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For the Uruguayan club, see Liverpool FC (Montevideo).

Liverpool FC

Liverpool emblem
Full name	Liverpool Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Reds
Founded	1892
Ground	Anfield Stadium Liverpool England
Capacity	45,522
Chairman	Tom Hicks (co-chairman) George Gillett (co-chairman)
Manager	Rafael Benítez
League	FA Premier League
2005-06	Premier League, 3rd
Home colours Away colours

Liverpool Football Club are a English football club, and one of the most famous football clubs in the world. Based in Liverpool, Merseyside, they play at Anfield and will soon start work on a new 61,000-seater stadium approximately 200 metres away in neighbouring Stanley Park, following the takeover of the club by American businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

They play in the FA Premier League and in terms of trophies won are the most successful club in the history of English football. Liverpool have won eighteen First Division titles, seven FA Cups, seven League Cups, five European Cups and three UEFA Cups. Liverpool are also a member of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.

There have been two tragedies that have had an impact on the club. They were at Heysel in 1985 when thirty-nine Juventus fans died, and at Hillsborough in 1989 where ninety-six of their own fans lost their lives. After the Heysel disaster, English clubs were banned from European competition for a period of five years, with Liverpool being excluded for six years. The Hillsborough tragedy led to a review of ground safety at all top English league clubs, and paved the way for legislation necessitating all-seater stadiums in the top-flight.

LIVERPOOL IS GAY!!

On February 6th 2007 at 14:00hrs GMT, George Gillett, owner of the Montreal Canadiens and Tom Hicks, owner of the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers respectively, took control of Liverpool FC in a deal worth £470 million. The Liverpool board of directors were unanimous and advised shareholders and Chairman David Moores (with his 51% stronghold) to accept the offer of £175 million. The deal also included £45 million of club debt and £215 million for the new stadium proposed for Stanley Park, with building expected to begin within 60 days. In the same press conference the new owners commented that the new stadium could sell naming-rights should it allow them added funds to bring in "one great player" a season.

Colours and badge

Liverpool's traditional colours are red and white, with the home kit being 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 also took the Toffee's colours of blue and white, wearing an almost identical kit to the Everton team of the time. In 1894 it was decided to adopt the colour of red, and in 1901 the city's liver bird was adopted as the club badge. For the next seventy 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:

He thought the colour scheme would carry psychological impact — red for danger, red for power. He came into the dressing room one day and threw a pair of red shorts to Ronnie Yeats. “Get into those shorts and let’s see how you look,” he said. “Christ, Ronnie, you look awesome, terrifying. You look 7ft tall.” “Why not go the whole hog, boss?” I suggested. “Why not wear red socks? Let’s go out all in red.” Shankly approved and an iconic kit was born.

Liverpool's away colours are traditionally 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 shirt and white shorts. Grey has never been used since. The current away kit is all yellow, and there is also a Champions League away kit which is mainly white, with a green stripe down the right hand side of both the shirt and shorts. Designed by Adidas.

The current Liverpool badge is based around the traditional liver bird, which is placed inside a shield. Above the shield is a representation of Anfield's 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 — an eternal flame burns outside Anfield in memory of those who died in the disaster.

Stadium

The Anfield stadium was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park, and was originally inhabited by Everton F.C. They left the ground in 1892 over a rent dispute. Anfield's owner, John Houlding, decided to form a new club to play at the ground, which became Liverpool FC.

In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally renamed the Spion Kop, after a hill in Natal that was the site of a battle in the Second Boer War, where over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, many of whom were from Liverpool. Fans that regularly use the Kop are known as Kopites. At its largest, the stand could hold 28,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world. Local folklore claimed that the fans in the Kop could "suck the ball into the goal" if Liverpool were playing towards that end - and in most games, Liverpool play the second half towards the Kop. The stand was considerably reduced in capacity due to safety measures brought in following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, and it was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, although it is still a single tier. The current capacity is 12,409.

The Anfield Road Stand is positioned at the opposite end to the Kop and houses the away-fans section. It is the newest stand at Anfield having been rebuilt in 1998 with a capacity of 9,074. The two side stands are the Main Stand, capacity 12,227, and the Centenary Stand, capacity 11,762. The Main Stand is the oldest part of Anfield, having remained largely untouched since it's redevelopment in 1973. It houses the players' changing rooms and the director's box. The dug-outs are also on this side of the pitch.

