Liverpool F.C.

Infobox Football club
current = Liverpool F.C. season 2008-09


fullname = Liverpool Football Club
nickname = The Reds
founded = 1892
(by John Houlding)
ground = Anfield
Liverpool, England
capacity = 45,362
chairman =flagicon|USA Tom Hicks (co-chairman)
flagicon|USA George Gillett (co-chairman)
manager = flagicon|ESP Rafael Benítez
league = Premier League
season = 2007–08
position = Premier League, 4th
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Liverpool Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Liverpool, England. Liverpool play in the Premier League, and are the most successful club in the history of English football, having won more trophies than any other English club. They have won a record 18 First Division titles, and seven FA Cups. Liverpool have won five European Cups, which is an English record. They have also won the League Cup a record seven times.

The club were founded in 1892, though they had limited success until the appointment of Bill Shankly as manager. Under Shankly Liverpool won 3 League Championship titles, 2 FA Cups and the club's first European trophy the UEFA Cup. During the past 30 years they have been one of the most successful clubs in English and European football, winning four European Cups from between 1977 and 1984. The club experienced a lean period during the 90s, but enjoyed a revival following the advent of the millennium winning a cup treble in 2001, and the club's fifth European Cup in 2005.

The club's traditional colours were red and white, however this was changed to all red in the 1960s. Likewise the club's crest has evolved throughout their history, with flames being added to the crest following the Hillsborough Disaster to honour the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the disaster. At the Heysel Stadium Disaster, 39 Juventus fans died when a wall collapsed after crowd trouble in the 1985 European Cup Final.

Liverpool have played at Anfield since their formation, although there are plans to move to a new stadium in Stanley Park, which is due to be completed by 2011.

Liverpool have a large and diverse fan base, who hold a string of long-standing rivalries with several other clubs; the most notable of these is with neighbours Everton, with whom they regularly contest the Merseyside derby. Liverpool also have a fierce rivalry with Manchester United, due to the success of both clubs, as well as their proximity to each other.

History

In 1891 John Houlding, the leaseholder of Anfield stadium, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 per year. Everton, who had played at Anfield for seven years, refused to meet his demands and moved to Goodison Park. [cite web| url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/1882.htm |title=LFC Story | publisher=Liverpool F.C. | accessdate=2007-03-17] Liverpool F.C. were founded by Houlding on 15 March 1892 to play at the vacated Anfield.The original name was to be Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds, Ltd., or Everton Athletic for short, but was changed to Liverpool F.C. when The Football Association refused to recognise the team as Everton.cite book |last=Williams |first=John |editor= Williams, John, Long, Cathy, and Hopkins, Stephen (eds.)|title=Passing Rhythms: Liverpool FC and the Transformation of Football |publisher=Berg |location=Oxford |date=2001 |id=ISBN 1-85973-303-4|chapter=Out of the Blue and into the Red: The Early Liverpool Years]

In their first season Liverpool won the Lancashire League, and were elected to the Football League Second Division for the 1893–94 season. Liverpool ended the season unbeaten as Second Division Champions, [cite web| title =2nd Division League table for the 1893-1894 season| publisher=LFC History| url =http://www.lfchistory.net/seasontables.asp?Season_id=97| accessdate =2007-03-07 ] and were promoted to the First Division. Liverpool won their first Football League championship in the 1900–01 season, and were champions again in 1905–06. Liverpool played their first FA Cup final in 1914, but lost 1–0 to Burnley. [cite web| title =Liverpool in the FA Cup - Season by Season | publisher=LFC History | url =http://www.lfchistory.net/liverpool_in_facup.asp | accessdate =2007-03-07 ] In 1921–22 and 1922–23 Liverpool won their first back-to-back League titles. This was followed by the longest spell without a trophy in their history, which ended when Liverpool won the league during the 1946–47 season. However, Liverpool struggled following this success, and were relegated to the Second Division in 1953–54.

