Reds supporter ‘Hellrazor’ reviews the 90-91 campaign….
Just writing this so as I can look back meself on this one day, this was the year I started following the greatest team in the world. First game was the charity shield vs Man United. Hooked on the pool thanks to me brother(nice one charlo:D)
The game is not on telly so I watch a repeat of a friendly with Helsinki that”
s on instead, we won 2-0 but drew 1-1 in charity shield thanks to a peno from digger Barnes.
Then the league kicks off. We’re defending champions, (I regret never seeing us win the league L ) we defeat sheefield united 3-1 at brammal lane. It”
s a joke as simon tracey is injured and is replaced in the united goal by john pemberton who lets in soft goals to barnes, Houghton and rush. Then came forest at anfield, a 2-0 win over a team with whom we had many battles, rush and beardsley the scorers. The season has started well with only Ronnie Rosenthal signed (permanent) in the summer. Villa go down 2-1, I remember it cos me dog was run over the same day, but Johnny barnes drove home a winner in the last minute that was nothing other than brilliant.
A scrappy win at plough lane at wimbledon followed before an absolute amuling vs Man United,
Can remember getting in in time to see beardo give us the lead, barnes and mcmahon were tearing the scum to bits. Beardo scored 3 in the end and john barnes also got in on the act. I don”
t know why but his is one my favorite goals, Houghton nutmegging phelan, nicols outrageous attempt at a overhead kick and digger at the back post, one of me favorite games. It was off to beat the blueshite then in goodison, beardsley and barnes again doing the damage in a 3-2 win. Those 2 had started the season really well.
Rushie then got going by scoring against crewe in a 5-1 rumbelows cup win. In the league sunderland and derby succumbed to give Liverpool 8 out of 8. already 6 ahead, still our best ever league start.
The job over crewe finished in a 4-1 win with rush bagging a hattrick and Staunton chipping in aswell. The league run was ended in a 1-1 draw at Norwich, gary Gillespie scoring. Things got back to winning ways though with rush and nicol bagging goals in a 2-0 over Chelsea. 2 very good goals I might add.
The first defeat of the season then came at old Trafford as Man United knocked us out of the rumbelows cup 3-1 inspired by a shithot lee sharpe against a Liverpool team missing Whelan, barnes and hanson.
Then it was back to the league, a Sunday afternoon with brian moore, Elton welsby and jimmy greaves as we beat spurs 3-1 in a match on itv(NOSTALGIC TRIP, AND REMEMBER THEY HAD THIS FUNKY THEME MUSIC ON ITV, I still miss saint and greavsie or waiting for the results on itv on a Saturday and getting to see a few goals if lucky J) anyway goals from rush(2) and beardsley give us a 3-1 win.
Luton are the next victim at anfield, going down 4-0 thanks to a brace from rush, and a goal from beardsley, jan molby scored a penalty in what was supposed to be his last game, he was set for a move to Barcelona but it fell through at last minute. An extra bonus was a 2 point deduction for arsenal for their part in the old Trafford 22 man brawl for all. Liverpool went 8 points clear. It stayed like that when beardsley gave us a 1-0 win over Coventry in terry butchers first game as Coventry manager.
A 7 months 100% record came to an end against man city, can remember getting home from seeing santa claus to hear niall quinn had scored in the dying seonds after rush and Rosenthal blew the roof off anfield to give us a 2-1 lead, and oh yeah, it was winter so JOHNNY BARNES WAS IN TIGHTS . the undefeated record of 15 then came to a shuddering halt at highbury in a 3-0 defeat to arsenal, another day with santa ruined :mad: and Kenny had confused many by dropping the electric beardsley for this, a dodgy goal from merson (which venison looked to have got off the line), a dixon penalty after limpar dived and alan smiff gave arsenal the win, reducing the lead to 3 points.
Sanity was restored as barnes(in tights) and rush gave us a 2-0 win at home to Sheffield united whilst arsenal were held by wimbledon, we went 4 clear as arseanl drew at luton a week earlier whilst snow called off a trip to the city ground(and I met santa again) . that game with united (who after 16 games still hadn”
t won) was the last time Whelan and beardsley played for 6-8 weeks. But we still beat Southampton 3-2 thanks to goals from Rosenthal(2) and Houghton which saw lead the table on Christmas day. 44 points from 51, nothing wrong there until we dropped another 2 when brucie dropped the ball in the net for a 1-1 draw at qpr(good lad brucie!) before 1990 was rounded out by a 1-0 defeat at palace.
