In any other season, a home fixture against Portsmouth would be a case of “how many will we score?” rather than “can we win?” As I got ready to watch this one last night, I was actually wondering if we might lose. That’s more than just a little out of character for me; I normally look at every match as being one that we can win, and can win easily, no matter who we face. But this season I’ve actually been as pessimistic as I’ve been in quite a few years about where we’ll finish at the end. We started off badly with a loss at Spurs and then went on to suffer more losses in the Premier League over the next couple of months.

We were only three games into the season and we’d already lost as many as all of last season (two), including a humiliating 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa who were billed as one of the threats to break into the top four – but surely not at our expense! By the end of October, we’d lost to Spurs, Villa, Chelsea, Sunderland, and Fulham in the Premier League, putting us well off the pace to mount any semblance of a title challenge, had lost to Fiorentina and Lyon in the Champions League with only four points from four matches, effectively putting an end to any hopes of progressing to the knock-out stages, and had been knocked out of the League Cup by Arsenal’s kids (again!). As I said to several fellow supporters at the time, our only remaining hope for the season was a good FA Cup run starting in the New Year, but otherwise our season was effectively over and we hadn’t even put the clocks back to end daylight savings time yet.

By the middle of December, the inevitable had happened with us losing out in the Champions League. We’d also lost to Arsenal and Portsmouth in the Premier League, meaning that we’d now lost seven in the first half of the season alone. That’s more than the two previous seasons combined! Could it get any worse? Surely the New Year would bring us some joy, with the FA Cup hopefully providing some consolation and possibly a reasonable chance at some silverware to redeem what was shaping up to be our worst season in many years. Well, we all know how that turned out, with a pathetic home defeat in a replay against Reading.

February arrived and gave us some hope by starting off with a win over Unirea Urziceni to put us into the next round of the Europa League, although the performances over the two legs were nothing to get too excited about. Back on the domestic front it didn’t improve at all with another loss to Arsenal, and failure to take points from Man. City. Somehow we survived all of this and were still within a few points of fourth place, although other contenders for that last Champions League spot have games in hand over us.

As if all that wasn’t depressing enough, the first half of March has given us two consecutive 1-0 losses – first to Wigan in the Premiership and then away to Lille in the Europa League. Both of those performances were so bad that we had to hope that we’d now reached rock bottom and couldn’t possibly sink any further. Surely there must be some improvement soon as it’s unthinkable that we’d fail to finish in the top four, but there are only a handful of games remaining. Which brings us to last night.

There were several reasons to worry about this one, including the last two sub-standard performances, the fact that we’d already lost to Pompey earlier this season, and that we’d failed to win a Monday night fixture in our last eight attempts. But as it turned out, we needn’t have worried and we won convincingly on the night with what was one of our best performances of the season. Actually that’s not saying very much, but considering the state we were in before kick-off we desperately needed a convincing win.

Rafa finally put out a side that didn’t include Lucas and Kuyt, giving Babel a rare starting place and Aquilani only his fifth start of the season, plus the return of Glen Johnson at right back. Overall it looked like a much more attack-minded side, and that proved to be the case with Maxi Rodriguez combining nicely with Aquilani and Torres, resulting in the first goal after 26 minutes. Two more from Babel and Aquilani pretty much put an end to the contest before half time, with three unanswered goals in six minutes on the way to a 4-1 win.

Three goals in six minutes! That last sentence should bring back some memories of happier times, and hopefully this could be the turning point as were the three goals in six minutes in Istanbul. From being written off as dead and buried back then, we fought back and went on to victory. Such glory won’t be in our immediate future, but at least the signs of life are there to be seen and that has to give us some hope. We desperately needed something to lift the spirits and bring back the confidence that we seemed to be lacking, and this should surely do that. What we have to do now is build on that and look forward to a strong run-in to the end of the season.

Our next few matches will be a big test for us, beginning with Lille on Thursday where we need to overcome a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, followed by a trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. But, those of us with reasonable memories will recall where we were at around this stage last season. We managed to thump the mancs 4-1 in their own park after being similarly written off a few games earlier, and opened up the race at the top. This time around we’re not even close to challenging for second place, but we have to believe that fourth place is surely well within reach.

All we can do from now until the end of the season is go out and win as many games and pick up as many points as possible. And, if the gods are with us, then we’ll hopefully see Spurs, City, Villa, and others, drop away as contenders. We have a habit of having a strong finish to a season and we have to hope that this year’s finish is as strong as ever.

We also have the Europa League to contend with, which is our only remaining hope of silverware for this season and would be our first trophy in four years if we were to be successful. It’s often been said that Liverpool Football Club is all about winning trophies, and normally I’d agree with that sentiment. But to be honest, I’d happily give up on the Europa League if it would let us concentrate on the Premiership and give us the all important entry to next season’s Champions League by finishing fourth. That’s a terrible thing to say, and a club like Liverpool should never have to make such choices, but that’s pretty much where we stand.

After feeling as though the season was already as good as over back when we were turning the clocks back, I’m now starting to feel a good deal more optimistic as we put the clocks forward. Surely it’s better to look ahead than to look back, and really that’s all we can do. As the cliché says, there’s still a lot of football to be played, and I for one will be behind the players 110% cheering them to victory right to the end. I hope you’ll be there with me, in spirit if not in person, remembering always that “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Since then, discounting the six years of banishment, we’ve only had three seasons without some form of European competition, whether that be the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup which later became the UEFA Cup, or the European Cup Winners’ Cup, or the European Cup (whose full title was actually the European Champion Clubs’ Cup) which became the UEFA Champions League in 1992.

Our pedigree in Europe is enviable to say the least. Not only have we participated for thirty six seasons out of forty five, but we can add the fact that we’ve won the European Cup five times (plus twice runners-up), The UEFA Cup three times, The UEFA Super Cup three times (plus twice runners-up), and once runners-up for the European Cup Winners Cup.

We are now in our sixth consecutive Champions League competition, which is an amazing achievement for the club and especially for Rafa Benitez. Just consider that in his first five seasons as Liverpool manager he has not only guided us through those five consecutive appearances, but has managed to win the cup once and make one other final appearance. We’ve succeeded beyond the group stage every time, and have been semi-finalists and quarter-finalists once each besides. Rafa previously had European experience with Valencia, including winning the UEFA Cup in 2004, following a quarter-final appearance in the Champions League in 2003 (after earlier knocking us out of the group stage!). But as we always say, the past is gone and we cannot rest on our laurels as we look ahead to the challenges presented by this season’s European adventure.

Debreceni VSC
September 16 (h) and November 24 (a)

Our first match, at home at Anfield, is against Champions League newcomers Debreceni VSC. The club was founded on 12 March, 1902 and was originally named Egyetertes Futball Club, and then later became Debreceni Vasutas (Railway) Sport Club or Debreceni VSC. The association with the railway gave the club the nickname “Loki” as in many other famous clubs such as Lokomotiv Moscow and Lokomotiv Sofia. In fact, the club was also once called Debreceni Lokomotiv (during the communist era).

The club have had a successful period since promotion to the First Division in 1993, and have been Hungarian League Champions four times (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009), as well as winning the Hungarian Cup three times (1999, 2001, 2008). Their entry into the 2009-10 Champions League came after beating Kalmar and Levadia Tallinn in the 2nd and 3rd Qualifying Rounds respectively, and then overcoming Levski Sofia in the Play-off Round. This is their first ever qualification for the Champions League, but they have previously competed in the Intertoto and UEFA Cups, but without a great deal of success. They are also the first Hungarian team to compete in the Champions League for 14 years.

Liverpool’s previous experience against Hungarian clubs has been successful, with victories over Honved (1966), and Ferencvaros (1968, 1970 and 1974). Debreceni’s stadium only has a capacity of around 10,000 and so is not suitable for Champions League matches. Their home away from home for their three Group Stage games will be the recently renovated 69,000 seat Stadium Puskás Ferenc in Budapest. This is the same stadium where England lost 7-1 to Hungary’s Puskas and the “Magical Magyars” in 1954.

It can be disastrous and ill advised to underestimate an opponent, but there should be little trouble in picking up points from these two matches.

Fiorentina
September 29th (a) and December 9th (h)

ACF Fiorentina, more commonly known simply as Fiorentina, were founded in 1926 following a merger of two professional clubs in Florence – CS Firenze and PG Liebertas. The idea behind the merger was to form one “superclub” from the two that would be worthy rivals for the other major Italian clubs. They managed to gain promotion to Serie A in 1931, and have spent most of their time since then at the top level. In fact, only four other Italian clubs have spent more seasons in Serie A.

Fiorentina have had a lengthy list of famous players, from Socrates, Adriano, and Dunga (Brazil); to Roberto Baggio, Francesco Graziani, and Luca Toni (Italy). They have also enjoyed the services of Rui Costa, Gabriel Batistuta, and Brian Laudrup. One more notable ex-player is Swedish International defender Glenn Hysen, who left Fiorentina in 1989 to join Liverpool. Former managers of the club also include some notable names, including Claudio Ranieri, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Francesco Graziani, Giovanni Trapattoni, Roberto Mancini and Dino Zoff.

Fiorentina’s success in Europe has been sketchy, with a win in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1961, and runners-up in 1962. They were also runners-up in the European Cup in 1957, and the UEFA Cup in 1990. Domestically they have been Serie A champions twice (1956 and 1969), and have won the Coppa Italia six times (1940, 1961, 1966, 1975, 1996, 2001).

They are a famous club, with a proud history that includes some of the world’s finest players. But, they are something of an unknown quantity to us since we have never had the pleasure of competing against them before. They may give us a good game, but we should be able to overcome anything they put up against us.

Olympique Lyonnais
October 20th (h) and November 4th (a)

Olympique Lyonnais, or simply OL or even more simply Lyon, were founded in 1899, and were one of the members of the G14 group of Europe’s most powerful clubs (a group that also included Liverpool of course). They are currently members of the European Club Association which succeeded the G14. Their nickname is either “Les Gones” meaning “The Kids” or in the eyes of rival supporters they are known as “Les Vautours Blancs” meaning “The White Vultures”, owing to their tendency to pluck the most talented players from competing clubs.