In December 1959, Bill Shankly was appointed manager, during his first year, he released 24 players and reshaped the squad.cite book |last=Darby|first=Stephen F. |title=Talking Shankly: the man, the genius, the legend|publisher=Mainstream |location=Edinburgh |date=1998 |id=ISBN 1-84018-493-0] In 1961–1962, his third season as manager, Liverpool won the Second Division Championship by eight points and were promoted to the First Division, where they have remained ever since. In 1963–1964, Liverpool lifted the League Championship for the first time in 17 years. Liverpool were League Champions again in 1965–1966, having won their first FA Cup the previous season. Liverpool won their eighth league title and defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach to win their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1972–1973. However, a year later, following another FA Cup victory, Shankly retired, his assistant, Bob Paisley, became manager. [cite book |last=Kelly |first=Stephen F. |title=The Boot Room Boys: Inside the Anfield Boot Room |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |date=1999 |id=ISBN 0-00-218907-0 p86]

In 1975–1976, at the end of Paisley's second season in charge, Liverpool became champions, and won the UEFA Cup. The following year, Liverpool retained their League Championship, lost the FA Cup Final, but won their first European Cup, beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1. Liverpool retained the trophy in 1978, beating Club Brugge 1–0, and in 1979 they broke another domestic record by winning the league title with 68 points,In 1978–79 the Football League awarded two points for a win, as opposed to the current three. Under current rules, Liverpool would have obtained 98 points in 77-79.] and only 16 goals conceded in 42 matches. [cite web | title =Football: Season Details: 1979 | work =krysstal.com | url=http://www.krysstal.com/display_leaguetable.php?season=1979 | accessdate=2007-03-17 ] In 1979–1980, Liverpool won the league title for the fourth time in five seasons, and Paisley's third European Cup victory came in 1980–1981. In the following two seasons, Liverpool won a League Championship and League Cup "Double". During the nine seasons Paisley managed the club, Liverpool won a total of 21 trophies, including three European Cups, a UEFA Cup, six league titles and three consecutive League Cups. The only domestic trophy to elude him was the FA Cup.

The succession of managers appointed from within the club's staff is worthy of note. These managers are often referred to as "the boot room boys" after a part of Anfield where the Liverpool staff discussed strategy and allegedly stored gin. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/1418093.stm |title=The legacy of the boot room |date=2001-12-21|publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=2006-09-12] Just as Shankly had been succeeded by Paisley, so too Paisley handed the reins to his assistant, veteran coach Joe Fagan. He was 63 when he became manager in 1983–1984. In his first season in charge, Liverpool become the first English club to win three major trophies in a single season; the League title, the League Cup and the European Cup. [cite web | url=http://www.krysstal.com/ecup.html |title=Football: The European Cup |work=krysstal.com |accessdate=2007-03-24] Liverpool reached the European Cup final again in 1985. The match was against Juventus at the Heysel Stadium but before kick-off, disaster struck. Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a retaining wall to collapse, killing 39 fans, mostly Italians.cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/29/newsid_2733000/2733979.stm | title=On This Day - 29 May 1985: Fans die in Heysel rioting |publisher=BBC | accessdate=2006-09-12] The match was played regardless and Liverpool lost 1–0 to Juventus. English clubs were consequently banned from participating in European competition for five years, with Liverpool receiving a ban for ten years, which was later reduced to six. Fourteen of their fans received convictions for involuntary manslaughter.
Kenny Dalglish became Liverpool's first player-manager in 1985.cite web | url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/dalglish/ |title=Profile of Kenny Dalglish |publisher=Liverpool F.C. |accessdate=2007-03-21] His reign saw the club win another three League Championships and two FA Cups including a league and cup Double in 1985–86. However, Liverpool's successes were overshadowed by the Hillsborough Disaster. On 15 April 1989, when Liverpool were playing Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final, hundreds of Liverpool fans were crushed against perimeter fencing.cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_2491000/2491195.stm | title=On This Day - 15 April 1989: Soccer fans crushed at Hillsborough |publisher=BBC | accessdate=2006-09-12] 94 fans died that day; the 95th victim died in hospital from his injuries four days later and another nearly four years later having never regained consciousness, to make the total 96.cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/memorial/|accessdate=2007-04-17|publisher=Liverpool F.C.|title=Hillsborough Memorial] After the Hillsborough tragedy there was a governmental review of stadium safety. Known as the Taylor Report, it paved the way for legislation requiring all-seater stadiums in the top-flight. The report ruled that the main reasons for the disaster were overcrowding due to a failure of police control. [cite web | url=http://www.southyorks.police.uk/foi/information_classes/categories/documents/hillsborough/interim%20report%20hillsborough.zip|title=Taylor's interim report on the Hillsborough stadium disaster, August 1989 (zipped pdf)|date=1999-04-21] [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/318497.stm | title=A hard lesson to learn | work=BBC |accessdate=2006-09-12]