The Centenary Stand was previously known as the Kemlyn Road Stand until it was rebuilt for the club's centenary in 1992. This redevelopment saw all of the houses in Kemlyn Road demolished and the address become non-existent.

The current overall capacity of the stadium is 45,362.

Anfield is rated as a 4 Star Stadium in the UEFA Stadia List.

New stadium

On July 30 2004, Liverpool City Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 61,000 seat stadium just 300 yards away from Anfield at Stanley Park. Despite pressure from Governmental and funding bodies, Liverpool refused to share the proposed ground with their local rivals, Everton, and final talks on a groundshare failed in January 2005. At that time the club was hoping to start construction in summer 2005 and open the ground in 2007, but agreements with regional funding bodies over the financing of associated regeneration projects proved to be difficult to obtain, and the start of construction delayed as a result. The old stadium will become a public plaza surrounded by apartments, offices, bars, restaurants and a hotel, and possibly including a memorial garden for those who died at Hillsborough. Treatment of the old stadium requires sensitivity as a number of deceased fans have had their ashes officially scattered on the pitch over the years.

The plans needed to go before Liverpool City Council for a second time in March 2006 to ensure that the proposed stadium complied with new planning regulations. It was reported on 11 April 2006 that the plans had passed without amendment. The club was then looking for investors to help fund the (estimated) £160m, 61,000 all-seater stadium.

On September 8,2006 Liverpool City Council agreed to give a 999 year lease of part of Stanley Park for construction of the new stadium. Work is intended to start by early April 2007 and to be completed prior to the start of the 2009-10 season.

Club Culture

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 Liverpool FC and has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early 1960s.The song has since gained popularity among the fans of other clubs around the world. Claims that "You'll Never Walk Alone" was first sung by fans at other clubs have been dismissed as very unlikely. The song's title also adorns the top of the Shankly Gates which were unveiled 26 August 1982 in memory of former manager, Bill Shankly. The "You'll Never Walk Alone" banner portion of the Shankly Gates is also reproduced in the Liverpool FC crest.

Liverpool fans, singing "You'll Never Walk Alone", were featured in the Pink Floyd song, "Fearless". Other popular chants include "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"), "Liverbird Upon My Chest" (to the tune of "Ballad of the Green Berets"), "We've Won It Five Times" (to the tune of "Sloop John B"), and "Ring of Fire".

Through The Wind And Rain is the longest running Liverpool fanzine. The name is taken from a line in the song You'll Never Walk Alone.

Under Rafael Benítez, today's Liverpool FC has gained a Spanish influence. As well as having a Spanish manager, the assistant manager, Pako Ayesteran, and the goalkeeping coach, Jose Ochotorena, are also Spanish, as is physiotherapist, Víctor Salina. However, there are only five Spaniards in the current squad, although twelve players in total have been brought to Liverpool directly from La Liga.

Players

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  POL Jerzy Dudek 2 DF  ESP Álvaro Arbeloa 3 DF  EIR Steve Finnan 4 DF  FIN Sami Hyypiä 5 DF  DEN Daniel Agger 6 DF  NOR John Arne Riise 7 MF  AUS Harry Kewell 8 MF  ENG Steven Gerrard (captain) 9 FW  ENG Robbie Fowler 10 MF  ESP Luis García 11 MF  CHI Mark González 12 DF  BRA Fábio Aurélio 14 MF  ESP Xabi Alonso 15 FW  ENG Peter Crouch 16 MF  ENG Jermaine Pennant 17 FW  WAL Craig Bellamy

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 FW  NED Dirk Kuyt 20 MF  ARG Javier Mascherano 22 MF  MLI Mohamed Sissoko 23 DF  ENG Jamie Carragher (vice-captain) 25 GK  ESP José Reina 26 MF  ENG Paul Anderson 29 DF  ARG Gabriel Paletta 30 GK  ITA Daniele Padelli (on loan from Sampdoria) 32 MF  NED Boudewijn Zenden 34 DF  ESP Miki Roque 35 MF  ENG Danny Guthrie 37 DF  ENG Lee Peltier 38 FW  ENG Craig Lindfield 39 DF  ENG Stephen Darby 40 GK  ENG David Martin 42 FW  MAR Nabil El Zhar

