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It's impossible to do a definitive list of what makes a football club and its fans what they are. Millions of small events - and some big ones - come together to build up a sense of culture, well thats what I believe. Everyone's list will be different and some will give more value to certain events.
If you're a Liverpool fan, though, you should know about these things. And maybe it will hint at the joy and pain supporting Liverpool has brought me over the years.
50. Hell’s angels, February 26, 2002
There was plenty of apprehension for any British fans going to Istanbul in the early years of this decade. After all, two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death in 2000 before playing Galatasaray and the locals’ ‘Welcome to Hell’ banners had sent shivers down Manchester United spines. However, Liverpool’s visit to Gala in the second Champions League group was different. The visiting fans’ approach was summed up with a banner; “Welcome to hell my arse. If you think this is hell, try the Grafton on a Friday night.”
The Grafton is a nightclub, famous for ‘grab-a-granny’ nights, where innocent young scallies find themselves at the mercy of predatory Liverpool divorcees. But the attitude was perfect: no fear, no aggressive confrontation and a slice of humour. It sums up the best attributes of the modern Liverpool fan. And, since then, every time the Reds have played in Istanbul, the local supporters have joined their party. And this is the essence of this list. The culture of football is about more than players and managers – in ten years, most of them will have moved on. It exists and grows through the supporters as much as the team.
49. John Houlding creates an alehouse team, March 15, 1892
The strict Methodists who formed St Domingo FC – later Everton - were never going to get on with the brewer who ran the club from the Sandon pub. Houlding owned Anfield and argued with his colleagues over the rent and their refusal to sell his sparkling ale at the ground. When the schism occurred, Everton decamped from Anfield as reigning champions, Houlding formed a new club, Liverpool. Without Houlding, we might all support a little club and have serious thirsts…
48. Red all over, November 1, 1964
Bill Shankly had a brainwave – to discard the team’s white shorts and wear all red. He chose Ron Yeats for his experiment. After training, Big Ron was sent to put on new shorts. Shankly liked what he saw: “Christ son, you look about seven foot tall, we’re going to play in all-red from now on.” Every player grew a few inches when they listened to Shankly and dressed in red. Another small step on the path to greatness.
47. First post war champions, 1947
If ever a city need a boost after the Second World War, it was Liverpool. Bombed heavily, the city was in ruins and short of supplies. The team wasn’t though. Billy Liddell provided Jackie Balmer and Albert Stubbins with the ammunition to shoot the Reds to the top with a team fit for heroes.
46. Red Stars and falling stars, autumn 1973
Fresh from winning the Uefa Cup and the title, Shankly went into the 1973-74 European Cup campaign with high hopes. Red Star Belgrade showed Liverpool how far they had to go to be successful, however. The side from what was then Yugoslavia snuffed the Anfield challenge out at the first hurdle, winning both legs 2-1. It was time for more creative thinking from Shankly. He realised that a traditional British centre half like Larry Lloyd, who played in both legs, was a liability in Europe. Lloyd was soon on his way out of Anfield, replaced by the more ball-literate Phil Thompson and Liverpool were back on the path to glory. The hapless Lloyd would eventually get his consolation – two European Cup medals with Nottingham Forest
45. Howard Gayle in Munich, 1981
Bayern had come to Anfield, got a 0-0 draw in the semi-final of the European Cup and headed home to plan the trip to the final in Paris. Things got worse in the second leg of the Bavarian capital when Kenny Dalglish was injured in the first 10 minutes. On came Gayle, the club’s first black player of the modern age, bringing some Liverpool 8 attitude with him. Bayern kicked him, he kicked back – harder - and, when his heroic performance was finished and he was substituted, the German side were in trouble. Ray Kennedy scored late to finish them off and though the home side levelled the score, Liverpool were through.