Graeme Souness was installed as manager in 1991. However, apart from an FA Cup win in his first season, his reign was not successful. "Boot room" veteran Roy Evans took over in 1994. While his tenure saw some improvement in league form, in his five seasons the club never finished higher than third. Evans' only trophy was the 1995 League Cup. 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 the partnership did not work out and Evans resigned in November 1998. [cite book |last=Kelly |first=Stephen F. |title=The Boot Room Boys: Inside the Anfield Boot Room |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |date=1999 |id=ISBN 0-00-218907-0 p227]

Houllier's second full season in sole charge, 2000–01, was Liverpool's most successful season for many years as the team completed a combination of the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, FA Charity Shield and UEFA Super Cup. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/uefa_cup/1335026.stm |title=Houllier acclaims Euro triumph |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=2007-03-24] They finished second in 2001–02, a season in which Houllier underwent major heart surgery. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/1600193.stm |title=Houllier 'satisfactory' after surgery |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=2007-03-13] Houllier would only win one more trophy in his time in charge, against a background of growing disquiet amongst Liverpool supporters, Houllier and Liverpool parted by mutual consent at the end of the 2003–04 season. [cite web| last = McNulty | first = Phil| authorlink =| title =Houllier to leave Liverpool|publisher=BBC Sport | date =2004-05-24| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/3741257.stm | accessdate =2007-04-13 ]

Spaniard Rafael Benítez took over and in his first season Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League. The season had a surprising ending, however, as Liverpool won their fifth European Cup in Istanbul. [cite web| title = AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool (aet)|publisher=BBC Sport| date =2005-05-25| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/4573159.stm| accessdate =2007-04-15] In 2005–06 Liverpool picked up 82 points in the Premiership, their highest points total in the top-flight since 1988, and ended the season by winning the FA Cup in yet another dramatic final, this time against West Ham. In 2006–07, the club's search for investment came to an end when American businessmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks became the owners of Liverpool F.C. in a deal valuing the club and its outstanding debts at £218.9 million.cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6323037.stm |title=US pair agree Liverpool takeover |work=BBC Sport |accessdate=2007-03-02] That season, Benítez guided the team to the UEFA Champions League final once again, where they lost 2–1 to A.C. Milan.

Notable players

In the period before the Second World War several players played for Liverpool for lengthy periods of time, earning themselves great admiration. Among these were Ephraim Longworth, a solid full-back who became Liverpool's first England captain in 1921, [cite web | url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/longworth/|title=Profile of Ephraim Longworth |work=Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv) |accessdate=2007-03-17] and Elisha Scott, who played in goal for Liverpool for 22 years, making him the longest serving Liverpool player ever.cite web | url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/records/ | title=LFC Records | work=Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv) | accessdate=2007-03-09] In front of goal, of particular note is Gordon Hodgson, who scored a record 17 hat tricks playing for the club in the 1920s and 1930s.

In the 1960s, as Bill Shankly transformed the club into a European power, among the players who established themselves as key elements of Liverpool's success were Ron Yeats, who Shankly famously described as his "colossus", [cite web | url=http://www.lfchistory.net/player_articles_view.asp?article_id=156&player_id=450 |title=Ron Yeats: The Colossus |work=lfchistory.net |accessdate=2006-09-12] and Roger Hunt, who scored 245 league goals (still a club record) as well as being part of England's World Cup winning team in 1966. [cite web | url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/hunt/|title=Profile of Roger Hunt |work=Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv) |accessdate=2007-03-09]

Paisley's additions to the squad were an important factor in Liverpool's success during the 1970s and 1980s. Two Scottish signings of 1977 had a particular impact: Alan Hansen, who was a part of three European Cup winning teams, [cite web | url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/hansen/ |title=Profile of Alan Hansen |work=Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv) |accessdate=2006-09-12] and Kenny Dalglish, known to fans as 'King Kenny', would excel as a Liverpool player before becoming Liverpool's first Double-winning manager. In 1980 Paisley signed 19-year-old Ian Rush, who progressed to become the club's leading goalscorer.

