The History of Liverpool
In 1892, when a dispute between the Anfield owners and Everton FC caused the latter to move, there formed another team. That team was Liverpool Football Club. They played their games at Anfield and have never been outside the top two divisions ever since they were admitted to the Football League in 1893.
Liverpool FC are THE most successful English club of all time. They have won a record number of 47 trophies in their 105 years of existence. Of those 47, 35 are major trophies which include the likes of League Championship, League Cup, FA Cup, European Cup, UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Managers
There have been a lot of managers of Liverpool FC, as you would expect after 105 years. But I will start from the one man who turned Liverpool Football Club into what it is today.
Bill Shankly 1959-1974
Liverpool FC have had what most would describe as one of the best managers ever in Bill Shankly (1913-1981). He was the mastermind which turned Liverpool from an average club to one of the most feared in the world. He said what must be one of the most famous quotes in football today; 'football is more important than life or death'. As manager of Liverpool, he won 7 trophies in a career which spanned 15 years. In the 1972/73 season he became the first ever Liverpool manager to bring the League Championship and UEFA Cup double. In his last season, Shankly won the FA Cup for the second time in his career as Liverpool manager.
Bill Shankly had a wonderful ability to bring the best out of his players. You could never be sure of what he thought of the opposition, a perfect example would be a European match against Anderlecht played at Anfield. Before the match he told his players 'don't worry about Anderlecht boys, they're rubbish'. Liverpool won 3-0 and Shankly greeted them by saying 'you've just beaten one of the best teams in Europe'. His tactics didn't always work and though Shankly was not as successful as his successors, he must be remembered for the way he transformed Liverpool and gave it the foundation to become the successful club it is today.
Bob Paisley 1974-1983
Continuing Shankly's great work was Bob Paisley (19??-1996), THE most successful British manager ever. Liverpool, under his reign, went on to win 6 League Championships, 3 League Cups, 3 European Cups, a UEFA Cup and a European Super Cup in the space of just 9 years. Also during his time as Liverpool manager, Paisley won 22 Manager of the Month awards and a record 6 Manager of the Year awards.
Paisley was regarded by many as a soft guy, but on the pitch and in the dressing room he showed that he had what it took to become the best. The one outstanding game for Paisley was the European Cup win against Borussia Moenchengladbach in Rome, 1977. He himself said 'this must be the greatest moment in the history of the club', especially as they had lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United only a few days ago. One only needs to look at his record to see that this was a great manager in the making.
Joe Fagan 1983-1985
After the success of his two predecessors, Joe Fagan had a lot to live up to as manager of Liverpool. This did not deter him though as in his first year in charge, Liverpool did the treble which included winning the League Championship, League Cup (the fourth year in a row Liverpool had won the trophy) and the European Cup. This feat had never been accomplished before so this was a remarkable achievement for Fagan and Liverpool FC.
It wasn't surprising though that Fagan was being successful since he was a member of the boot room. This also included Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Ronnie Moran and Roy Evans. Ever since the Shankly era, these five were together for everything concerned with the club. As you can see, Paisley was successful, Fagan was also successful and it makes sense to assume that the boot room was a major part of this success.
Kenny Dalglish 1985-1991
Perhaps one of the best ever Liverpool players, Kenny Dalglish also became a hero as their manager. He became player-manager in 1985, after the reign of Joe Fagan, and in his first season in charge he did the double. This was the first time Liverpool had won the League Championship and the FA Cup in the same season and were only the fourth club (at the time) to do so. He won another 3 trophies whilst Liverpool manager and was twice foiled when challenging for the double. In 1988, after Liverpool had won the League Championship, they lost against all odds in the FA Cup final to Wimbledon. Then in 1989 it turned out that Liverpool who eventually won the FA Cup could have done the double but they had lost the League Championship days earlier to Arsenal in one of the thrilling finishes to a league campaign ever.
In the end, the pressure became too much for Dalglish and in February 1991 he shocked the club by announcing his resignation.
Graeme Souness 1991-1994
After the resignation of Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool decided to appoint Graeme Souness as manager. Souness, also a former player like Dalglish, came in with great expectation. After all, in Scotland he had guided Rangers to a fifth consecutive championship.
But this didn't turn out to be the happy reunion everyone wanted and expected. Souness, by his own admittance, tried to change the team too quickly. He sold many of the Liverpool players who had won the club so many trophies and decided to bring in players he thought would be the future of Liverpool.
Unfortunately it didn't work out for him and despite winning the FA Cup in 1992, bad results and league placings forced the board to consider his position. In January 1994, it was mutually decided that he should leave the club.
Roy Evans 1994-to date
On 31st January 1994 Roy Evans was appointed as Liverpool manager. He had never been a first team manager so many were surprised, but with his experience from the boot room, Evans gave the Liverpool fans hope.