44. Watford 1 Liverpool 0, FA Cup sixth round, February 21, 1970
The 1960s had been good to Merseyside. The Beatles ruled the world and Liverpool were on the rise. By 1970, the Fab Four were gone and it looked the same fate for Shankly’s team when they were humiliated by Watford, who were struggling a division below Liverpool. But Shanks knew how to change his tune: out went Ian St John, Ron Yeats, Roger Hunt and Tommy Lawrence – the old stagers. In came Kevin Keegan, Steve Heighway, Larry Lloyd and Ray Clemence. The 70s were looking up, suddenly.
43. Robbie Fowler’s protest, Liverpool v Brann, Cup-Winners’ Cup quarter-final, March 20,1997
“It may seem strange and even unfair..." Too bloody right. Even Uefa knew in its statement that it was wrong to fine Fowler £900 after he displayed a shirt supporting sacked Liverpool dockers while celebrating his second goal in a 3-0 win. Through the dark days of the 1990s, as football players lost their link with the fan on the terraces, Fowler remained one of us. Would Shankly have done it? Yes. It is not only goals we remember. Incidentally, Fowler was also banned for a goal celebration that mimicked drug-taking. Paul Merson was lauded for admitting taking real drugs. Strange. Unfair.
42. Kop takes shape, 1906
A mound of earth on Walton Breck Road was created for the growing numbers of fans to watch the team. It was called the ‘Spion Kop’ after a battle in the Boer War six years earlier. It was not the only Kop – low hill in Afrikaans – nor the first. But it would become the greatest.
41. Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0, FA Cup Final, May 14, 1988
The pinnacle of Wimbledon’s climb from non-League to Cup winners will be remembered as long as football is played. And yet the victory would have had less resonance had the opposition been any other side. Liverpool were arguable the best team in Europe and played like it until Peter Beardsley had a goal disallowed by the referee, Brian Hill, who awarded the subsequent foul against Wimbledon. Still, funny how we’re there for the historic moments.
40. Take it as red we’re Liverpool, 1899
After the break with Everton, the new club in the city wore blue-and-white halved shirts. Then, just as the 19th century came to an end, Liverpool adoped red shirts – Everton switched from pink to blue. Shortly after, the Reds took the Liver Bird, the symbol of the city, as part of the badge. The die was cast and there would never be a need for a ‘People’s Club’ style rebranding of the team associated with the city.
39. The American take over at Anfield, March 28, 2007
After months of uncertainty, George Gillett and Tom Hicks confirmed their takeover of the club. Those who expected Glazer-style protests were confounded. The fans are welcoming, if cautious – as long as the new boys don’t mess with the traditions of the club.
38. Dalglish resigns, February 22, 1991
Sir Alex Ferguson, with characteristic obscenity, says his greatest achievement is “knocking Liverpool off their f****** perch”. When Kenny Dalglish resigned as manager after Liverpool threw away a quartet of leads in the 4-4 draw with Everton in the FA Cup, the team were top of the league. Dalglish left, emotionally in tatters, another victim of Hillsborough. Manchester United filled the vacuum created by tragedy, that’s all. But expecting humility from Ferguson is too much. Grim years loomed ahead.
37. Panorama, 1964
The Kop had been making a big noise for some time, but it came to the nation’s attention with the BBC’s Panorama featured the crowd singing on a programme called ‘The Other Mersey Sound’. Afterwards, the whole nation wanted to be like the Kop. Why wouldn’t they? After all, any terrace that could sing ‘Anyone who ever had a heart’ and ‘She loves you’ like that... The Kop rocks.
36. Liverpool 1 AC Milan 2, Champions League final, Athens, May 23, 2007
Mass bunk-ins and ticket snatching hit the headlines in the aftermath of defeat but, while the glare of publicity focused on the minority of wrongdoers, the massed body of Liverpool support stood, almost to a man, and applauded Milan on their lap of honour with the Cup. William Gaillard had obviously nipped back inside to get the prawn sandwiches while this was going on.
35. Liverpool 3 Borussia Mönchengladbach 0, Uefa Cup final, first leg, May 10, 1973
The game kicked off on May 9 and, with the German side looking comfortable after 27 minutes, the match was abandoned after a torrential rain storm. The next night it was 10p at the gate on the terraces and Shankly had noticed the opposition’s weakness in the air. John Toshack, who had been left out 24 hours previously, was selected and caused havoc. Liverpool took a three-goal lead to Germany – just as well, as Mönchengladbach won 2-0 in the second leg.