More recently famous players have emerged from Liverpool's youth set up. In the early-1990s Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler emerged to play as winger and striker for the club, while later in the decade Michael Owen, current captain Steven Gerrard and vice-captain Jamie Carragher came through the Liverpool Academy. [cite web | url=http://www.liverweb.org.uk/youth.htm |title=The Liverpool F.C. Academy in Kirkby |work=liverweb.org.uk |accessdate=2007-03-09]

Colours and crest

Football kit box
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title = Liverpool's original home colours (1892–1894)Liverpool's traditional colours are red and white, with the home kit having been all red since the mid 1960s. However, it was not always this way. In the early days, when the club took over Anfield from Everton, they used the Toffees' colours of blue and white, wearing a kit almost identical to that worn by the Everton team of the time. By 1894 Liverpool had adopted the colour of red, and in 1901 the city's liver bird was adopted as the club badge. [cite web| url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/1882b.htm |title=LFC Story | work=Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv) | accessdate=2007-03-17] For the next 60 years Liverpool's kit was red shirts with white shorts, socks alternated over the years from red, to black, to white, and back to red again.

In 1964, then Liverpool manager Bill Shankly decided to send the team out in all red for the first time against Anderlecht, as Ian St. John recalled in his autobiography:

Liverpool's away colours are traditionally either white shirts and black shorts or all yellow. However, in 1987 an all grey kit was introduced. The away kit was then grey until the centenary season of 1991–92, when it was replaced by a combination of green shirts and white shorts. After various colour combinations in the 1990s, including gold and navy, bright yellow, black and grey, and ecru, the club have settled down in the 2000s into a pattern that alternates yellow with white each year. [cite web | url=http://www.liverweb.org.uk/colours2.htm |title=Club Colours - Away kit pictures |work=liverweb.org.uk |accessdate=2007-03-17]

The current kits are designed by adidas, [cite web | url=http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/liverpool/content/index.asp |title=Back on home turf, as adidas returns to Liverpool |work=adidas.com |accessdate=2007-03-17] who also made the club's kits between 1985 and 1996. The only other branded shirts worn by the club were made by Umbro up until 1985, and Reebok for ten seasons from 1996. [cite web|url=http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Liverpool/Liverpool.htm |title= History of Liverpool's kits |publisher= historicalkits.co.uk |accessdate=2007-09-21] The current away kit is the same grey kit that they wore last time they won the league.There is also a third kit consisting of a turquiose top and black shorts, designed primarily for Champions League away games, but is also used for any domestic games where both red and grey would clash. [cite web|url=http://www.anfield-online.co.uk/store/new-lfc-european-away-third-shirt-2007.html|title=New LFC European Away Shirt And Kit 2007|work=anfield-online.co.uk|accessdate=2008-02-19 ]

Liverpool were the first British professional club to wear a sponsor's logo on their shirts, [cite web | url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,,1520987,00.html |title=The Knowledge - Has a streaker ever scored? |work=guardian.co.uk |accessdate=2007-08-16] agreeing a deal with Hitachi in 1979. In the years since, the club has had relatively little variation in sponsorship deals, linking up with Crown Paints and Candy before signing their current deal with Carlsberg in 1992 — a deal which is the longest-standing current agreement in English top-flight football. [cite web | url=http://www.carlsberggroup.com/media/News/Pages/carlsbergrenewssponsorshipwithliverpoolfc-HQ2005.aspx |title=Carlsberg renews sponsorship with Liverpool FC |work=carlsberggroup.com |accessdate=2008-01-26]

The current Liverpool badge is based around the traditional liver bird, which is placed inside a shield. Above the shield is a representation of the Shankly Gates bearing the title of club's famous anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone". The twin flames at either side are symbolic of the Hillsborough memorial, where an eternal flame burns outside Anfield, in memory of those who died in the disaster. [cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/memorial/ |title=Hillsborough |publisher=liverpoolfc.tv|accessdate=2007-12-27]

tadia

Liverpool have only ever had one home ground, Anfield, where they have played since foundation. Anfield was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park, and was originally inhabited by Everton. [cite web | title = Where should Everton move? That's easy - to Anfield | work = guardian | url = http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2006/12/16/where_should_everton_move_that.html | accessdate =2007-03-07] They left the ground in 1892 over a rent dispute, with the owner of Anfield; John Houlding, who decided to form a new club to play at the ground. The capacity of the stadium was 20,000, however only 100 spectators attended Liverpool's first match at Anfield. [cite web|url=http://www.stadiumguide.com/anfield.htm|title=Anfield|work=stadiumguide.com|accessdate=2007-04-09 ] [cite web|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/stats_articles_view.asp?article_Id=47 |title=Anfield|publisher=lfchistory.net|accessdate=2007-12-27]