• See also Liverpool F.C. Reserves

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 24 FW  FRA Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Recreativo Huelva - to June 2007) 36 MF  ENG Adam Hammill (Dunfermline Athletic - to June 2007) 45 DF  ENG James Smith (Ross County - to June 2007) — GK  AUS Dean Bouzanis (Sydney FC - to February 2008 due to minimum age restrictions)

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ENG Scott Carson (Charlton - to June 2007) — FW  FRA Djibril Cissé (Olympique de Marseille - to June 2007) — MF  FRA Anthony Le Tallec (Sochaux - to June 2007) — DF  ENG Danny O'Donnell (Crewe - to June 2007)

For recent transfers, see List of English football transfers 2006-07.

Notable former players

Over the course of Liverpool's history, many players have enjoyed extremely successful careers with the club, and established themselves as favourites with the fans. There is a huge amount of debate among supporters as to which players might be considered the most notable.

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, and Elisha Scott, who played in goal for Liverpool for 22 years, making him the longest serving Liverpool player ever. In front of goal, of particular note is Gordon Hodgson, who scored a record 17 hat tricks playing for the club in the 20s and 30s.

In the 1960s, as Bill Shankly transformed the club into a European power, several players established themselves as key elements of Liverpool's success. Among them was Ron Yeats, who Shankly famously described as his "colossus", 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.

Paisley's additions to the squad were an important factor in Liverpool's success during the 70s and 80s. Two Scottish signings of 1977 had a particular impact: Alan Hansen, who was a part of 3 European Cup winning teams, 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 also signed a young Ian Rush, who would go on to become the club's leading goalscorer.

More recently Liverpool's famous players have emerged from the youth set up. In the early 1990s Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler were the star winger and striker. Later in the decade Michael Owen, current captain Steven Gerrard and vice-captain Jamie Carragher also emerged from the youth ranks.

• See also: List of Liverpool F.C. players
• See also: 100 Players Who Shook The Kop

Managers

As of August 19, 2006. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name	Nat	From	To	Record
				P	W	D	L	%
W. E. Barclay and John McKenna	/	August 1892	July 1896	101	58	17	26	57.43%
Tom Watson		August 1896	May 1915	740	327	141	272	44.19%
David Ashworth		December 1920	February 1923	58	25	24	9	43.1%
Matt McQueen		February 1923	February 1928	229	94	61	74	41.05%
George Patterson		February 1928	May 1936	370	139	86	145	37.57%
George Kay		May 1936	February 1951	359	143	93	123	39.83%
Don Welsh		March 1951	May 1956	234	82	60	92	35.04%
Phil Taylor		May 1956	November 1959	153	77	32	44	50.33%
Bill Shankly		December 1959	July 1974	753	393	185	175	52.19%
Bob Paisley		July 1974	May 1983	490	275	124	91	56.12%
Joe Fagan		May 1983	May 1985	122	65	34	23	53.28%
Kenny Dalglish		May 1985	February 1991	297	180	76	41	60.61%
Ronnie Moran		February 1991	April 1991	10	4	1	5	40%
Graeme Souness		April 1991	January 1994	157	65	47	45	41.4%
Roy Evans		January 1994	July 1998	226	116	57	53	51.33%
Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier	/	July 1998	November 1998	18	7	6	5	38.89%
Gérard Houllier		November 1998	May 2004	306	157	75	74	51.31%
Rafael Benítez		June 2004	Present	126	72	24	30	56.8%

Honours

• League titles: 18
  • 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

• European Cups and UEFA Champions League titles: 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 Cups: 3
  • 1973, 1976, 2001
• FA Cups: 7
  • 1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006

• League Cups: 7
  • 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003
• Community Shields: 15
  • 1964 (shared), 1965 (shared), 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 (shared), 1988, 1989, 1990 (shared), 2001, 2006
• UEFA Super Cups: 3
  • 1977, 2001, 2005

Liverpool's tally of eighteen Football League championships is a record for English clubs, their nearest challenger being Manchester United with fifteen. Liverpool have also achieved the League and FA Cup "Double" in 1986 and two "Trebles". The first treble of League, League Cup and European Cup was achieved in 1984 (the first English club to win three major competitions in a single season) and a cup treble was achieved in 2001 with the winning of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.