34. The end of an era, July 12, 1974
The unthinkable news shocked the city. Shankly had resigned. People wept on the streets while the great man gave a strangely composed press conference to announce his departure. A sad day but Shankly’s spirit would never leave the club.
33. 1978-79
Where do you start with a season like this? The 7-0 rout of Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield? The 3-0 victory at Old Trafford? One of the finest teams ever to play in England cruised to the title with crushing dominance. Four defeats, 85 goals scored and a mere 16 against. Ah, but Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles went a season unbeaten in 2003-04, you say. But did they have the European champions in the division? A stunning year in more competitive times.
32. Liverpool 1 FC Bruges 0, European Cup final, May 10, 1978
Not much of a spectacle but doubling the tally of European Cups meant a great deal to fans of the Reds. And it made a point to Kevin Keegan, who had left Anfield the previous summer “for the challenge” and joined SV Hamburg. “What greater challenge,” Kenny Dalglish, who arrived from Celtic to take over Keegan’s No7 shirt, asked, “is there than to retain the European Cup?” By the time Kenny jumped the advertising hoardings to celebrate his winning goal, Keegan was long forgotten.
31. John Barnes signs, July 19, 1987
There was some resentment among Liverpool fans when the club was linked with Barnes. The knee-jerk reaction was to assume it was a matter of race. It wasn’t. Barnes had flirted with Arsenal when Dalglish’s interest was clear and there was a general feeling that the Watford winger did not want to come to Anfield. All doubts disappeared when the Kop saw him play. Part of a team – alongside Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge up front - that rivalled the great Liverpool sides.
30. Liverpool 5 Alaves 4, Uefa Cup final, Dortmund, May 16, 2001
After such a long time off the big European stage, it was only fitting that Liverpool should renew their trophy-winning ways in such dramatic style. On the perfect stage, Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion, Alaves' Delfi Geli scored a golden own-goal in a see-sawing match to add the Uefa Cup to Liverpool's knockout treble of the FA Cup and League Cup. The travelling Kop were back in Europe in big numbers. The way “You’ll never walk alone” resonated around the best football stadium in the world created one of the game’s great sounds.
29. Shankly’s first title, 1964
Promoted in 1962, Shankly was never one to sit around mid-table, especially with Everton winning the league in the Reds’ first year back in the top flight. His ambition was to create a ‘bastion of invincibility’ at Anfield and the plan was coming to fruition. Manchester United, the main challengers, were beaten 3-0 on Merseyside in March and Arsenal were walloped 5-0 to seal the trophy. Five years after arriving at the club, Shankly was ready to take on Europe.
28. How to handle defeat, 1971
On the train back from London after losing to Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, Shankly asked Brian Hall, a university graduate: “Who’s that chairman with the red book.” Hall was bemused. “You know, in China.”
“Mao,” Hall said and Shankly changes the subject. When they arrived in Liverpool, Shankly addressed the crowds waiting outside the Town Hall. After praising their support and behaviour at Wembley, he surveyed the crowd with pride. “Even Chairman Mao has never seen such a display of Red strength,” he crowed. You still wonder why we’d follow him anywhere?
27. Athens ticket fiasco
Nothing could shake Liverpool supporters’ loyalty. At least that was the theory until the club allocated tickets for the Champions League final this year. Thousands of season-ticket holders were left disappointed by the bizarre distribution method and fewer tickets than expected appeared to reach the fans. Rick Parry, the chief executive, exacerbated the problem by refusing “to play the numbers game”. The mess prompted a protest march and anger. Banners complaining about the allocation have since been suppressed at Anfield. So much for the 12th man.
26. Liverpool 0 Everton 0, League Cup final, March 25, 1984
During the dark days of Thatcherism, a match in London was as much a political statement as a football trip. Thousands of ski-hatted Scousers, Blue and Red, disgorged from trains into Euston station singing in support of the Miners and Liverpool’s Militant Council. Scouse power in action.