In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally renamed the Spion Kop, [cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-150036374.html |title=100 years of the Kop |publisher=highbeam.com |accessdate=2007-12-17] after a hill in Natal. The hill was the site of the Battle of Spion Kop in the Second Boer War, where over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, many of whom were from Liverpool. At its largest, the stand could hold 28,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world. The stand was considerably reduced in capacity due to safety measures brought in following the Hillsborough Disaster, and it was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, with a capacity of 12,390. The Kop is still composed of a single tier. [cite web|url=http://www.footballderbies.com/fans/index.php?id=6|title=capacity of the kop|work=footballderbies.com|accessdate=2007-04-10]

The Anfield Road stand is positioned at the opposite end to the Kop, and houses the away-fans. It is the newest stand at Anfield having been rebuilt in 1998 with a capacity of 9,074. The two stands adjacent to these are the Main Stand, with a capacity of 12,227; and the Centenary Stand, which has a capacity of 11,762. The Main Stand is the oldest part of Anfield, having remained largely untouched since its redevelopment in 1973. It houses the players' changing rooms and the director's box, and the dug-outs are in front of the stand. The Centenary Stand was previously known as the Kemlyn Road Stand until it was rebuilt for the club's centenary in 1992. The redevelopment saw the houses in Kemlyn Road demolished and the address become non-existent.The current overall capacity of the stadium is 45,362 and it is rated as a four Star Stadium in the UEFA Stadia List.cite book |last=Rollin |first=Jack and Glenda |title=Sky Sports Football Yearbook |year=2006-2007 |publisher=Headline|isbn=0-7553-1526-X |pages=p232-233] cite web|url=http://www.fussballtempel.net/uefa/4and5stars.html#stalis|author=Fussballtempel.net|title=UEFA 4 and 5 Star Stadia|accessdate=2007-03-07]

On 30 July 2004, Liverpool City Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 60,000 seat stadium just convert|300|yd|m away from Anfield at Stanley Park [cite web|url=http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/gronudmove/tm_objectid=14487239%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=reds%2dstadium%2dgets%2dgo%2dahead-name_page.html |title=Reds stadium gets go-ahead |work=Liverpool Echo|accessdate=2006-09-12] and on 8 September 2006 Liverpool City Council agreed to grant Liverpool F.C. a 999-year lease of land on the proposed site. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/5327426.stm |title=Liverpool get go-ahead on stadium |work=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=2007-03-08] Following the takeover of the club in February 2007 by George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks there was a re-design of the proposed stadium. In November 2007 the new design received the green light from the council and construction is due to start in spring 2008. [cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N157603071106-1818.htm|title=New stadium gets the green light|author=Jimmy Rice|date=2007-11-06|accessdate=2007-12-17|work=Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv)] The new stadium is being built by HKS, Inc. and is expected to be completed in 2011. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7081610.stm|title=Liverpool's stadium move granted|work=BBC News|date=2007-06-11|accessdate=2007-12-17]

Melwood, in West Derby, Liverpool, is home to Liverpool FC's training ground, it is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby. Melwood is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool and has been their home since the 1950s. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school. [cite web|url=http://www.liverweb.org.uk/melwood.htm|title=Melwood Training|work=liverweb.org.uk|accessdate=2007-12-21]

upporters

Liverpool have a large and generally loyal fanbase, with virtually all home matches selling out; in 2006–07 Liverpool had the fourth-highest average League attendance for an English club; 43,561, which was 99.7% of available capacity, [cite web | url=http://www.tonykempster.co.uk/archive06-07/prematt.htm| title=Premiership 2006–07 Attendances| author=Kempster, Tony| date=2007| accessdate=2007-06-18] and the second-highest all-time average attendance. [cite web |url=http://www.nufc.com/html/attendance-all-time.html |title=All Time League Attendance Records |work=Nufc.com |accessdate=2007-02-02 Please note that some pre-war attendance figures used by this source were estimates and may not be entirely accurate.] Liverpool fans often refer to themselves as "Kopites", which is a reference to the fans who once stood, and now sit, on the Kop at Anfield.