The history of the club is one of ups and downs, quite literally, as the club was relegated several times during the period from the 40’s through the 80’s, but stability finally arrived in 1987 with the arrival of manager Jean-Michael Aulas in 1987. The club built steadily until the team set a record of seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles, beginning with their first in 2002 and continuing through to 2008. That included two titles (2006 and 2007) under the management of a certain Mr. Gerard Houllier. Some other famous managers include 1998 World Cup winner Aimé Jacquet, former player Jean Tigana, and Alain Perrain (after serving one less-than-brilliant season with Portsmouth). A few familiar names crop up in the list of former players, with such notables as Milan Baros, Michael Essien, Sylvain Wiltord, Florent Malouda, and Mick McCarthy.

Lyon’s European experience began in 1959 with entry to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, going out immediately to Inter Milan. The next few years saw them also competing in the Fairs cup, the Cup Winners Cup, and the UEFA Cup, but with mixed results and not a great deal of success. European silverware finally arrived in 1997 with a 4-2 win over Montpellier. Lyon’s first entry to the Champions League was in the 1999-00 season, where they’ve been a constant presence ever since, not once failing to make it past the Group Stage, which parallels their domestic achievements. Their most notable success so far was in the three years from 2004 to 2006 when they made three consecutive quarter-final appearances. This is clearly a club with a proud history and plenty of Champions League experience, and so will most likely be our toughest competition.

It may seem like a long way from now to the final in Madrid next May, but as with the proverbial journey of a thousand miles that begins with a single step, we start our latest European journey with a single match this Wednesday evening. Let’s hope for some entertaining and winning football to come, and with a little bit of luck and some good fortune on our side, we could be on our way to Number Six in a few months’ time.

He went on to explain that the only reason he backed down from the story shortly after it first appeared was that the owner, Rupert Murdoch, ordered him to do so. It’s hard to believe that this man was the editor of a ‘œnewspaper.’ The story didn’t even have one piece of evidence to support it, and has been shown many times over and over again to be false. But why let truth or facts get in the way of a good story that is intended to sell newspapers? We’d be happy to forget the whole sorry story, but some people are determined to perpetuate the lies.

It was also more than two years ago (December 2006) that I was shocked to hear reports that the host of an American television football program had lost his cool during an exchange of opinions and began ranting and raving about the ‘œhorrors’ of Liverpool FC. This was of course the famous outburst by Steve Cohen, host of the ‘œFox Football Fone-in’ which is broadcast on the Fox Soccer Channel. Mr. Cohen’s loudly voiced opinions can also be heard on Sirius Satellite radio, and is available as a podcast for those who just can’t get by without hearing the ranting of this self-confessed Chelsea supporter.

The beginning of all this was Mr. Cohen’s venomous attack, saying that he was ‘œsick of hearing Liverpool’s constant bragging about how many trophies they have won,’ or words to that effect. It could have stopped there, but he just had to say more. ‘œThere’s a disgusting side of Liverpool’s history that I’ll be happy to talk about’ after which he went on to claim (loudly) that Liverpool supporters ‘œdirectly caused the two worst disasters in English football history’ – in reference to Heysel and Hillsborough. He went on to say that he was ‘œsick of Liverpool fans ramming their success down his throat ‘¦ there should be 39 coffins to go with the 5 stars on the badge.’

This type of misdirected attack, using falsehoods and insinuation, is exactly the same kind of ‘œtruth’ that Kelvin MacKenzie believes in. That is, if you say it often enough, and loud enough, and with enough conviction, then it must be true. Of course, no discussion followed the statements from this ‘œexpert’ nor was any time given for any caller to challenge the statements that were made. The only justification from this malicious ignoramus was that he was ‘œentitled to his opinion’ and he has ‘œa right to speak freely’. If it was only an opinion, then it may be acceptable. But saying something that is plainly wrong and that goes against all of the facts is inexcusable. Freedom of speech applies to facts or opinions, not to lies. As a well respected writer once said, ‘œAre you entitled to your opinion? No! You are entitled to your informed opinion.’

Empty apologies

A week later, he attempted to make amends for his outburst. His entire speech took about thirty seconds, during which he made a few excuses and then the supposed apology came at the end. He admits to having ‘œmade some very disparaging remarks about Liverpool Football Club and their supporters.’ His excuse is that, ‘œin the heat of the moment’ he made the comments in response to some attacks against his beloved Chelsea, and claimed that ‘œI know that I’m a passionate Chelsea fan and it takes up almost all of my waking hours.’ He goes on to say ‘œI also know that when I am wound up about comments against Chelsea that like many fans I resort to insults that can be very hurtful. As a broadcast professional I should know better and not let it get to this stage. I’ve apologized on our radio show ‘˜World Soccer Daily’ and I’ve also apologized to the management here at Fox Soccer Channel. But most importantly I wish to apologies to all our viewers.’

The apology comes across like it was prepared by a public relations department, who then had him read it out word for word on air. It’s exactly the type of speech that you would hear from a politician or a celebrity who has been told to make ‘œa statement’ which is then supposed to be accepted by the general public as a way of saying ‘œsorry, I didn’t mean it’. Any of us could do the same; just take some previous statements and copy and paste as needed. It’s not exactly a sincere apology, nor are the excuses acceptable. The worst part is that in his list of those he has apologized to, he badly misses the mark – he should be begging forgiveness from the families of the 96.

At it again

Still, I was willing to forget the whole thing and ignore him and others who continue to spout lies about Hillsborough. But once again it’s not possible. Just before the twentieth anniversary, on April-13-2009, Mr. Cohen was at it again. This time he was claiming that Liverpool supporters have to take some ‘œshared responsibility’ for the disaster, and not just blame others such as the South Yorkshire Police, or the FA, or Sheffield Wednesday FC. His main point was that 6-8,000 ticketless fans had forced their way in and thus caused the fatal crush. Once again, the story continued the following week when he felt he had to respond (reluctantly) in some way to the numbers of e-mails he had received.

‘œPeople think I do it solely for a wind-up. It’s not solely for a wind-up. People think it contributes to why I don’t like Liverpool ‘“ it’s the sole reason I don’t like Liverpool. It has nothing to do with the 11 or 17 [sic] players they put on the pitch’¦At the very least there is a degree of depraved indifference here from the people who stormed in.’

When questioned on his assertion that it was 6-8,000 ticketless fans pushing their way in, and that he should apologise and retract his comment if that number was wrong, he replied ‘œIf what we’re arguing about here, the difference in the exact numbers, then my argument is made for me because whether it’s 25, 2500 or 25,000, it has contributed to what happened ‘¦What I am saying, and I will continue to say it, ‘¦ and I’ve had e-mails from a myriad of different Hillsborough groups, all very respectful and very nice, asking me to read this or read that, blah blah blah. ‘¦ The point is that if the people hadn’t been outside it never happens [sic]. This is a stadium that had no problems prior to this particular day. That’s a fact.’

When further pressed about the number of ticketless fans (he originally claimed 6-8,000), his response once again was that the exact number doesn’t matter and even if he is wrong his point is made for him: ‘œThere were people there who shouldn’t have been there because they didn’t have tickets and they were hell-bent on getting in. I’m sorry, but those are the facts ‘¦ I’m telling you now that this is how I feel about it ‘¦ What I am talking about is shared responsibility ‘¦ It is not possible, in my estimation, for this kind of tragedy to be had, whether the number is 8,000, 800, or 80 outside, there is no way that you can say that there are not some shared responsibilities. And I don’t care what reports come out from the British government, I don’t care how early they come out, and I don’t care about the Taylor Report. This is a logical argument; a logical argument.’ (Italics are his emphasis).

Well, in fact there had been problems before at this stadium (in particular in 1981, 1987, and 1988), but like Mr. MacKenzie, why let the facts get in the way of a good dishonest rant? The ‘œlogical argument’ of how the exact number of ticketless fans, and whether it’s 25 or 25,000 makes his point or his argument for him, is well beyond my understanding. It must be some form of logic that I haven’t experienced yet. Clearly if 25,000 tried to force their way in to an area with a capacity of 10,100 then you’d expect serious problems. If 25 forced their way in to that same area of 10,100 then I can’t believe that it would result in 96 fatalities and hundreds of injuries. Of course, if you had read the Taylor Report you would have seen that the actual number estimated to be in that area (according to a combination of turnstile counters, eye-witnesses, and CCTV camera evidence) was in fact a range of from 9,267 to a maximum of 10,124. Also, ‘œthere was not an abnormally large number of fans without tickets on this occasion’ and ‘œ’¦ police witnesses ‘¦ did not consider the number of ticketless fans to be inordinately large. This accords with two other sources of evidence.’ Both quotes are taken from the Interim Taylor Report, but of course Mr. Cohen ‘œdoesn’t care about the Taylor Report.’ Would that be because it disagrees with his ‘œfacts’? We can probably assume that he’s also not interested in British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s recent assessment of the tragedy when he said: ‘œ’¦ people understood that the behaviour of Liverpool fans in helping each other was, as I think the judge said, ‘˜magnificent’; that it was wrong for people to blame, as some did, Liverpool fans on that day.’ Mr. Cohen probably also doesn’t care that the current Chief Constable of the South Yorkshire Police, Meredydd Hughes, recently stated ‘œSouth Yorkshire Police fully accept their responsibility for the Hillsborough disaster’ and went on to explain that every aspect of policing before, during, and after a football match has completely changed as a result of the Final Taylor Report.