If you're a Liverpool fan, though, you should know about these things. And maybe it will hint at the joy and pain supporting Liverpool has brought me over the years.
50. Hell’s angels, February 26, 2002
There was plenty of apprehension for any British fans going to Istanbul in the early years of this decade. After all, two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death in 2000 before playing Galatasaray and the locals’ ‘Welcome to Hell’ banners had sent shivers down Manchester United spines. However, Liverpool’s visit to Gala in the second Champions League group was different. The visiting fans’ approach was summed up with a banner; “Welcome to hell my arse. If you think this is hell, try the Grafton on a Friday night.”
The Grafton is a nightclub, famous for ‘grab-a-granny’ nights, where innocent young scallies find themselves at the mercy of predatory Liverpool divorcees. But the attitude was perfect: no fear, no aggressive confrontation and a slice of humour. It sums up the best attributes of the modern Liverpool fan. And, since then, every time the Reds have played in Istanbul, the local supporters have joined their party. And this is the essence of this list. The culture of football is about more than players and managers – in ten years, most of them will have moved on. It exists and grows through the supporters as much as the team.
49. John Houlding creates an alehouse team, March 15, 1892
The strict Methodists who formed St Domingo FC – later Everton - were never going to get on with the brewer who ran the club from the Sandon pub. Houlding owned Anfield and argued with his colleagues over the rent and their refusal to sell his sparkling ale at the ground. When the schism occurred, Everton decamped from Anfield as reigning champions, Houlding formed a new club, Liverpool. Without Houlding, we might all support a little club and have serious thirsts…
48. Red all over, November 1, 1964
Bill Shankly had a brainwave – to discard the team’s white shorts and wear all red. He chose Ron Yeats for his experiment. After training, Big Ron was sent to put on new shorts. Shankly liked what he saw: “Christ son, you look about seven foot tall, we’re going to play in all-red from now on.” Every player grew a few inches when they listened to Shankly and dressed in red. Another small step on the path to greatness.
47. First post war champions, 1947
If ever a city need a boost after the Second World War, it was Liverpool. Bombed heavily, the city was in ruins and short of supplies. The team wasn’t though. Billy Liddell provided Jackie Balmer and Albert Stubbins with the ammunition to shoot the Reds to the top with a team fit for heroes.
46. Red Stars and falling stars, autumn 1973
Fresh from winning the Uefa Cup and the title, Shankly went into the 1973-74 European Cup campaign with high hopes. Red Star Belgrade showed Liverpool how far they had to go to be successful, however. The side from what was then Yugoslavia snuffed the Anfield challenge out at the first hurdle, winning both legs 2-1. It was time for more creative thinking from Shankly. He realised that a traditional British centre half like Larry Lloyd, who played in both legs, was a liability in Europe. Lloyd was soon on his way out of Anfield, replaced by the more ball-literate Phil Thompson and Liverpool were back on the path to glory. The hapless Lloyd would eventually get his consolation – two European Cup medals with Nottingham Forest
45. Howard Gayle in Munich, 1981
Bayern had come to Anfield, got a 0-0 draw in the semi-final of the European Cup and headed home to plan the trip to the final in Paris. Things got worse in the second leg of the Bavarian capital when Kenny Dalglish was injured in the first 10 minutes. On came Gayle, the club’s first black player of the modern age, bringing some Liverpool 8 attitude with him. Bayern kicked him, he kicked back – harder - and, when his heroic performance was finished and he was substituted, the German side were in trouble. Ray Kennedy scored late to finish them off and though the home side levelled the score, Liverpool were through.
44. Watford 1 Liverpool 0, FA Cup sixth round, February 21, 1970
The 1960s had been good to Merseyside. The Beatles ruled the world and Liverpool were on the rise. By 1970, the Fab Four were gone and it looked the same fate for Shankly’s team when they were humiliated by Watford, who were struggling a division below Liverpool. But Shanks knew how to change his tune: out went Ian St John, Ron Yeats, Roger Hunt and Tommy Lawrence – the old stagers. In came Kevin Keegan, Steve Heighway, Larry Lloyd and Ray Clemence. The 70s were looking up, suddenly.