The song "You'll Never Walk Alone", originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel" and famously recorded by Liverpool musicians Gerry & The Pacemakers, is the anthem of the club, and has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early 1960s.cite web | url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/news/theknowledge/0,9204,912750,00.html |title=Liverpool or Celtic: who Walked Alone first? |work=Guardian Unlimited| accessdate=2006-09-12] The song has since gained popularity among fans of other clubs around the world. The song's title adorns the top of the Shankly Gates, which were unveiled on 2 August 1982 in memory of former manager, Bill Shankly. The "You'll Never Walk Alone" portion of the Shankly Gates is also reproduced in the club's crest. Popular chants include "The Fields of Anfield Road" (to the tune of "The Fields of Athenry"), "Poor Scouser Tommy" (first section to the tune of "Red River Valley"; second section to the tune of "The Sash") and "Liverbird Upon My Chest" (to the tune of "Ballad of the Green Berets"). [cite web| title = Liverpool Songs and Chants| work = soccer24-7| publisher = 24-7 Network| url = http://liverpool.soccer24-7.com/chants.html| accessdate =2007-06-24 ]

Liverpool's longest standing rivalry is with fellow Merseyside team Everton, against whom they contest the Merseyside derby. This stems from Liverpool's formation after a dispute with Everton officials and the owners of Anfield, which was the ground Everton were using at the time. Religious differences have been cited as a division, though both teams stem from a Methodist origin, undermining the notion of a Catholic–Protestant split. [cite web | title=Why the Everton/Liverpool rivalry isn't religious | work=Toffeeweb |url=http://www.toffeeweb.com/fans/beingblue/religion.asp| accessdate=2006-08-21] The Merseyside derby is usually a sell out fixture and tends to be a scrappy affair; it has had more red cards than any other fixture in Premiership history. [cite web | title=Two more red cards in the derby | work= The Daily Telegraph |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/03/26/sfgliv26.xml| accessdate=2006-08-21]

Liverpool also have a significant rivalry with north-west neighbours Manchester United. This is mostly due to the success enjoyed by the two clubs and the geographical proximity of the two cities. Liverpool and Manchester United are the two most successful teams in England, both with large international support. Liverpool dominated English football from the mid 1970s through the 1980s with 11 titles in 18 years, and they also won four European Cups in the period, while Manchester United have dominated the Premier League era from 1992 with ten titles in 16 years to 2008, with two UEFA Champions League. [cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N149987050915-1030.htm |work= Liverpoolfc.tv |title= Why Liverpool and United need each other |accessdate= 2007-12-21]

Liverpool in popular culture

Liverpool featured in the first edition of the BBC's Match of the Day, which screened highlights of their match against Arsenal at Anfield on 22 August 1964. Liverpool were also the subject of television's first colour football transmission, which showed their match against West Ham United live. [cite book|first=Stephen F.|last=Kelly|title=You'll Never Walk Alone|publisher=Guild Publishing London ] Liverpool fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" were featured in the Pink Floyd song, "Fearless". [cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4508|title=Fearless|work=songfacts.com|accessdate=2008-02-27 ] A documentary on the Hillsborough Disaster directed by Jimmy McGovern, was screened in 1996. It Featured Christopher Eccleston as Trevor Hicks, whose story formed the focus of the script. Hicks lost two teenage daughters in the disaster and went on to campaign for safer stadia, as well as helping form the Hillsborough Families Support Group. [cite web|url=http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/issue24b.shtm|title=Through the Wind and the Rain Fanzine Archives|publiher=contrast.org|accessdate=2008-02-27 ]

tatistics and records

Liverpool's first competitive game was in the Lancashire League against Higher Walton. The match was won 8–0, with a mostly Scottish team.cite web|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/viewgame.asp?game_id=4447|title=Liverpool v. Higher Walton, 1892, Match Details|author= [http://www.lfchistory.net LFCHistory.net] |accessdate=2007-03-07]
Ian Callaghan holds Liverpool's appearance record, having made 857 over the course of 19 seasons from 1958–78.cite book | author=Matthews, Tony |title=Who's Who of Liverpool | publisher=Mainstream| year=2006| id=ISBN 1-84596-140-4] He also holds the record for League appearances with 640. Of the current squad Jamie Carragher has the most appearances with 500 as of 15 January 2008.