Considering his recent comments and continued attacks, deliberately timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough, how sincere does that previous (more than two years old) apology look now? Mr. Cohen still wasn’t willing to end there either. He followed up his ridiculous rants by challenging anyone to a ‘œdebate’ on Hillsborough. I put the word debate in quotes simply because I can see the type of debate that this would turn into ‘“ most likely of the Bill O’Reilly variety. He’s sometimes described as ‘œThe most powerful name in news’ by some, or ‘œOne man who has raised the volume and lowered the tone of US television news’ by others who are not so taken with his style. His form of discussion with a guest he disagrees with turns into a diatribe instead of a debate. In one famous episode, not long after September 11th 2001, he was interviewing Jeremy Glick whose father had died in the World Trade Center attacks. The problem was that Mr. Glick held an anti-war point of view and disagreed with the idea that the US should bomb innocent civilians in a foreign country. Mr. O’Reilly became more and more enraged that he should be disagreeing with his pro-war opinion, and instead of letting Mr. Glick finish speaking, started to yell ‘œShut Up!’ at him and then turned to his floor staff saying, ‘œCut off his mic.’ After the show aired, Mr. Glick revealed that he was then physically threatened by the host (O’Reilly), who said ‘œGet out of my studio before I tear you to f’¦g pieces.’ In another well known episode, supposedly debating with a foreign journalist, he referred to the damage that the French economy had suffered as a result of not joining the US invasion of Iraq. He claimed that according to the Paris Business Review, France had lost billions of dollars in trade as a result of US boycotts of French products. The problem with those statements is that trade between USA and France had actually increased during that period, and there’s no such publication as the Paris Business Review. It might be okay to pass this off as harmless entertainment, but when it’s presented as news (after all, it’s broadcast on an all-news channel) then it’s taken by most people to be accurate, or that they can safely assume it’s so.

Public belief

A study by the University of Maryland showed that 80% of people who watch Fox News exclusively, believed one or more of the common myths about the Iraq invasion: i.e. Saddam Hussein was directly involved in the 9-11 attacks, that the US had found weapons of mass destruction, and that most of the other countries of the world agreed with the US invasion. What was even more interesting was that the study showed that the more that people watched Fox News, the more likely they were to believe those myths. That is, the more you watch, the dumber you get! I would say that the same applies to anyone who reads Mr. MacKenzie’s newspaper ‘œreports’, or listens to Mr. Cohen’s ‘œopinions.’

It may be okay for some people to be misinformed or unaware of facts; but when someone who is in a position where they should know the truth but ignores it, then there is a serious problem. When those people are then given a public platform to spread the inaccuracies, then it compounds the problem even more. We rely on our newspapers and television reports to give us facts, not lies. They should take that responsibility seriously and treat us with the respect that we deserve. I’m not one to give much time to conspiracy theories, but I have to wonder about this: The Fox Soccer Channel is part of the Fox television empire, which is also responsible for the Fox News channel, all of which are owned by Rupert Murdoch. That’s the same individual who owns ‘œthat tabloid rag of a newspaper’. Is that really just a coincidence, or do I see more in it that than I should? There’s a definite pattern with all of these examples, so perhaps it’s not surprising that all of them depend on style over substance, or sensationalism before accuracy. It’s all about audience numbers, and if that means lowering journalistic standards to increase those numbers then so be it.

Marshall Mcluhan famously said that the modern methods of mass communication would replace the print media through a process of ‘œelectronic interdependence’ leading to a new form of virtual society he called the ‘œglobal village.’ It’s easy to see that this is taking place as radio, television, internet blogs, and podcasts take the place of traditional in-depth written reporting. The sad part is that now any fool can have access to various mass media, and unfortunately many of them do. The global village is now a reality, and clearly we have more than a few global village idiots to contend with.

Debate

Finally, in response to Mr. Cohen’s challenge to a ‘œdebate’, I’ll throw down the gauntlet myself and invite him to come here to Vancouver to take part in a real Hillsborough discussion. Not a debate, because there’s nothing left after 20 years of studies and inquiries left open to debate. I’ll have a colleague or two on my side, and Mr. Cohen can bring one or two of his allies to support his side (if he has any!). We’ll find a suitable venue (one of the local colleges or universities would be ideal), we’ll find a moderator that we can both agree on to direct the proceedings and keep things in order, and then we’ll find out who has the true story and who’s spreading lies. I can’t wait to hear from him and find out more about his ‘œlogical’ arguments. But I won’t be holding my breath.

Links

But then again it’s not always such a small world.

My family moved to Vancouver back in 1975, and in those days it wasn’t so easy to follow such ‘œinsignificant’ events as Liverpool’s progress in the league or the various cups. That’s something that has changed drastically and rapidly in recent years, with the development of the internet, e-season tickets, and satellite television broadcasts. But back then it was difficult to be able to keep fully up-to-date with all the news and results. For all the local interest in soccer (not to be confused with that other game of ‘œfootball’) back home in England, it might as well have been taking place a world away. And there have been times when that distance, and the difficulty of keeping up-to-date, was so much harder to accept than at others.

It was twenty years ago now when I finished working the night-shift at the mill and was on my way to bed after a long night, thinking about the FA Cup semi-final to come later that day. Due to the time difference of 8 hours between Vancouver and the UK, it was actually only 7am local time for the scheduled kick-off, but there would be no news about the match for me until after I woke up much later. So it was that after coming out of the fog of a deep sleep around mid-day, I turned on the radio beside the bed hoping that the local news would give me the score, and to see if we would be on our way to Wembley for the FA Cup final. The shock that came as the news headlines were announced made me wonder if I was hearing it properly. Hearing that terrible news will live in the memory of all of us the same way that we all remember where we were when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the surface of the moon, or when we heard that John Lennon had been shot, or more recently when the ‘˜planes crashed into the World Trade Center. It was one of those moments of stunned disbelief, when we can’t really believe that what we are seeing or hearing is actually true ‘“ but then even worse was to come.

The early news reports were saying that several people had been killed in a crush of supporters at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, where Liverpool were playing Nottingham Forest in one of the semi-finals taking place that day. At first the news was uncertain about the number, but the later reports were saying as many as fifty had been confirmed dead. Memories of the 1971 Ibrox disaster came to mind, thinking that some similar incident might have happened in the excitement of the match, but it was soon understood as being nothing like that. My first reaction was to phone my mother (who lives a few miles away) to ask if she’d heard the same news as I had. Of course she had, and to answer my next question she assured me that to the best of her knowledge, none of the family back home had planned to travel to Sheffield for the big match that day. At least that confirmation was something of a relief, but as the news reports continued to come through for the rest of the day, the confirmed numbers of deceased steadily climbed until it was being described as the worst disaster in British sports history. It was obviously a major tragedy, and one that was just impossible to comprehend. Even later that night there was still little or no explanation of how this had happened.

Rumours started flying as early as the next day, when our local newspapers gave us some very unfeeling and impersonal front-page stories on the events of the previous day, mostly taken from the various international news services. Some allegations were that large numbers of drunken and/or ticketless fans had forced their way in, while others suggested that it was just plain old hooliganism of the type that so much of the world was tired of hearing about. ‘œThose crazy English soccer fans have done it again’ was one common sentiment, even though there was no real evidence to suggest anything of the kind. The pictures chosen to accompany the stories ranged from disturbing to tasteless, with the faces of some of the victims shown clearly in close-up pressed against the fences. My wife and I couldn’t believe the heartlessness of the reports, and we both spent most of the day in tears as we tried to make sense of it all.

Much worse was to come later in the week, as local newspapers picked up on the stories of Liverpool supporters’ supposed shocking behaviour in the aftermath of the disaster. I was still finding it hard to believe that the tragedy had even happened, but I knew that there was definitely no ‘œtruth’ to what was being reported in these stories. What made it even more difficult was that the allegations played directly into the prejudices of the commonly believed notion that all English football supporters were hooligans, who would act like animals at every opportunity if they were not strictly controlled (which in their minds was ‘œproven’ by the very fact that they had to be fenced in). Thankfully this only lasted a short time as the real truth came out when the official inquiries and investigations submitted their initial reports. But, the damage had been done and there are still many people here (and no doubt around the world) who continue to believe that it was all caused by the irresponsible actions of the supporters themselves. It just isn’t possible to explain to those who won’t listen and so it became easier to say nothing, even though that meant keeping all the anger and the sadness inside instead of talking it over with others. This was certainly one of those times when the world wasn’t really so small, and the distance from home seemed a lot more than just a few thousand miles.

As the days and weeks passed by, we read the stories of the funerals and the memorials, and as insufficient as it might have seemed at the time, we sent flowers to Anfield to be added to the thousands that were being laid there as tributes to those who had died. We’d had our first child only a year before, and as the memories of my own childhood times in the Anfield Road end came back to me, remembering how all of us kids wanted to be right up at the front to be close to our heroes, just made it all the harder to take knowing that so many young lives had been so needlessly lost. As new parents we couldn’t bear the thought of losing our only child, especially in such horrible circumstances, and kept on breaking down as we read about the families who were trying to cope with the loss of a loved one, or in some even more tragic cases of parents who had lost both of their children on that terrible day.

We also read over the following weeks and months of the resignations and early retirements of some of those who were supposedly in charge of safety at the stadium, and being infuriated by the realisation that no action could now be taken against them as a result. Meanwhile, the families’ efforts to bring those responsible to justice continued to be frustrated at every step. Unbelievably it’s now twenty years later, and still nothing in terms of justice has been realised. There’s some hope that the European courts might be able to re-open the case-files, but it’s not something that we can count on by any means.

The one thing that we can all do, no matter where in the world we happen to be, is to honour the memory of the ninety-six who lost their lives that day. That means supporting the fight for justice through the various support groups and agencies that are working on their behalf, educating those who still don’t know the real truth of what took place that day, and asking that the club never play on April 15th – even if it means forfeiting a match and being disqualified from a competition.

The world needs to know that we’ll never forget them. May they rest in peace while we continue the fight for justice – You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Staunton in action for Republic of Ireland

There must be a very short list of players that have played twice for one club. One that comes to mind is Peter Beardsley, who came to Liverpool from Newcastle, and then later spent the last few good seasons of his career with the Magpies.

An even shorter list would be of Liverpool players who left and then later returned. One famous example is Ian Rush who left Liverpool at the end of the 1986/87 season to try his luck with Juventus, but returned after only one season and went on to continued success with the Reds. Steve Staunton would be on an even shorter list as he played twice each for two different clubs – Liverpool and Aston Villa – as if both clubs had agreed to take turns in using his talents for a few years at a time.

Stephen (Steve) Staunton was born in Drogheda, Republic of Ireland on January 19th, 1969. As a young lad, he was an accomplished all-round athlete, playing Association Football for Dundalk F.C., and Gaelic Football for County Louth U-21’s. As a seventeen year old with Dundalk, he was spotted by a Liverpool scout and soon after he met with Kenny Dalglish to sign a contract with Liverpool in the summer of 1986.

