club in the land.The scoreless game went into extra time where Liverpool took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Roger Hunt in the 93rd minute, only to see Billy Bremer equalize for Leeds seven minutes later.  The victory was sealed for Liverpool on a diving header by Ian St. John in the 113rd minute.

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5. First UEFA Cup Title: 23rd May, 1973

1973 UEFA Cup Final: Liverpool v. Borussia Dortmund

On this day Liverpool won its first UEFA cup title by defeating Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate.  Two weeks earlier Liverpool won 3-0 at Anfield, on the strength of a Kevin Keegan brace and a Larry Lloyd 61st minute strike.On the return leg the Reds held off a determined Dortmund side, which got a brace of its own from former West German great Jupp Heynckes (one of which was a curling beauty), but which could not overcome the three-goal deficit to prevent the Reds from winning their first of five UEFA Cups.

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6. Kenny Dalglish Arrives at Liverpool: 10th August, 1977

As a teenager, Kenny Dalglish was deemed neither good enough for his boyhood team, Glasgow Rangers, nor for Liverpool itself, where he went on trial.  However, by the fall of 1977 he was a bona fide star, and it cost Liverpool a then record £440,000 fee to pry him off of Celtic’s payroll.Arriving on the heels of the departure of the legendary, Kevin Keegan, Dalglish quickly silenced any doubts in the minds of supporters by scoring early in his debut with the team.  He would go on to set the team single-season scoring mark that year (since topped by Ian Rush), as well as to score  the lone goal in the 1978 UEFA Cup Championship (at 4:10) against FC Bruges. All told he would suit up for Liverpool for 13 seasons, representing the club 515 times and scoring 172 goals in the process. Voted the greatest Red ever, and one of our finest managers, the King has returned to once more lead the club to the promise land.

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7. The 1983-1984 Treble Season

Liverpool Football Club enjoyed arguably its greatest period ever during the mid-1980s, culminating with a unique treble of winning the League,  League Cup and European Cup titles in the same season.For many fans this was the last of the golden years, as tragedy soon followed on the heels of spectacular success, and it would be 20 years before Liverpool would again be crowned Champions of Europe.

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8. Heysel and Hillsborough: 1985-1989

This period is without doubt for many supporters, the least favorite aspect of our history, but it represents an indelible part of the unique history of LFC, and a testament to the club and to its supporters.We salute the 39 fans who lost their lives on that May day in 1985 in Heysel, and the 96 who perished at Hillsborough in 1989.  Enough has been written of the tragedies of late, but we can never forget those who lost their lives both in Heysel and at Hillsborough. We keep their memories alive so that they may never be forgotten, but also so that history would not be repeated in future.  To this day the clarion call for justice continues, and our voices will be heard until there is justice for those who died.

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9. Fifth UEFA Champions League Title vs. AC Milan: 25th May, 2005

Liverpool met AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final of 2005, played in Istanbul Turkey.  In what is beyond doubt the greatest game in club history, Liverpool overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit to tie the game and take it into extra time and then penalty kicks where the club prevailed.

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10. Kenny Dalglish Returns to Liverpool: 8th January, 2010

Kenny Dalglish was named caretaker manager on this day, after Roy Hodgson was relieved of his duties and thanked for his service.  Dalglish had been advising at the club’s Academy, assisting with the development of the club’s young talent before being named manager.Today with new ownership in place, Liverpool has spent over £100 million on fresh talent so as to provide Dalglish with the talent he needs to secure the clubs return to its winning ways.  The Anfield renaissance remains very much a work in progress, but spirits are buoyed both in the stands and on the pitch.There is much work to be done, and the club hopes to continue to build on the rich foundation established by men such as John Houlding, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Rafa Benitez and Kenny Dalglish.

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Another Derby, Another Home Win – Tottenham’s Midfield Maestros Turn The Screw As Champions League Form Continues

Harry Redknapp's side capture the imagination in centre of park, as Parker, Modric, Bale, Lennon and Van der Vaart out-play, out-think and out-class QPR

Getty images

Tottenham are embarking on the sort of run that more than suggests they’ll be in the fray at the business end of the year. Since the dual disappointment of losing out to both Manchester clubs in back-to-back Premier League games to start their season, Spurs have gone 11 games undefeated in all competitions.
During this spell, six wins and two draws in the Premier League have hauled Harry Redknapp’s side up to level on points with Chelsea, with a game in hand. And with their west London counterparts stuttering and Spurs arguably only just stumbling upon their strongest starting shape, it is fair to say that it is Tottenham who are in the ascendancy

The match against QPR was the second time Redknapp was able to field the midfield quintet of Luka Modric, Scott Parker, Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Rafael van der Vaart sitting deep. The five of them ran riot.

SPURS' MIDFIELD MAESTROS
AARON LENNON
8	Intelligent running in off the line made Traore’s day an absolute nightmare. Probed well and was inquisitive all game, providing both assists for Bale's strikes.
SCOTT PARKER
9	Set the tone for Spurs’ first half masterclass and rolled his sleeves up when the tide had threatened to turn.
RAFAEL VAN DER VAART
8.5	Was in the thick of things from the off and was fully deserving of equally Spurs’ record for consecutive Premier League games scored in.
LUKA MODRIC
8	Desperately unlucky not to score with an outrageous volley from a training ground corner. Coasted through the game, pulling strings all afternoon.
GARETH BALE
9	Beautiful exchanges with Lennon on the edge of the box, followed by a curled finish into the top corner won the game.