Roy Evans' playing career had been cut short, not by injury, but by the boot room. They persuaded to give up his playing career to concentrate on coaching. He became coach of Liverpool's reserve team and led them to many glories in his 10 years in charge. He was then part of the coaching team in the years of Fagan and Dalglish and then became Assistant Manager to Graeme Souness.
In 1995, Evans first full season in charge, he led Liverpool to their fifth League Cup success with a 2-1 victory over Bolton and fourth place in the league. In 1996, Liverpool were runners-up to Manchester United in the FA Cup and finished third in the league. 1997 was a dissapointing year for Liverpool as they finished fourth in the league and did not reach very far in the cup competitions. They were denied second place and a lucrative place in the Champions League on the last day of the season which was frustating since they had been second for most of the season.
The 97-98 season was not much better with Liverpool managing to finish a commendable third, but they never really ever challenged for the top spot, and in doing so missed out on the Champions League place again. This season brings new hope with the arrival of Gerard Houllier and three signings. Is this the year?
Gerard Houllier 1998-to date
In July of 1998, Gerard Houllier was appointed joint manager of Liverpool Football Club along with Roy Evans, who was already at the helm. Known for his working in the French FA and for his role in France winning the World Cup, Houllier hopes to bring a more technical aspect to the club. We shall see how the partnership works, since a dual management has not been successful at all for other clubs who dared to try it.
Ronnie Moran
Even though Ronnie Moran was never the official Liverpool manager, this great man has always been there for the club and I feel he deserves a mention. He had been with the club for over 30 years and did become caretaker manager when Kenny Dalglish resigned and took over the team affairs when Graeme Souness had his operation. His association with the club led to him being given the nickname Mr.Liverpool.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Trophies
The only major trophies to elude Liverpool up until now are the Cup Winners Cup and the World Club Cup. This season Liverpool will participate in the UEFA Cup and will therefore have to wait a little longer before they can get their hands on those elusive trophies.
League Championship
Liverpool have won the League Championship a record number 18 times. Their first coming in the 1900/01 season and their last coming 7 years ago in the 1989/90 under the management of Kenny Dalglish. Liverpool are one of only three clubs in the history of English football to win the League Championship three years in a row. This feat was achieved when Liverpool won the championship in 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84.
Here are the seasons in which Liverpool FC have won the League Championship.
1900/01 1905/06 1921/22 1922/23 1946/47 1963/64
1965/66 1972/72 1975/76 1976/77 1978/79 1979/80
1981/82 1982/83 1983/84 1985/86 1987/88 1989/90
FA Cup
Liverpool have won this competition on five occasions. The first time they won it was in 1965 against Leeds Utd and the last was in 1992 against Sunderland. This is the only competition which other English clubs have won more times than Liverpool. Here are the years in which Liverpool FC have won the FA Cup and who they beat in doing so.
1965 - Leeds Utd (2-1 aet)
1974 - Newcastle Utd (3-0)
1986 - Everton (3-1)
1989 - Everton (3-2 aet)
1992 - Sunderland (2-0)
League Cup
This was some what of a favourite competition for Liverpool in the early 1980's. They won it an amazing four years on the trot, from 1981 to 1984. They won it for the fifth and final time in 1995, this was Roy Evans' first trophy as Liverpool manager.
Here are the seasons in which Liverpool FC won the League Cup.
1981 - West Ham (2-1 replay)
1982 - Tottenham (3-1 aet)
1983 - Manchester Utd (2-1 aet)
1984 - Everton (1-0 replay)
1995 - Bolton (2-1)
European Cup
Liverpool have won this prestigious cup on four occasions. The amount of times that the club have conquered Europe is a British record and includes them winning the trophy twice in a row, in 1977 and 1978. Only Ajax, AC Milan and Real Madrid have won this trophy more times than Liverpool.
Here are the years in which Liverpool were champions of Europe.
1977 - Borussia Moenchengladbach (3-1)
1978 - FC Bruges (1-0)
1981 - Real Madrid (1-0)
1983 - AS Roma (1-1 aet, Liverpool win 5-3 on pens.)
UEFA Cup
This was the first trophy Liverpool ever won in Europe. The first of two triumphs came in 1973 under the management of Bill Shankly when Liverpool beat Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Here are the seasons in which Liverpool were UEFA Cup champions.
1973 - Borussia Moenchengladbach (3-2 agg)
1976 - FC Bruges (4-3 agg)
European Super Cup
This cup is between the European Cup and the Cup Winners Cup holders. It is played over two legs and the away goals rule counts.
Here is the season in which Liverpool won the European Super Cup.
1977 - SV Hamburg (7-1agg)