It was something of a slow start as he began honing his skills with the reserves. Part of this learning process included a loan spell of eight games with second division Bradford City, who were chasing promotion, before returning to the reserves in his second season. Finally, after those two seasons, he made his first team debut on September 17th, 1988 as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham at Anfield. His performance in that match was impressive enough for him to be on the bench again three days later as Liverpool faced Arsenal at Highbury in the semi final of the Centenary Trophy. In that match he came on as a substitute and scored Liverpool’s only goal in a 2-1 loss. Another substitute appearance in a 3-1 win away to Southampton was then followed with his first starting place in a home League Cup match against Walsall. It was only a month later when he made his International debut for Jack Charlton’s Ireland side in a 4-0 friendly win over Tunisia, even though he had yet to play a full ninety minutes for Liverpool. At this point, it must have been obvious that his career was well and truly under way, and so it proved as the following couple of seasons saw success (and medals) coming his way.

Liverpool’s central defence was well anchored in those days by Alan Hansen, but when he was briefly out of the side with an injury, Gary Ablett was moved to the centre which opened up the left back spot for Steve Staunton. From that time on, the position became his for the remainder of the season. Liverpool were on their way to another League and FA Cup double, but all of that was forgotten on April 15th 1989. Steve attended many of the funerals and comforted bereaved families as the city mourned. When the semi-final against Nottingham Forest was replayed, he put in a man-of-the-match performance to help Liverpool reach the final against Everton. The 3-2 extra time win (he was substituted at the beginning of extra time) gave him his first major medal as an FA Cup winner. Disappointment soon followed as Arsenal beat Liverpool in the last game of the season to prevent the double, and thus robbing Steve Staunton of a League Champion’s medal. He didn’t have to wait too long to make up for that though, as he played a significant part in Liverpool’s League success the following season.

The 1989/90 season may have been the best period of all in Steve Staunton’s career. By this time he was showing his versatility by playing in a variety of roles, from all four positions at the back, to midfield, and sometimes up front. He even scored a hat trick in a League Cup match against Wigan in September ‘89 when he was a substitute for Ian Rush. At the end of that season, he picked up a well earned medal as Liverpool won their eighteenth League Championship.

His international career also blossomed during the same period, and it was no surprise that Jack Charlton selected him as part of the squad to travel to Italy for the 1990 World Cup Finals. The first match of the contest must have seemed a bit like a Liverpool inter-squad match as he lined up for Ireland alongside fellow Reds John Aldridge, Ronnie Whelan, and Ray Houghton. Opposite them for England were John Barnes, Steve McMahon, and Peter Beardsley. That match ended 1-1, and although Ireland were unable to beat Egypt, they were able to play out a 0-0 draw against Holland and went through to the knock out stage, beating Romania and losing out by a single goal to host Italy in the quarter final. Unfortunately, that was to be the peak of his career, where at the age of just twenty one (and the youngest player in the Ireland team that summer) he played in all five of Irelands’ games.

When he reported back to Anfield for the 1990/91 season, he could not have known that the turmoil to come would be the beginning of the end of his days with Liverpool. By the end of the season, after Kenny Dalglish’s shock resignation in February of 1991, Graeme Souness became manager and many changes were in the air.

Liverpool were allowed to return to European competition (following the ban imposed after Heysel) for the 1991/92 season in the UEFA Cup, but some new rules that had been brought in were not good news for any non-English player in the squad. The governing body of UEFA had decided that no more than three foreign players could be fielded for European matches. Graeme Souness therefore decided that Staunton was no longer in the plans for the future and so was sold to Aston Villa for £1,100,000. That’s a good return on the initial outlay of £20,000 paid to Dundalk a few years earlier, and many supporters saw it as a good business move by the manager.

Staunton soon settled in at Villa Park, making an impressive debut by scoring a goal against Sheffield Wednesday. Only a season later, he was joined by two more former Liverpool players as Dean Saunders and Ray Houghton also fell under the Souness axe. The three of them together were League Cup winners in 1994, which culminated with a 3-1 win over Manchester United. That now gave Steve Staunton all three domestic competition medals, and he went on to win one more when Aston Villa beet Leeds United in the 1996 League Cup Final (although he was an unused substitute in the final match).

The rules that had forced clubs to carefully count their non-English players had been challenged in court, and subsequently defeated, in 1995. The new ruling abolished quotas of non European Union citizens for any EU clubs. It also allowed more freedom of movement of players, including free transfers from club to club at the end of a player’s contract. Such a ‘œBosman free transfer’ saw Steve Staunton returning to Liverpool in the summer of 1998 (following several years of speculation), under joint managers Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier. This second period at Liverpool lasted two seasons, at the end of which he was told that he would be allowed to leave on a free transfer at the end of the 1999/2000 season. The early part of the following season was spent on loan at Crystal Palace for a total of six games before being recalled to Liverpool for what would become his last ever match in a Liverpool shirt. That was as a second-half substitute for Djimi Traore in a UEFA Cup match against Olympiakos on 23rd of November 2000. That made a total of 147 appearances and 6 goals for Liverpool.

Aston Villa supporters were not pleased when Steve Staunton had effectively thumbed his nose at them, during what turned out to be his last season at Villa Park, by stating that he would welcome a move back to Anfield. Following that transfer, when Liverpool played a Premier League match at Villa Park in October of 1999, the Villa fans gave him a lot of stick and were delighted to see him sent off after an hour of play. There was much hilarity for the Villa supporters, but the last laugh must have been on them as the object of their derision was soon to be on his way back to the Midlands.

In December 2000, he returned for a second spell at Aston Villa, playing in 14 league games to end the season. The two years that he now spent with the Midlands club were not as successful as previously, although he was able to end his Villa career with a total of 350 appearances and 16 goals (all of which came during the first spell). From there it was a free transfer to Coventry City for two seasons, followed by a move into management as player/assistant manager at Walsall.

Meanwhile, from 1991 when he left Liverpool for the first time, his international career continued to progress. He played in all of the Republic of Ireland’s four matches at the USA 1994 World Cup, and was regularly selected over the years even though they did not qualify for Euro 96 in England, or for the 1998 World Cup in France. As Ireland made their way through to the 2002 World Cup, Steve Staunton was named team captain. The 1-1 draw with Germany in the group stage was a very special occasion as he made his 100th international appearance. Ireland made it through to the second round, losing to Spain on penalties. It was shortly after that defeat that Steve Staunton decided to end his international career, with a record 102 caps and as the only player to have played in all 13 of Ireland’s World Cup Finals games.

Surprisingly to many, he was appointed as the manager of the Republic of Ireland in January 2006. The critics were soon quiet after his first match in charge ended with a 3-0 win over Sweden. But, that was followed by a string of defeats, and then a few better results to keep them in contention for Euro 2008 (currently in a three way tie with Germany and the Czech Republic).

At the end of it all, as Steve Staunton looks back on his Liverpool career, he can be justifiably proud of his contribution to the club. He picked up a League Champion’s medal, an FA Cup medal, and twice won Charity Shield medals. He can also be proud of the fact that Roy Evans rated him highly enough to bring him back for a second spell with Liverpool when his first stint at Aston Villa came to an end. Unfortunately, for some reason he was never the most popular player at Anfield during his first spell, and even less so during the second. No matter what the statistics or the history of Liverpool players may show, it was not enough for him to be recognised in the list of 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, having been kept out by the likes of more popular candidates such as Erik Meijer and Nigel Clough. Still, he easily makes it on my list of Liverpool Heroes, even though he is just one more that seems to have been forgotten by most.

Phil Boersma ‘“ From Fringe Player to Physio

The dream of so many young lads is to play for the local club alongside the players that they idolise. For Phil Boersma it was a dream that came so close to reality but just didn’t quite work out as successfully as it might have done.

Phil Boersma was born in Kirkby on September 24th, 1949. He was a big powerful young player, and his 5ft 10in height and 11st 7lbs (161 lbs) was ideally suited to his preferred position as a forward. He had power and pace as well as skill with the ball, and was signed by Liverpool at the age of 19, in September of 1968. As was usual in those times, he went straight into the reserve squad, playing in the Central League where he worked on proving himself worthy of being called up to the senior squad. One year later, on his 20th birthday, he made his debut for Liverpool. Phil was called upon to take a place on the substitute’s bench for a third round League Cup tie against Manchester City at Maine Road. The Reds were losing when Phil came on in the 67th minute to replace Alun Evans, but could not turn the game around with Liverpool eventually going down 3-2. A few days later, Phil was given another chance when he made his League debut in a 2-2 draw away at West Bromwich Albion. This time he started the match, and was in turn replaced by Alun Evans in the 70th minute. It was a slow start to a promising career, with only three more league appearances and one in the European Fairs Cup until the turn of the year. After a spell back in the reserves, he went on loan to Wrexham, in March of 1970, for a seven game spell before returning to Liverpool in April. He then ended the season on a high note with his first medal as Liverpool Reserves won the Central League Championship for the 1969-70 season.

The 1970-71 season was to be a lot more promising as Phil joined the senior squad as a substitute on their European Fairs Cup trip to Dinamo Bucharest, for the 2nd leg of the 2nd round, in October of 1970. Alun Evans picked up an injury early in the match and so Phil came on to replace him after only fifteen minutes. This was his first appearance for the season, and he scored his first goal for Liverpool in the 47th minute, giving the Reds a 1-1 result on the night. The first leg at Anfield had ended with a 3-0 victory and so Liverpool were comfortably through to the next round with a 4-1 aggregate result. A few days later, he was rewarded for his efforts with a place in the starting eleven in a 0-0 draw against Derby at the Baseball Ground. Two more appearances as a substitute followed before he managed to put together a string of starting appearances, and ended the season with a total of twenty one ‘“ three of which were from the bench. He managed to score a total of 3 goals, with two of those in European Fairs Cup matches. That wasn’t impressive for a striker, and so it was understandable that he lost the starting position to a young up and coming new player by the name of Kevin Keegan at the start of the 1971-72 season.