43. Robbie Fowler’s protest, Liverpool v Brann, Cup-Winners’ Cup quarter-final, March 20,1997
“It may seem strange and even unfair..." Too bloody right. Even Uefa knew in its statement that it was wrong to fine Fowler £900 after he displayed a shirt supporting sacked Liverpool dockers while celebrating his second goal in a 3-0 win. Through the dark days of the 1990s, as football players lost their link with the fan on the terraces, Fowler remained one of us. Would Shankly have done it? Yes. It is not only goals we remember. Incidentally, Fowler was also banned for a goal celebration that mimicked drug-taking. Paul Merson was lauded for admitting taking real drugs. Strange. Unfair.
42. Kop takes shape, 1906
A mound of earth on Walton Breck Road was created for the growing numbers of fans to watch the team. It was called the ‘Spion Kop’ after a battle in the Boer War six years earlier. It was not the only Kop – low hill in Afrikaans – nor the first. But it would become the greatest.
41. Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0, FA Cup Final, May 14, 1988
The pinnacle of Wimbledon’s climb from non-League to Cup winners will be remembered as long as football is played. And yet the victory would have had less resonance had the opposition been any other side. Liverpool were arguable the best team in Europe and played like it until Peter Beardsley had a goal disallowed by the referee, Brian Hill, who awarded the subsequent foul against Wimbledon. Still, funny how we’re there for the historic moments.
40. Take it as red we’re Liverpool, 1899
After the break with Everton, the new club in the city wore blue-and-white halved shirts. Then, just as the 19th century came to an end, Liverpool adoped red shirts – Everton switched from pink to blue. Shortly after, the Reds took the Liver Bird, the symbol of the city, as part of the badge. The die was cast and there would never be a need for a ‘People’s Club’ style rebranding of the team associated with the city.
39. The American take over at Anfield, March 28, 2007
After months of uncertainty, George Gillett and Tom Hicks confirmed their takeover of the club. Those who expected Glazer-style protests were confounded. The fans are welcoming, if cautious – as long as the new boys don’t mess with the traditions of the club.
38. Dalglish resigns, February 22, 1991
Sir Alex Ferguson, with characteristic obscenity, says his greatest achievement is “knocking Liverpool off their f****** perch”. When Kenny Dalglish resigned as manager after Liverpool threw away a quartet of leads in the 4-4 draw with Everton in the FA Cup, the team were top of the league. Dalglish left, emotionally in tatters, another victim of Hillsborough. Manchester United filled the vacuum created by tragedy, that’s all. But expecting humility from Ferguson is too much. Grim years loomed ahead.
37. Panorama, 1964
The Kop had been making a big noise for some time, but it came to the nation’s attention with the BBC’s Panorama featured the crowd singing on a programme called ‘The Other Mersey Sound’. Afterwards, the whole nation wanted to be like the Kop. Why wouldn’t they? After all, any terrace that could sing ‘Anyone who ever had a heart’ and ‘She loves you’ like that... The Kop rocks.
36. Liverpool 1 AC Milan 2, Champions League final, Athens, May 23, 2007
Mass bunk-ins and ticket snatching hit the headlines in the aftermath of defeat but, while the glare of publicity focused on the minority of wrongdoers, the massed body of Liverpool support stood, almost to a man, and applauded Milan on their lap of honour with the Cup. William Gaillard had obviously nipped back inside to get the prawn sandwiches while this was going on.
35. Liverpool 3 Borussia Mönchengladbach 0, Uefa Cup final, first leg, May 10, 1973
The game kicked off on May 9 and, with the German side looking comfortable after 27 minutes, the match was abandoned after a torrential rain storm. The next night it was 10p at the gate on the terraces and Shankly had noticed the opposition’s weakness in the air. John Toshack, who had been left out 24 hours previously, was selected and caused havoc. Liverpool took a three-goal lead to Germany – just as well, as Mönchengladbach won 2-0 in the second leg.