Liverpool's total of five European Cups is an English record and the third highest total overall, after Real Madrid and AC Milan. The fifth victory in 2005 entitled Liverpool to receive the UEFA badge of honour, thus allowing them to keep the trophy permanently.

Liverpool's total of three UEFA Cups is a record for English clubs and also ties the overall record with Inter Milan and Juventus. The tallies of seven League Cups and three European Super Cups are also English records.

Club records and statistics

Ian Callaghan holds Liverpool's appearance record, having made 848 over the course of 19 seasons from 1958–78. He also holds the record for League appearances with 640. Of the current squad Jamie Carragher has the most appearances with 426 (as of 27 September, 2006). Carragher's total of 290 Premier League appearances is a club record.

Liverpool's all time leading goal-scorer is Ian Rush, who scored 346 in two spells at the club in 1980–1987 and 1988-1996. Rush also 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, and holds the club record of 17 hat tricks. The most goals scored by a player in a single match is 5, which has been achieved by Andy McGuigan, John Evans, Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler. Fowler also holds the club and Premiership record for the fastest hat trick from when he scored three past Arsenal in 4 minutes, 32 seconds in the second game of the 1994–95 season.

Liverpool's first ever competitive game was in the Lancashire League against Higher Walton. They won 8-0 with a team not containing a single English player, consisting as it did largely of Scottish imports. Liverpool's biggest ever victory was 11-0 against Strømsgodset I.F. in 1974. Nine of the ten outfield players scored in this game — a Liverpool record. Crystal Palace were the victims of Liverpool's biggest league win, as in 1989 they were defeated 9-0. Liverpool's heaviest defeats were against Huddersfield in 1935 (0-8) and Birmingham City F.C. in 1954 (1-9).

See also Liverpool F.C. statistics

See Also

Liverpool L.F.C.

Notes and references

1. Liverpool have won more Football League titles, European Cups, UEFA Cups, League Cups and European Super Cups than any other English team. The only major competition Liverpool haven't won the most times is the FA Cup, with that record being held by Manchester United.
2. ^ Up until 1992, the premier European competition was named the European Cup; since then, it has been the UEFA Champions League.
3. "G-14's members". g14.com. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
4. ^ "On This Day - 29th May 1985: Fans die in Heysel rioting". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
5. "On This Day - 15th April 1989: Soccer fans crushed at Hillsborough". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
6. "A hard lesson to learn". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6323037.stm
8. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6244441.stm
9. "Shankly: the hero who let me down". Ian St. John's autobiography serialised in The Times. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
10. "Reds stadium gets go-ahead". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
11. "Both clubs say a final no to joint stadium". Daily Post. {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate 12 September" ignored (help)
12. "Liverpool ground plan re-approved". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
13. "Liverpool or Celtic: who Walked Alone first?". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
14. "Ron Yeats: The Colossus". lfchistory.net. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
15. "Profile of Kenny Dalglish". Liverpool F.C. official site (liverpoolfc.tv). Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
16. The official Liverpool website lists Barclay and McKenna as joint managers. Barclay held the post of "secretary-manager" and McKenna held the post of "coach-manager". (Reference: "William E. Barclay: 'Joint Manager' (1892-96)". Liverpool official website. Retrieved 12 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help))
17. Ronnie Moran served as caretaker manager.
18. Houllier was brought into Liverpool in the summer of 1998 to share the burden with Evans as joint-managers.
19. Houllier was absent from October 2001 to February 2002, due to illness. During this time, Phil Thompson stepped in as temporary manager (P33 W16 D12 L5). These matches are included in Houllier's record.
20. Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the FA Premier League.
21. The trophy was known as the Charity Shield until 2002, and as the Community Shield since then.

External links

• Liverpool F.C. official site
• Official page for Liverpool Echo and Daily Post stories covering Liverpool F.C.
• Premierleague.com — Liverpool Football Club
• LFCHistory.net - Articles and statistics relating to Liverpool F.C.
• LFCWire.com - 24/7 Liverpool FC Updates

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• Liverpool F.C.
• Football (soccer) clubs established in 1892
• English football clubs
• G-14 clubs