Phil Boersma was not one to sulk about his lack of playing time with the first team, and instead concentrated on being ready if and when called upon. It must have been disappointing to be continually left out but when the partnership of Keegan and Toshack was beginning to produce goals by the score, then it’s not so surprising that Phil would remain on the fringes as a squad player for the next couple of seasons. In the 1972-73 season, with Toshack out with injury for much of that season, he made something of a breakthrough as he played in thirty one games, with eight of those in the UEFA Cup run that brought the first European trophy to Anfield. Those eight appearances produced four goals, which is a respectable return for any striker in European competition. His final appearance for the season was as a 77th minute replacement for Steve Heighway in the second leg of the final in Germany, helping the Reds to hold on for the 3-2 aggregate win. He also managed to make fourteen League appearances, scoring seven goals (also a respectable return) and was rewarded with a League Champions medal as Liverpool won a historic double. So it was that the lad from Kirkby was now living his dream, winning two major medals in one season.

The following season, 1973-74, should have been one to build on the previous year’s success. But, his form was not up to the standard that Shankly demanded and so he was used less often. By the end of the campaign, he had made fifteen appearances in the league, five in the FA Cup, and two in Europe. He scored a mere four goals, and so it was not much of a surprise that he was not selected to start in the 1974 FA Cup Final against Newcastle. This would not have been particularly unreasonable as he had made five appearances and scored once in the FA Cup run, but even so he was told by Shankly that he would be on the bench and therefore may play a part in the match. He then found out later that Chris Lawler would be named as the substitute instead. That was the lowest point of his career so far, and he walked out on the team with a vow that he would never play for Liverpool again. The FA Cup Final was one of the most memorably one-sided ever seen, with Liverpool easily winning 3-0. If ever there was a time when a player would feel that he wasn’t needed, then this would be it. It must have felt that he had not only ended his Liverpool career but his defiant act of walking out had possibly ended his football career as well.

Factfile: PHIL BOERSMA Birthdate: 24.09.1949 Birthplace: Kirkby, Liverpool, England Other clubs: Wrexham (loan), Middlesbrough, Luton, Swansea Bought from: Local Signed for LFC: £0 Professional September 1968 Liverpool debut: 24.09.1969 Last appearance: 25.10.1975 Debut goal: 04.11.1970 Last goal: 21.09.1974 Contract expiry: December 1975 LFC league games/goals: 82 / 17 Total LFC games/goals: 120 / 30

Fortunately for Phil, he and the club managed to patch up their differences, and the new season began with a new man in charge (Bob Paisley) after Bill Shankly shocked the world with the announcement of his retirement from football. Before the new season was properly underway, Liverpool travelled to Wembley to face Leeds United in the FA Charity Shield. This was the first time that the competition had been played at Wembley, and Phil marked the occasion by opening the scoring with a goal after only nineteen minutes. Leeds equalised later on, but the match will always be remembered as the one where Keegan and Bremner were both sent off for fighting. The match was eventually decided on penalties, (which was also a first as the shield would have been shared in previous years) with Liverpool winning 6-5. The lengthy suspension to Keegan following his sending off at Wembley (combined with an earlier sending off) was an opportunity for Boersma to establish himself in the starting eleven. He made a long string of consecutive appearances in Keegan’s absence, ending the season with a total of twenty nine, with only one as a substitute. He also contributed in the scoring totals, with a couple at Stamford Bridge, a hat trick against Spurs at Anfield, and a couple in the record setting 11-0 win over Stromsgodset I.F. in the European Cup Winners Cup. That was a total of nine goals to his credit already, but there was only to be one more for the season, which came near the end of September against Stoke. Up to that point he had scored an incredible ten goals in eleven starts, but there were to be no more goals for the rest of the season.

Bob Paisley began building his team for the future, with Keegan and Toshack being the preferred partnership up front. Boersma was to be a squad player at best if he was to remain at Anfield, and so when the 1975-76 season began he could only manage one starting appearance and four as a substitute. New players were starting to come through from the reserves, including David Fairclough, and so it was inevitable that Phil’s time at Anfield would be coming to an end. In December of 1975, Bob Paisley agreed to a fee of £72,000 from Middlesbrough, and Phil Boersma was off to begin a new phase of his career under manager Jack Charlton.

Phil Boersma made his debut for Middlesbrough in a 0-0 draw at home to Manchester United. Charlton decided that Phil was more suited to a midfield role rather than as a striker, and so he made most of his almost fifty appearances in this position. It wasn’t a memorable time with less than steady selection and a mere four goals over two years, but more importantly it was here on Teesside that he met Graeme Souness and the two of them began a lasting friendship. Phil left Middlesbrough in the summer of 1977 for a season with Luton Town, where he scored eight goals in thirty six appearances. From there it was to be one more season (1978-79) at Swansea, where he joined former team-mate John Toshack who had been appointed manager a few months earlier. An ankle injury effectively put an end to Phil Boersma’s career after only eighteen appearances and one goal.

He then decided to take up physiotherapy and coaching (following in Bob Paisley’s footsteps) after his playing days were over, and was appointed first team coach and later Assistant Manager as the Welsh club began to climb up from the third division all the way to the first. He left Vetch field in 1983 to take the Assistant Manger’s job at Lincoln City, and then took a call from his old friend Graeme Souness who was now manager at Glasgow Rangers. Souness invited him to join him at Ibrox, and then followed him down to Anfield when Souness became manager during the closing stages of the 1990-91 season following Kenny Dalglish’s resignation.

The partnership between Graeme Souness and Phil Boersma was to be a long-lasting one. Souness resigned as Liverpool manager following their FA Cup defeat to Bristol City in January of 1994, and Phil then followed Souness as he moved first to Galatasaray (1995-96) where he almost started a riot by planting the club flag in the centre circle after winning the Turkish Cup against bitter rivals Fenerbahce. From there the two of them were off to Southampton (1996-97), and then after a short spell in Torino they were off to Benfica for two unsuccessful seasons (1997-99). After being dismissed by Benfica, Souness moved back to England and took over at Second Division Blackburn Rovers. Phil followed once again, and the two of them managed to lead the club back to the Premier League by the end of their first season in charge. After four years at Ewood Park, it was time for Souness to move on and once again Phil followed. This time it was to Newcastle United for a couple of seasons (2004-06), where the two eventually parted company.

Boersma now decided to move on to a new challenge, and was appointed as the assistant manager at Llangefni Town FC of the Welsh Premier League. That was to be a short-lived position as the bottom-placed club decided on a change of management, with Phil leaving the club along with fellow Liverpudlian and player-manager Alex Kevan in January of 2008 after only one month.

Professional football can be a tough business at times, and for players like Phil Boersma it becomes one of survival from year to year. It can’t be easy to persevere after being kept on the fringes for so long as a player, and then to have such a turbulent career in management as he has had over his almost thirty years as coach, physiotherapist, and assistant manager. Still, he has a few medals and plenty of memories to show for his efforts, and there’s no value that can be placed on that. By the time he finished his seven plus seasons with Liverpool, he had made a total of one hundred and twenty appearances and scored thirty goals. He has the Central League Champions medal from 1969-70, the UEFA Cup and League Champions medals from 1972-73, and the Charity Shield medal from 1974. He may not have been much in the limelight during the building of Shankly’s second successful side, and then during the transition years from Shankly to Paisley – he mostly spent his time in the shadows of international superstars like Toshack and Keegan. But, he certainly made a significant contribution to the club during his time both as a player and later as a member of the coaching staff, and for all of that he is another Liverpool hero who should not be forgotten.

THERE’S always something special about Liverpool versus Everton, no matter what the competition or where we stand in the table relative to each other. As long as we are both in the Premier League, then we’re guaranteed two matches a season against our neighbours, and in some seasons we are lucky enough to face them in one or the other of the domestic cups. This season we have already beaten them in the Premier League match at Goodison (2-0, both from Torres) and would be looking forward to our home fixture coming up next week as a chance to really rub it in. But then, following our win over Preston and their win over Macclesfield in the FA Cup Third Round, we were the first two names drawn for the Fourth Round of the cup, and that gives us the chance to show them who ‘œThe Pride of Merseyside’ really is by playing them twice at Anfield in six days.

First up is the already scheduled Premier League fixture on Monday, January 19th. The FA Cup fourth round match then comes on the following Sunday, January 25th. Of course we want to win both of those, but a question that came up recently was, ‘œIf we could only win one of those, then which one would you want?’ The answers were almost unanimous that it should be the League fixture, as that’s the prize we want more than any other right now, and we want every point we can get. But, what surprises me is that not very many respondents pointed out that with this being the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough, it would be fitting to go all the way and win the cup, in memory of the 96. If only it could have been arranged for Everton to be our opponents in the final, then that would have been the biggest and most fitting anniversary of all.

Then again, such questions are pointless really since when do we ever think of only winning one out of two? Surely we go out to win every match, no matter who the opponents are or what the prize is at the end. There’s really no other way, and I’m confident that we can easily win both and use the two victories to build momentum for the run to the end of the season. If history is anything to go by, then the odds would be more than a little in our favour, with Liverpool winning 80 out of a total of 206 matches in all competitions, to Everton’s 64 (and 62 draws). In those 206 matches, we’ve outscored them by 281 to 240. If we look at home fixtures only, then the odds are even better with 38 wins to 24, and outscoring by 138 to 104. But as we all know only too well, history and statistics don’t mean a damn thing on the day (or in this case on two days) and so everything is up for grabs. It could well be the turning point of the season for one of us, either for better or for worse, and neither side will be thinking about past performances.

We’ve had some fantastic tussles with the blue half, with two of the most memorable being the FA Cup finals of 1986 and 1989. Ian Rush must have been their worst nightmare with him scoring four goals in those two finals, and who can forget his four goals in the 5-0 humiliation at Goodison in 1982? Liverpool went on to win the League that year, but strangely could only manage a 0-0 result at Anfield in March. We’ve also had a number of memorable come-from-behind wins, including the 1970 thriller with Shankly’s new-look Liverpool coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Two of the goals in that match came from new players Heighway and Toshack, as Liverpool began the decade as they meant to continue. Then of course there was the famous Gary McAllister 44 yard free-kick in the dying moments to take all three points in 2001.