34. The end of an era, July 12, 1974
The unthinkable news shocked the city. Shankly had resigned. People wept on the streets while the great man gave a strangely composed press conference to announce his departure. A sad day but Shankly’s spirit would never leave the club.
33. 1978-79
Where do you start with a season like this? The 7-0 rout of Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield? The 3-0 victory at Old Trafford? One of the finest teams ever to play in England cruised to the title with crushing dominance. Four defeats, 85 goals scored and a mere 16 against. Ah, but Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles went a season unbeaten in 2003-04, you say. But did they have the European champions in the division? A stunning year in more competitive times.
32. Liverpool 1 FC Bruges 0, European Cup final, May 10, 1978
Not much of a spectacle but doubling the tally of European Cups meant a great deal to fans of the Reds. And it made a point to Kevin Keegan, who had left Anfield the previous summer “for the challenge” and joined SV Hamburg. “What greater challenge,” Kenny Dalglish, who arrived from Celtic to take over Keegan’s No7 shirt, asked, “is there than to retain the European Cup?” By the time Kenny jumped the advertising hoardings to celebrate his winning goal, Keegan was long forgotten.
31. John Barnes signs, July 19, 1987
There was some resentment among Liverpool fans when the club was linked with Barnes. The knee-jerk reaction was to assume it was a matter of race. It wasn’t. Barnes had flirted with Arsenal when Dalglish’s interest was clear and there was a general feeling that the Watford winger did not want to come to Anfield. All doubts disappeared when the Kop saw him play. Part of a team – alongside Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge up front - that rivalled the great Liverpool sides.
30. Liverpool 5 Alaves 4, Uefa Cup final, Dortmund, May 16, 2001
After such a long time off the big European stage, it was only fitting that Liverpool should renew their trophy-winning ways in such dramatic style. On the perfect stage, Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion, Alaves' Delfi Geli scored a golden own-goal in a see-sawing match to add the Uefa Cup to Liverpool's knockout treble of the FA Cup and League Cup. The travelling Kop were back in Europe in big numbers. The way “You’ll never walk alone” resonated around the best football stadium in the world created one of the game’s great sounds.
29. Shankly’s first title, 1964
Promoted in 1962, Shankly was never one to sit around mid-table, especially with Everton winning the league in the Reds’ first year back in the top flight. His ambition was to create a ‘bastion of invincibility’ at Anfield and the plan was coming to fruition. Manchester United, the main challengers, were beaten 3-0 on Merseyside in March and Arsenal were walloped 5-0 to seal the trophy. Five years after arriving at the club, Shankly was ready to take on Europe.
28. How to handle defeat, 1971
On the train back from London after losing to Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, Shankly asked Brian Hall, a university graduate: “Who’s that chairman with the red book.” Hall was bemused. “You know, in China.”
“Mao,” Hall said and Shankly changes the subject. When they arrived in Liverpool, Shankly addressed the crowds waiting outside the Town Hall. After praising their support and behaviour at Wembley, he surveyed the crowd with pride. “Even Chairman Mao has never seen such a display of Red strength,” he crowed. You still wonder why we’d follow him anywhere?
27. Athens ticket fiasco
Nothing could shake Liverpool supporters’ loyalty. At least that was the theory until the club allocated tickets for the Champions League final this year. Thousands of season-ticket holders were left disappointed by the bizarre distribution method and fewer tickets than expected appeared to reach the fans. Rick Parry, the chief executive, exacerbated the problem by refusing “to play the numbers game”. The mess prompted a protest march and anger. Banners complaining about the allocation have since been suppressed at Anfield. So much for the 12th man.
26. Liverpool 0 Everton 0, League Cup final, March 25, 1984
During the dark days of Thatcherism, a match in London was as much a political statement as a football trip. Thousands of ski-hatted Scousers, Blue and Red, disgorged from trains into Euston station singing in support of the Miners and Liverpool’s Militant Council. Scouse power in action.
(at least I hope its a joke)