1991 kicked off in style, (old) 2nd division champs leeds were hot 3-0 at anfield, barnes, rocket Ronnie(a goal headed in by leeds keeper lukic) and rushie done the damage and we were back on the rails. Fa cup kicked off at balckburn, glenn hysen got sent off and a last minute OG from mike atkins gave us a 1-1 draw. Was pure hell listening on the radio as me telly had gone out for the day. We finished them off easy in the replay 3-0. back in the league we scored out first 0-0 of the season at Aston Villa, Staunton and rush coming close. Then Liverpool lost the lead for the first time as a draw with wimbledon and john barnes stunner wasn”
t good enough as arsenals one nil win at Everton put them top. I had me bithday party a week late as I was sick at the time and it got ruined by brighton coming from 2-2 to draw in the fa cup, a match where beardsley made his comeback. In a nervy replay steve mcmahon stepped up to the plate to help us to round 5 scoring twice in 3-2 win in extra time.
Into February, a month that rocked the club started with a 1-1 draw at corporate Trafford which reduced arsenal lead after they finally lost in the league the day before to Chelsea. A snow blizzard the next week meant only 2 games went ahead so a 3-1 over Everton gave us back the lead by 2 points. New signing davis speedie proving an instant hit netting 3 in 2 games. Jimmy carter(shiver) and Jamie redknapp also joined the club. The season starts to come apart though, captain Ronnie Whelan breaks his leg and is out until august.
A week later Everton steal a 0-0 at anfield in the cup, mcmahon breaks his leg and he misses the rest of the season. In the replay Liverpool lead the match 4 times, stunning goals from beardsley and barnes in an extra time thriller, rush and another from beardsley give Liverpool a 4-4 draw that gripped the nation. But did anyone who witnessed that know what was going to happen 2 days later.
King Kenny called it a day, the news shocked the world, the gulf war was kicked off the front page. The players joked that morning that they were signing maradona as Kenny had turned up for training in a suit which was considered a rarity, the laughing soon stopped. Top of the league by 3 points, still in the cup and the manager walked. You could envision mancs, cockneys and bluenoses rubbing their hands with glee and in shock. Imagine wenger or Ferguson doing this, it was hardly believable. Me and me mates and a birthday party couldn”
t believe it(even if we didn”
t know what resign meant). Was the club ever the same? Have we recovered?
It took me a long time to forgive Kenny, although I can now understand why he did it, im 20 now, not 8, but at the time their was the feeling he walked out. But although we haven”
t really recovered always remember he is the best player we have had and what he did do as a manager. Ronnie moran took over as caretaker and 24 hours later Liverpool slumped to second after a 3-1 defeats on lutons (poxy as me brother always said) plastic pitch. Defeat to arsenal followed and Liverpool were eliminated fro mthe fa cup by Everton 1-0 at goodison in a another replay.
The reds briefly rallied to score 3 league wins against man city, sunderland and 7-1 savaging of derby to regain top spot. A 3-1 defeat at home to qpr saw the lead handed back to arsenal who looked unstoppable, a shithot keeper in seaman, a watertight defence, skilful, creative and robust midfield and a potent strike force. They would lose one league game all season. An unlucky defeat at the dell followed on april 1 and another 2 points were dropped at home to Coventry. But while arsenal were being dumped from the fa cup by gazza, lineker and spurs, Liverpool produced a sublime first half display to lead 4-0 at half time away to leeds that even had the home fans applauding, Liverpool eventually held out to win 5-4. Ronnie moran then stressed he didn”
t want the job full time and stepped down after 5 defeats in 10, Liverpool acted swiftly to bring in graeme souness. The gap to arsenal went down to three after 3-0 wins at home to Norwich and crystal palace which also guaranteed uefa cup football next season. Souness”
return gave Liverpool a little boost but the champonship became a bridge too far. A 4-2 defeat at Chelsea saw arsenal go 4 ahead with 2 games left, and defeat at forest meant arsenal didn”
t have to kick a ball for the next 2 games.
Pride was salvaged in a last day win over spurs, but second was never acceptable. 7 points behind arsenal, whose victory was all the more admirable as they only conceded 17 goals, lost one game and could still afford to be docked 2 points.
On a plus, souness return had given us hope, and we were still favorites to come back next season, which saw david moores come in as chairman. European football was coming back to anfield and expectancy was high as usual.
How wrong we were”
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