Those were just two of the most exciting Merseyside derbies, to go along with the rest of the wins, but of course we should also remember that we haven’t always had it so easy. Out of those 64 losses to our local rivals, many of them have been ones that we’d rather forget. It’s never easy to admit defeat, but it’s sometimes useful to remember that we have to have the right mentality or we can be easily caught out. So, as a reminder that we can’t be too careful, here’s my list of Our Worst Five Merseyside Derbies.

5. Everton 3′“0 Liverpool, First Division, October 13th 1894

Everton Football Club, who were founded in 1878 and were one of the twelve clubs to form The Football League in 1888, then moved away from Anfield in 1892, leading to the formation of Liverpool Football Club who entered the Lancashire League the same year. After one season, Liverpool were then accepted to the Football League (second division) and were promoted to the first division in the summer of 1894. That allowed for the first ever derby between the two Merseyside clubs, which was not a great day for the newcomers. Everton came out as 3-0 winners at Goodison, which is perhaps not so surprising given the gap in experience between the two clubs at that time.

4. Everton 1′“0 Liverpool, FA Cup, March 11th 1967

The mid-sixties were an amazing time for all of Merseyside. Both clubs had their share of success, and of course the terms ‘œMerseybeat’ and ‘œScouse Humour’ were becoming well known all over the world. Liverpool had won the FA Cup in 1965, in between League Championships in 1964 and 1966. Everton won the FA Cup in 1966, and had been League Champions before Liverpool in 1963. The 1966-67 season began with the Charity Shield being contested between Everton as FA Cup winners and Liverpool as League Champions, at Goodison. That particular match was also memorable for Roger Hunt and Ray Wilson coming out with the 1966 World Cup trophy between them, as two of the players who had helped England win the World Cup earlier that summer.

By the spring of 1967, Liverpool and Everton had already played each other twice in the League, and once in the Charity Shield, with one win each and one draw. Then, the FA Cup Fifth Round tie pitted the two Merseyside giants against each other in what was described as the equivalent of a world championship. As Bill Shankly remarked at the time, it’s doubtful if this would ever happen again, with the Champions versus the Cup holders in a city as fanatical as Liverpool. The match, to be played at Goodison, was sold out in no time and so closed circuit television screens were erected at Anfield. Separate programs were printed and sold at each ground, and a total of 105,000 saw the match decided by a single goal, scored by Alan Ball, to put Liverpool out of the cup. The feeling of loss was all the greater after such a build-up, but at least we’ve had plenty of revenge since then.

3. Everton 4′“4 Liverpool, FA Cup, February 20th, 1991

The rivalry between the two Merseyside clubs was becoming intense as the 1980’s came to a close, and so when Liverpool and Everton were drawn to play each other in the fifth round of the FA Cup in early 1991 it was billed as another ‘œClash of the Titans.’ Liverpool were defending League Champions, and had beaten the blues in the FA Cup final of 1989. Liverpool had already beaten Everton 3-1 in the League on the 9th of February, with the Cup match to come just eight days later on the 17th. It’s never possible to predict the outcome of a cup fixture based on a league match, no matter how close together they are played, and it was not really so much of a surprise that Everton managed to hold on for a 0-0 result forcing a replay at Goodison. That replay, coming only three days later on the 20th, also resulted in a draw, but it was far from a boring 0-0 result. Liverpool took the lead no less than four times, only to see Everton claw their way back and equalise each time. The draw forced a second replay, also to be played at Goodison. That 4-4 draw is remembered not only as possibly the most exciting FA Cup match in the history of the competition so far (at least to the neutrals watching), but also as the last Liverpool match to be played under the management of Kenny Dalglish. The pressure of the job was becoming too much for him, and that replay turned out to be the final straw. His surprise resignation was announced two days later, and Liverpool were left in the hands of caretaker-manager Ronnie Moran. In spite of Ronnie’s best efforts, all of Liverpool’s promise in the early going came to an end, first with a loss to Luton in the League and then a loss to Everton in that second replay. It would be a major turning point in the history of Liverpool, but fortunately one that we would eventually recover from.

2. Everton 1′“0 Liverpool, Premier League, December 11th, 2004

Liverpool reached a peak under Gerard Houllier in the summer of 2001, winning five trophies in a period of six months. It was not such a great time after that, with a gradual decline in fortunes beginning to worry us all. In the summer of 2004, the club and Monsieur Houllier parted company, and in came new manager Rafa Benitez. There was no doubt that the new manager knew how to win, but one of his first big tests came with the Premier League match against Everton at Goodison. This was to be the 200th Merseyside derby, and Rafa’s first, and should have been his first victory over his new rivals. As always, it was a tight match with plenty of physical tackles, and with Liverpool looking more likely to come out as winners. That was until two thirds of the way through when Everton scored. At least that brought the match to life, with Liverpool pushing hard for an equaliser, but it was not to be their day. The season ended with glory for Liverpool, winning their fifth European Cup, but finishing behind Everton in fifth place in the League. Everton were granted a third qualifying round place in the Champions League, while Liverpool had to apply for permission to defend their European title. If that match had finished with a Liverpool victory instead, the final league positions would have been reversed, there would have been no need for that special permission from UEFA, and no taunts of ‘œRafa Beneathus’ from the blues. At least we had the pleasure the following season of seeing the blues knocked out of both European competitions in short order, and then at times struggling to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

1. Everton 3′“0 Liverpool, Premier League, September 9th, 2006

Liverpool were defending FA Cup Champions, and Charity Shield winners over League Champions Chelsea, following an impressive 2005-06 season. We were unlucky not to take second place in the league, finishing a single point behind Manchester United, and 32 points ahead of Everton who had finished a dismal season in 11th place. Added to that, Liverpool had lost only once to Everton in the last eight seasons, so it should be pretty much a foregone conclusion. Only the most faithful of the Evertonians, would have given the blues any chance in this one, but it was one of those days when everything seems to go wrong and against the odds. Liverpool were a goal down in less than half an hour, but so what? We had fought back against bigger deficits than that and so were not too worried. Then, when Everton scored a second, it didn’t look too much like it was going to be a day to remember for the Reds, and by the end of the match it became a farce. A long hopeful volley in the last minute of the match was seriously misjudged by Reina, who almost fell backwards with it into his own goal. Instead of that embarrassment, he tried to palm the ball away from him, only for it to go straight to the head of Andy Johnson who nodded in his second of the day. The final score of 3-0 was the third ever biggest win for Everton, and their biggest since their 4-0 victory way back in 1964! In that season of forty odd years ago, we had the pleasure of winning the League in spite of the big loss to the blues, taking the title directly from them. In this particular case it was part of a poor run of form for Liverpool as we struggled for consistency. Still, by the end of the season we finished in third place again, 10 points clear of the blues, and finished off with a trip to Athens for the European Cup Final, all of which can be enjoyed on a disc of the season in review. Meanwhile, the blues enjoyed watching that one match over and over on a specially released DVD to commemorate the rarity of the occasion, and to celebrate the one and only significant success of their season. Sad, isn’t it?

So there’s my five choices for the five worst ever Merseyside derbies. Obviously a list such as this is going to be compiled very much from my personal opinion. These are not the only candidates for worst; they are just the ones that I’ve chosen for their significance ‘“ at least as far as I see it. The order is simply chronological, starting with the first and ending with the most recent. Any loss to the blues is bad, but the most recent is always going to take the number one spot on my list. All I can really say to end this depressing trip down memory lane is that I hope that I have no reason to update this article before the end of the month.

Players come and players go; it’s all part of the natural cycle of season-by-season renewal. For some players, it can be the chance of a lifetime when a big club comes calling, even though the reality is that it may only be for a short time before he’s on the move again. Such was the case for Michael Robinson, who came to Liverpool as something of a stop-gap measure, and was then on his way elsewhere in only a little over a year later. It was a golden opportunity for him, and even though he was at Anfield for only a short time, it was surely a very memorable time to have been part of Europe’s elite. It was to become the best and most successful season of his career, and the one that he will always have the fondest memories of.

Michael John Robinson was born in Leicester on 12th July, 1958. He made an early impression on the scouting staff of local clubs, and was soon signed as a schoolboy by Coventry City. After a couple of years with clubs in the Blackpool Sunday League (Waterloo Wanderers, Dolphinstone FC) he signed on as an apprentice with Preston North End in July of 1974, just as the club were relegated to Division Three. Bobby Charlton had been brought in as manager a year earlier but was unable to prevent the drop to the lower division. Former Everton player and manager Harry Catterick took over the reigns at Deepdale in the summer of 1975, and a year later, in July of 1976, he signed Michael to a professional contract.

Robinson had spent three seasons at Deepdale, making 48 first team appearances and scoring 15 goals, when Malcolm Allison offered the astounding sum (for those days) of £756,000 to take the young striker to Manchester City in June of 1979. Allison was in his second spell with City, and was in the process of spending large sums of money to rebuild the club, who were at that time in a period of slow decline. Allison was impressed with Robinson’s uncomplicated style of play. His constant running and movement off the ball were thought to be one more piece in the construction of a new and improved City squad. It was a huge gamble for Allison to take a largely unknown (and unproven) young player up to the First Division. It was to be a disappointing period for Michael, with only 8 goals in 30 appearances. It was always going to be difficult to live up to the expectations that such a high transfer fee would demand, and in the summer of 1980 he was sold to Brighton and Hove Albion for £400,000.

Brighton had just finished their first season after promotion to the First Division, and were looking to strengthen the squad with a few well chosen players to ensure their survival in the top flight. The 1980-81 season saw the club mired in the lower places and threatened with relegation for much of the season, but a late string of good results allowed them to survive and avoid the drop. The next season was more successful, with most of the campaign spent in the upper half of the table. Former Liverpool player Jimmy Case had been signed over the intervening summer, and was highly influential in putting together the run of form that kept them in contention along with the bigger clubs. That unfortunately was to be the highest point that they would reach, with the following season seeing the Seagulls in a continual battle for survival. The season ended in disappointment with relegation to Division Two, but also with an appearance in the FA Cup final to face Manchester United. Robinson played well in the final, contributing to a 2-2 result at Wembley that forced a replay, which United won 4-0.