An early indicator of the afternoon in store came within moments of the kick-off, with Paddy Kenny sprawling down to his left to deny Van der Vaart’s smart turn and effort and from there, especially in the first half, Tottenham were absolutely brimming with confidence. One and two-touch passing was mixed with a pace, power and directness which made the hosts, at times, totally unplayable.
Gareth Bale's opener was an apt example of this hybridity. Brad Friedel’s long ball was won comfortably in the air by Emmanuel Adebayor. The knockdown was seized upon by Van der Vaart and after a few swift touches, via Lennon, Bale was rifling the ball into the back of the net.
For the second Van der Vaart collected Ledley King’s inadvertent pass, swivelled on the spot and dispatched into the net before anyone in orange quite knew what was happening. In between that and Bale’s decisive and intricate second, Spurs could and should have had a hatful.
It was evident that Neil Warnock set up shop to stifle Tottenham’s fluidity in the middle of the park. Yet in the first half, the gap in quality between both sets of midfield was as big as I have seen so far this season. It took the QPR boss’ surprising decision to bring on Jamie Mackie and Jay Bothroyd at half-time to alter the pattern of the game, yet even this shift proved just a temporary respite.

At the centre of the Spurs domination was the increasing effective looking duo Modric and Parker. The two are proving the perfect foil for each other at the heart of things, with a combination of graft and guile setting the tone for an industrious performance that utilised the strengths the home side had in abundance. Joey Barton identified Modric as the Premier League’s best midfielder after the game yet for me, it was Parker who stole the show, conducting the affair in the middle.

Every time either Bale or Lennon was given the opportunity to open their legs, you could quite literally almost hear Wigan being torn to shreds. Aside from having the pace to unsettle any defender, both wingers cut in from their respective flanks to devastating effect, lending Spurs the fluidity that made them look such an exciting prospect any time they were on the front foot.
The star man, at the moment, is Van der Vaart. Recalling his form from this exact same time period last year, the Dutchman has emphatically proved that his natural place in the Spurs side is in the hole, just off Adebayor’s spearhead of the quintet.
Having already tucked a few of the games against potential top four rivals under their belt, Redknapp’s side have a spate of fixtures in the run-in to Christmas that they will view as very winnable. On current from, you shouldn’t bet against them either.

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Tevez Has A Final Chance??

Roberto Mancini Offers Manchester City Striker Carlos Tevez Another Chance If He Apologises For Bayern Munich Snub: If He Does, Everything Will Be As Before

The Italian has given the player a lifeline to stay so long as he says he is sorry for refusing to play and also denies any talk of a straight swap with Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi

Getty Images

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says he would be “the first to forgive” striker Carlos Tevez if the Argentine apologises for refusing to warm up during the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

Tevez was suspended for two weeks as the club made their enquiry that determined he was guilty of several breaches of contract, incurring a fine worth four weeks' wages, though this has since been halved.

Mancini claimed he would never play the striker again following the dispute, but Tevez has threatened legal action against the Italian for accusing him of refusing to play in Munich.
And the manager has given the striker a lifeline by saying that things will be back to normal if he says sorry for the incident.

Mancini told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "Everything depends on Carlos. If he apologises to the squad and to me then everything will be as before. If he doesn't then Tevez has a value that everyone knows and something will happen in January.

"He is totally unprepared and being badly advised. I don't want it to be like this and I would be the first to forgive him."

Reacting to speculation that Tevez might be heading to Serie A outfit Napoli in a straight swap for Ezequiel Lavezzi, he said: "No one from City will be given away."

Read More

Tevez Has A Final Chance??

Roberto Mancini Offers Manchester City Striker Carlos Tevez Another Chance If He Apologises For Bayern Munich Snub: If He Does, Everything Will Be As Before

The Italian has given the player a lifeline to stay so long as he says he is sorry for refusing to play and also denies any talk of a straight swap with Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi

Getty Images

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says he would be “the first to forgive” striker Carlos Tevez if the Argentine apologises for refusing to warm up during the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

Tevez was suspended for two weeks as the club made their enquiry that determined he was guilty of several breaches of contract, incurring a fine worth four weeks' wages, though this has since been halved.

Mancini claimed he would never play the striker again following the dispute, but Tevez has threatened legal action against the Italian for accusing him of refusing to play in Munich.
And the manager has given the striker a lifeline by saying that things will be back to normal if he says sorry for the incident.

Mancini told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "Everything depends on Carlos. If he apologises to the squad and to me then everything will be as before. If he doesn't then Tevez has a value that everyone knows and something will happen in January.

"He is totally unprepared and being badly advised. I don't want it to be like this and I would be the first to forgive him."

Reacting to speculation that Tevez might be heading to Serie A outfit Napoli in a straight swap for Ezequiel Lavezzi, he said: "No one from City will be given away."

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Finally The Full Evidence Against John "Racist" Terry
We Can Clearly See Him Saying -> " YOU FU**ING BLACK C**T, Fu**ing knobhead.... Police are invstigating it, all they have to do is look at this !!

This Is Really Direspectful! Terry should be banned even chelsea supporters should be against him!!

It Time For David Luiz to Come Up!

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Finally The Full Evidence Against John "Racist" Terry

We Can Clearly See Him Saying -> " YOU FU**ING BLACK C**T, Fu**ing knobhead.... Police are invstigating it, all they have to do is look at this !!

This Is Really Direspectful! Terry should be banned even chelsea supporters should be against him!!

It Time For David Luiz to Come Up!

Read More