Liverpool's all time leading scorer is Ian Rush, who scored 346 goals in two spells at the club from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996. Rush holds the record for the most goals in a season with 47 in 1983–84. However, during his career, Rush could not surpass the league goal-scoring record of Roger Hunt, which has stood at 245 since 1970. In the 1961–62 season, Hunt scored 41 goals, setting the club record for league goals in a single season. Gordon Hodgson is the club's third highest scorer with 240 goals, and holds the club record of 17 hat tricks.cite web|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/stats_hattricks_totals.asp|title=Total Hat-tricks by Player|author= [http://www.lfchistory.net LFCHistory.net] |accessdate=2007-03-07] The most goals scored by a player in a single match is five, which has been achieved by John Miller, Andy McGuigan, John Evans, Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler.cite web|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/stats_hattricks.asp|title=All Hat-tricks in Official Matches|author= [http://www.lfchistory.net LFCHistory.net] |accessdate=2007-03-07] Fowler also holds the club and Premiership record for the fastest hat trick from when he scored three against Arsenal in four minutes, 32 seconds in the second game of the 1994–95 season. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/3485602.stm |title=The hat-trick Hall of Fame|date=2004-02-25 |work= bbc.co.uk |accessdate=2007-03-10|accessyear=2007]

Steven Gerrard is Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer in the European Cup (now referred to as the Champions League) with 28 goals and also the club's active goal scoring player with 100 goals.Liverpool's biggest ever victory was 11–0 against Strømsgodset IF in 1974, in which nine of the ten outfield players scored — a Liverpool record. Rotherham Town were the victims of Liverpool's biggest league win, losing 10–1 in 1896. This margin of victory was matched in the modern era, as Crystal Palace were defeated 9–0 at Anfield in 1989. [cite web |url=http://www.lfchistory.net/viewgame.asp?game_id=1697 |title=Liverpool 9 - 0 Crystal Palace |work= LFCHistory.net |accessdate=2007-03-08] Liverpool's heaviest defeats were against Huddersfield Town in 1935 which finished 0–8, and Birmingham City in 1954 which ended 1–9.Liverpool's 8–0 victory on 6 November 2007 against Beşiktaş J.K. in the Champions League is the record win in the competition. [cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7076592.stm |title=Liverpool 8-0 Besiktas |date=6 November 2007 |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=2008-01-09]

Current squad

:"As of 23 September 2008."cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/|work=Liverpoolfc.tv|accessdate=2008-08-05|title=First Team Players And Staff] cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/club=7889/competition=1/index.html|accessdate=2008-08-25|work=UEFA|title=Liverpool FC]

First team players

1900–01, 1905–06, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1946–47, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90:Runners-up (11): 1898–89, 1909–10, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1990–91, 2001–02

*Second Division (level 2):Winners (4): 1893–94, 1895–96, 1904–05, 1961–62

*Lancashire League :Winners (1): 1892–93

Cups

*FA Cup:Winners (7): 1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006:Runners-up (6): 1914, 1950, 1971, 1977, 1988, 1996

*League Cup:Winners (7): 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003:Runners-up (3): 1978, 1987, 2005

*FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield :Winners (15, 10 outright and 5 shared):ref label|Shared|A| 1964 (shared), 1965 (shared), 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 (shared), 1988, 1989, 1990 (shared), 2001, 2006:Runners-up (6): 1922, 1971, 1983, 1984, 1992, 2002

*Super Cup :Winners (1): 1986

International

*European Cup:"Winners (5):" 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005:Runners-up (2): 1985, 2007

*UEFA Cup:Winners (3): 1973, 1976, 2001

*UEFA Super Cup:Winners (3): 1977, 2001, 2005:Runners-up (2): 1978, 1984

*UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:Runners-up (1): 1966

*Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup:Runners-up (3): 1981, 1984, 2005

Reserve and Youth Team

Footnotes

Further reading

*cite book | author=Graham, Matthew | title=Liverpool| publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd| year=1985| id=ISBN 0-600-50254-6
*cite book | author=Liversedge, Stan | title=Liverpool:The Official Centenary History| publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd| year=1991| id=ISBN 0-600-57308-7
*cite book | author=Ponting, Ivan | title=Liverpool In Europe| publisher=Guinness Publishing | year=1992| id=ISBN 0-85112-569-7
*cite book | author=Ponting, Ivan | title=Liverpool Player by Player| publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd| year=1998| id=ISBN 0-600-59493-9

External links

* [http://www.liverpoolfc.tv Liverpool F.C. Official Website]
* [http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/ Official page for Liverpool Echo and Daily Post stories covering Liverpool F.C.]
* [http://www.lfchistory.net LFCHistory.net] – Articles and statistics relating to Liverpool F.C.