Robinson’s performances with Brighton, and especially in the FA Cup, were impressive enough for several clubs to become interested in signing him, with Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Seville among the clubs to approach him. Regardless of how many clubs were seriously interested, it was Liverpool’s newly promoted manager Joe Fagan who came in first with a firm offer. Ian Rush had been struggling a little with injuries during the pre-season schedule, and Fagan brought Michael to Anfield as cover during Rush’s absence for a fee of £200,000. His performances with Brighton were also impressive enough to earn a call up to the Republic of Ireland squad, eventually earning a total of twenty four caps (five while with Liverpool) and scoring six goals.

Michael Robinson’s Liverpool career began with a return to Wembley to face Manchester United once again, this time in the Charity Shield. The result was another loss and another Runner-Up medal, but it was to be the start of a memorable season with the Reds. Your browser may not support display of this image.Kenny Dalglish was being used by Joe Fagan in a deeper position, and so Robinson was partnered with Ian Rush up front. The pairing of the two wasn’t an immediate success, and it was ten games into the season before he scored his first goal for the Reds. That was in a European Cup match against Odense BK, where he scored two in the second leg at Anfield. His next goal then came a week later in a League Cup match at Brentford. Ten days after that, it looked like the floodgates were about to open as he scored again. That was against West Ham at Upton Park, where he made his intentions clear by not only scoring his first league goal for the club, but added two more to make it a hat-trick. Suddenly after a ten game drought, he had now scored six in the space of a month, which was a very respectable six goals in thirteen appearances. The Rush-Robinson pairing was now paying off, with Michael describing it as:

‘œIan Rush made me look brilliant in the air. When I jumped up and headed, the ball would always go to Rushie. He could read my body; the way I jumped up Ian would deduce where the ball would go. He worked it out before I had. Rush never knew which bloody knife or fork to use, but on the pitch he was a genius.’

Robinson was never seen as an artistic type player with a delicate touch on the ball. Rather, he played to his known abilities which meant that he could move quickly into space, ready to receive the ball by running on to it, and then make use of it quickly. He spent large periods of the match chasing down the flanks, leaving the middle of the park to Rush and/or Dalglish. Joe Fagan then began experimenting with various combinations in attack, which meant less playing time for Michael. In spite of this, he scored three more goals before the year was out, and then began the New Year with a goal in the FA Cup against Newcastle. Liverpool were now competing on four fronts, with steady progress in three of the four competitions. Ironically, Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup in the 4th round by his former club Brighton.

By the end of March of 1984, he had played in twenty four League matches, six European Cup matches, two FA Cup matches, and eight League Cup matches. Then came the League Cup final at Wembley against Everton. This was the first time that the two Merseyside clubs had met in a Wembley final, but it was not to be the most memorable occasion for Liverpool or for Robinson. He came on as a late substitute in extra time as the two sides played out a scoreless draw. The replay at Maine Road a few days later saw Liverpool prevail 1-0, with Robinson on the bench as an unused substitute.

Progress continued in the League, with Liverpool wrapping up their fifteenth championship by the end of the season. After that, with two domestic trophies already in hand, Liverpool set off for the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to play AS Roma in the European Cup final. This would be Liverpool’s fourth appearance in the final, and Joe Fagan’s first in his first season in charge. Robinson was on the bench once more for the start of the match, but with the score even at 1-1 after ninety minutes he was brought on to replace Kenny Dalglish five minutes into extra time. Liverpool went on to win on penalties, completing a unique treble of trophies both domestically and in Europe. Joe Fagan’s squad had unbelievably surpassed even Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, who had both managed to win one domestic and one European trophy in the same season. For Michael Robinson it was a dream come true for a player who had been written off as a failed signing by Manchester City a few years earlier, only to go to Brighton and face relegation, and then a year later to be picking up medals galore.

Unfortunately, that was to be the beginning of the end of the dream as the new season began with more changes to the squad. Robinson made few first team appearances as the 1984-85 season progressed, with only a handful of starts (seven out of nineteen). His only goal of the season came in his first start, which was a League Cup match at Anfield versus Stockport County. By the end of the calendar year, it was obvious that his opportunities would be few and far between and so it was that he left Anfield for Loftus Road in December of 1984, signing for Queen’s Park Rangers (for a fee of £100,000) in preference to playing out his time with the reserves.

Just as it was Robinson’s former club Brighton, with former player Jimmy Case who knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup the previous season, it was son to be the turn of his new club, QPR, to knock them out of a cup and prevent Liverpool from taking another treble. Kenny Dalglish had replaced Joe Fagan as player-manager at the end of the 1984-85 season, and went on to immediate success in winning the League and FA Cup ‘œDouble’ in his first season. It was close to being a treble success domestically, but QPR edged the Reds on away goals in the League Cup semi-final. However, it was to be another runner-up medal for Michael as Oxford United won 3-0 in the final over QPR.

Michael spent one more season with QPR and then left to join former Liverpool and QPR player Sammy Lee at CA Osasuna in Spain. He spent two years in the Spanish League, making a total of fifty nine appearances and scoring twelve goals. It soon became clear that he had made a wise decision to move to Spain, as he immersed himself deeply enough in the culture to become fluent in the language, just as Sammy Lee had done previously. In the summer of 1989 he decided it was time to retire from football and was able to use his language ability to take on the role of football commentator and analyst on Spanish radio, presenting the programme ‘œEl Larguero’ for radio station Cadena Ser. He went on to write, produce, and present ‘œEl Dia Después’ (The Day After), which was described as: ‘œA celebration of the culture, passion, and madness of Spanish Football.’ During the reign of Gerard Houllier, he was asked his opinions on the Liverpool manager and the club, and in particular the role of Michael Owen. His response was eerily foretelling:

‘œMichael Owen is one of the reasons Liverpool are crap ‘¦ Houllier has built a whole team around him and it’s not fair on him, it’s not fair on the team, and it’s not fair on the victims like me who watch it. At Real Madrid, Owen would be a substitute.’

Robinson later took on an extra role as Director of Football at Cadiz, while still working as a commentator and analyst with Canal Plus. During preparations for the season’s opening match against Real Madrid, he let it be known that he would not be able stay calm if Cadiz managed to surprise the galacticos with a win.

Michael Robinson’s time with Liverpool may have been short, with no more than about 50 appearances over a season and a half, but he still has very fond memories of the club where he picked up multiple medals. At the end of the 2004-05 season, he was working for Spanish television in their coverage of the Champions League and made the trip to Anfield to cover the Liverpool v Chelsea semi-final. His love for Liverpool showed through with his lack of impartiality during his commentary. When the match ended, and Liverpool were on their way to Istanbul for the final, his co-presenter Carlos Martinez had to explain, ‘œLiverpool are in the final but Michael can’t speak, he’s crying too much.’

A couple of years later, Michael Robinson made an emotional trip back to Anfield as the presenter of a special feature on Fernando Torres and the Spanish influence at Liverpool.

Robinson’s Torres Documentary

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Kop Treasures
Issue 7
Written by Keith Perkins

There are surely some things in life that will always be remembered most vividly from the first time they happen: the first day at school, the first day on the job, the first day that you drive a car without an instructor sitting beside you, and so on. Among all of those firsts, the day that we finally make it to Anfield to see our beloved Liverpool must be one of the most significant, and surely imprints an indelible memory for the rest of our lives.

My first time was way back in the 60’s, when my uncle Eddie finally took me with him to Anfield. We went in through one of the narrow entrances under the Main Stand and emerged into The Paddock. The idea was that Eddie had seen lots of young lads down at the wall at the front and so naturally assumed that this would be the ideal place for me. The problem was that we soon found that the wall was higher than I was! All of those young lads turned out to be standing on empty beer crates and such, and only by doing so could see above the edge of the wall. Plan B then was to take a place further back on the terrace, but naturally it was less than ideal as I was surrounded by much taller bodies. I don’t really remember much of the match itself – how could I when I could barely see anything? ‘“ but I’ll never forget the atmosphere, or the frightening experience of suddenly being carried down the steps as the crowd surged forward. The obvious solution for the next time (and for a few years to come) was to watch from the Anfield Road end. The fence behind the goal was low enough that much younger lads than myself could stand there and easily see our heroes in action.

What was most memorable about those times was seeing The Kop in all its glory, with the thousands of singing, swaying, and surging spectators willing the Reds on to victory. The Kop was well known as the place for all of the hard-core Liverpool supporters, but it was also much more than just a place for those fanatics. It became synonymous with true support, with those who stood on the famous terrace having the right to proudly call themselves Kopites. Surely that’s where any self-respecting Liverpool supporter would want to be. It would be some time before I worked up the nerve to join them, but in the meantime I could at least learn from them and eventually earn the right to become one of them.

All of Anfield, and especially The Kop, has undergone considerable change since those days of my youth. During the last few years of The Kop as a standing area, the number of supporters allowed through the turnstiles was strictly controlled for safety. From estimates of as many as 30,000 in its heyday (it was impossible to know the actual figure) the numbers had dropped to less than 20,000. By the early 90’s the recommendations included in the report from Lord Justice Taylor had been accepted by the League, and so it was that all First Division (now Premier League) clubs were required to eliminate standing areas. In the summer of 1994, the old Kop was demolished and the new all-seat stand was built.

It can never be the same as it was in those early years, when watching The Kop was almost as entertaining as watching the action on the pitch, but the spirit of what it represents will always be there. Even now, just saying the words ‘œKop’ or ‘œKopite’ will invoke a feeling of unity among Liverpool supporters. No matter what may happen in the future, if or even when a new stadium is finally built, it’s that Kop spirit that will still unite us all. And it’s that special irreplaceable feeling that all of us will always treasure.

Willie Stevenson was born October 26th, 1939, in Leith, Scotland. He began his playing career with Edina Hearts, and moved on to Dalkeith before being signed by Glasgow Rangers in the summer of 1959. His Ibrox days were going well, with Rangers winning both the League and Cup, and allowing Willie to collect a few medals. Rangers were also competing in Europe at the time, and it looked like a great future was in store. But then in 1960, Rangers brought in the gifted Scottish International Jim Baxter for a Scottish record fee of £17,500. The ages of the two players differed by only a month, and so it was clear that the twenty one year old Baxter had been purchased with an eye to Rangers’ future as well as for the present. Willie was left to consider his future with Rangers as a reserve squad player, and after deciding that it was not what he wanted, he made the decision to try his luck in Australia where regular first team football would be easier to come by. Rangers agreed to allow him to go away on loan, and Willie was even considering a permanent move Down Under until both Preston North End and Liverpool made bids for the skilful midfielder.

Liverpool had made significant progress since the arrival of Bill Shankly, culminating in being crowned Second Division Champions in 1962. Promotion to the First Division was going to be a tough test for the still developing side, and looked like it could all end in disappointment after the first few months. By the end of October of 1962, Liverpool had won only four out of their first fourteen matches, drawn three, and lost seven. Bill Shankly decided that the solution would be to bring in some more class and creativity in the squad, and accordingly outbid Preston to bring Willie Stevenson to Anfield for a fee of £20,000.

Tommy Leishman had been a consistent player for Liverpool since just before Shankly’s arrival, missing only a few games in his first two and a half seasons. But, it appeared that the level of play in the First Division may be above that of Tommy, and so it was that Willie Stevenson was expected to come in to strengthen the left-half position. That wasn’t quite how it worked out however, with Willie taking some time to adjust to the pace of the game at the top flight, and for a while it looked as though Tommy Leishman would have to be brought back in to the squad, pushing Willie aside into the reserves. If that had been the outcome then Willie may have asked for his release to return Down Under, but Shankly persevered and kept faith in Willie’s abilities. That decision was to prove to be absolutely the correct one over the next few years.

Willie Stevenson made his Liverpool debut at Anfield on November 3rd, 1962, in a 2-1 loss to Burnley. His next two appearances were against Manchester United (3-3 at Old Trafford) and at home to Arsenal (2-1). The next match was at home to Leyton Orient, and Willie made a name for himself as he scored his first Liverpool goal at 35 minutes, after Roger Hunt had already put the Reds 2-0 up. Two more goals came in the second half (Hunt and St. John) to finish the game 5-0. Liverpool then went on to win their next seven League games, as well as progressing in the FA Cup. Once he settled down and had adjusted to the level of play in the English league, he proved to be a class above any other player at left half. He had a talent for a well timed defensive tackle that took the ball from opposing players (and let them know about it!) and then changing to attack with a well placed through-ball forward, or across to the opposite wing with equal precision. His style was well suited to Shankly’s philosophy of slow build-up play. By the end of his first season at Anfield, Willie Stevenson had played in all twenty eight League games since his arrival, and six FA Cup games. With Willie’s help, Liverpool finished their first season back in Division One in a very respectable eighth place, (but well behind Champions Everton) and had narrowly lost 1-0 to Leicester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough. It looked as though the future was brighter than it had been for years for both Willie Stevenson and for Liverpool.

The 1963-64 season began with a home defeat to Blackpool, and only a single victory in their first four games. That was a disappointing start, but then came a run of results for the remainder of the season, including that famous late season 5-0 victory over Arsenal, that saw Liverpool crowned as League Champions for the first time since 1947. A new player had been brought in for this season ‘“ Peter Thompson ‘“ and the new left winger developed an understanding with Willie on the left side, as Thompson made the angled runs for Stevenson’s precise passing. It made for some exciting football, and the crowds loved it. Willie Stevenson played in thirty eight matches in the League that season, missing only four, as well as five in the FA Cup (losing to Swansea in the quarter-final). The following season would be a test of Liverpool’s abilities not only in the League as defending champions, but also with the brand new experience of playing in Europe.

Glasgow Rangers had considerable experience in European competition in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, in both the European Cup and the Cup Winners Cup. Willie Stevenson’s experience with that level of competition was to prove highly valuable as Liverpool began their adventures outside of England for the first time. The campaign was off to a memorable start with a trip to Iceland with a 5-0 win over Reykjavik. Liverpool went on to win the return leg 6-1, and then continued with victories over Anderlecht, and the famous win with a coin toss over Cologne. That set up a semi-final against Italian giants (and defending European Champions) Inter Milan that would be the first of many memorable European nights at Anfield.

Meanwhile, as the League season stuttered along with some inconsistent results, Liverpool began their assault on the FA Cup. This was a trophy that the club had never won in their seventy two year history, and it was one that they wanted now. West Brom., Stockport, and Bolton were all victims before Liverpool had their revenge for two years earlier over Leicester City in the quarter-final. One more victory over Chelsea in the semi-final and Liverpool would be on their way to Wembley to make only their third ever appearance in the final, and their first since 1950. The semi-final at Villa Park saw Thompson score with a fierce shot, and the game was then put to rest with a decisive penalty from Willie Stevenson.

That 1965 FA Cup final is remembered for many reasons, but what is often missed in all the excitement was the display of skill from Willie Stevenson. His partnership on the left with Peter Thompson caused many problems for the Leeds defenders. The smooth wide surface of the Wembley pitch was ideal for Willie’s style, and he used it to great effect. The ninety minutes finished scoreless, and so the teams began playing extra time. It was Willie’s vision and tactical know-how that provided the opportunity to break the deadlock just minutes after the first extra period began. Willie made a fantastic run down the middle, zig-zagging past a couple of Leeds defenders. Gerry Byrne had made an overlapping run into space down the left wing, where he collected a perfectly weighted pass from Stevenson as he ran towards the left side of the Leeds penalty area. Byrne then crossed the ball from the goal line for Roger Hunt to head Liverpool into the lead. Leeds equalised, but Liverpool won with a goal from St. John, and Liverpool were awarded the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history. For most observers, Willie Stevenson was clearly the Man of the Match.

The excitement of that first ever FA Cup victory continued the following day as the heroes were welcomed home by crowds in the hundreds of thousands, and was to continue three days later as Liverpool faced Inter Milan at Anfield. Injured players Gordon Milne and Gerry Byrne came out and paraded the cup around Anfield as the players were on the pitch warming up. The roar from the crowd was such that the Inter Milan players were visibly shaken, and Liverpool used that to their advantage to defeat the European Champions 3-1. The second leg was a whole different story, with a controversial 3-0 win for Internazionale, and Liverpool’s first ever European Cup run came to an end; while Inter went on to retain the trophy. With all of the League, FA Cup, and European Cup competitions that season, the ever dependable Willie Stevenson played in a total of fifty seven games, and scored five goals.

As the 1965-66 season began, Liverpool made another serious assault on the League Championship, as well as competing in Europe once more, this time in the Cup Winners Cup. The FA Cup was a disappointment for the holders as Liverpool were knocked out by Chelsea in the third round. The Cup Winners Cup was more productive, with wins over Juventus, Standard Liege, Honved, and Celtic, on their way to the final against Borussia Dortmund. The season finished with another League Championship, as well as being runners-up in the Cup Winners Cup. This was another full season, with Willie Stevenson playing in fifty two matches, and scoring six goals.

League Champions Liverpool faced FA Cup winners Everton in the Charity Shield to begin the 1966-67 season. This provided yet another medal for Willie as Liverpool won the trophy outright by beating their neighbours 1-0. It was a season of ups and downs for the Reds, as they were soundly defeated by Ajax in the European Cup, lost a close one to Everton in the FA Cup fifth round, and could only manage a disappointing fifth place in the League. Willie Stevenson was to play in all fifty one of those matches, missing only one League match, and scored three goals. Unfortunately, being dependable and reliable was never going to be enough for a Liverpool player, and when Bill Shankly brought Emlyn Hughes to Anfield in February of 1967, it was the beginning of the end for Willie Stevenson’s Liverpool career. Willie held out for the remainder of that season, and stayed for the beginning of the 1967-68 season, but as his place was now normally being taken by the newly arrived Emlyn Hughes, and after only making a mere four appearances, it was time to move on or settle for reserve team football.

Stoke City made an offer for the experienced and solid 28 year old, and Willie was on his way out in December of 1967. His last match for Liverpool was against Wolves in November 1967, where he went out on a high note after scoring the decisive goal with a penalty kick late in the game. Willie Stevenson’s transfer out of Anfield was a very unpopular move at the time, as many fans disagreed with selling a player who was seen as still having a lot to contribute to the club. His loyalty to the club was never in doubt, and he was well respected by the vast majority of Liverpool fans. He was also a joker around the dressing room, which made him popular with the players, and helped to boost morale as well as settle nerves before the big games. One criticism that came up about Willie was that he didn’t score enough goals. The statistics may appear to indicate this, but in fact he preferred to unselfishly provide chances for others rather than take them himself. He was a fierce competitor who hated to lose, especially in a final. When Liverpool lost to Dortmund in the Cup Winners Cup final in 1966, Willie looked at his runners-up medal with some disgust and later threw it out of the hotel window (and it has supposedly never been found). He managed to collect many medals in his career, first with Rangers, and then with Liverpool ‘“ two as League Champions, one as FA Cup winners, and several for Charity Shields.

Willie stayed with Stoke City for five seasons, and then returned to Merseyside with Tranmere Rovers to play one more season. That should have been the time to think about retirement, but the travelling bug had not left his system since his journey Down Under. This time, he crossed the Atlantic and the North American continent to join Vancouver Whitecaps. Willie’s years of experience proved invaluable as Vancouver played their inaugural season in the newly formed North American Soccer League in 1974. After that summer sojourn, he returned to England to play for amateur club Macclesfield, and also spent a short time in South Africa playing for Hellenic. He finally retired from football and became a publican, and then ran a contract cleaning company in Macclesfield.

It’s over forty years since that first League Championship under Bill Shankly, as Liverpool began a period of success that laid the foundations for Liverpool sides of later years to follow. Willie Stevenson was at the heart of that early side, and after 241 appearances over five seasons, where he missed a mere nine league games, he collected an enviable array of honours and achievements. He may not have been among the more famous players of his era, but he should be remembered as a solid and dependable player who Liverpool would have been considerably less successful without.