Liverpool has been synonymous with glory and fame all around the world. Being the most successful British football club of all time, it has a myriad of trophies on its record. Yet, such a magnificent club has also gone through many ordeals
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The beginnings of Liverpool FC
The story of this iconic club starts in 1892, rather ironically with the help of long-time city rival Everton. A pivotal figure in Liverpool’s long history, John Houlding, got the rights to the Anfield stadium after the Toffees didn’t take kindly to his decision to up the rent at L4.
With the newly acquired stadium in hand, the businessman opted to create what would become one of the most successful teams in world football.
After destroying Rotherham by seven goals to one in the Reds’ first-ever game on September 1 1892, it didn’t take Liverpool long to discover their taste for silverware, with the club winning the first of its 19 league titles in 1900/01.
The era of Bill Shankly
In an era defined by the need to rebuild in the aftermath of the Second World War, Liverpool themselves were in desperate need of a source of inspiration to spark their own comeback.
A fifth title win came in 1947 but a slow decline in the years that followed culminated in the unthinkable: relegation to the Second Division in 1954.
The hiring of Bill Shankly in 1959 completely turned the club’s fortunes around and provided the foundations for the Merseysiders to not only become a ‘bastion of invincibility’ (in the Scot’s immortal words) but to go on and conquer the continent.
The installation of the famous ‘Boot Room’ inspired the longevity of his master plan, ensuring that Liverpool would build on the former Preston North End man’s model for success.
Just seven years after Shankly’s appointment, Liverpool entered the First Division again, winning their first title under the manager in 1964 in amongst a managerial tenure that also yielded a further two titles, two FA Cups and one UEFA Cup.
The era of Paisley
When Shankly decided to retire, the team went under the guidance of Bob Paisley; the quiet tactician who had been a vital and longstanding member of the Boot Room.
It’s fair to say that Liverpool didn’t stagnate under Durham-born head coach – quite the opposite in fact, leading the club to a glorious period of domestic and European dominance, which saw the Reds secure six league titles, six Charity Shields, three League Cups, three European cups, one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.
To put into context just how successful Paisley was at the helm, only Carlo Ancelotti has exceeded his collection of three Champions League trophies with four (Zinedine Zidane has matched the former Liverpool boss with three consecutive trophies in the competition whilst at Real Madrid).
When tragedy strikes
1985 marks one of the two biggest tragedies in the history of Liverpool – the Heysel disaster. During the Juventus-Liverpool match in the European Cup final, 39 people died following the collapse of a wall. The blame was placed on Liverpool fans, causing all English clubs to get a ban from European competition for 5 years.
Sadly, disaster struck again in 1989 during the FA Cup semi-final tie with Nottingham Forest, as 94 people initially died in a crowd crush in the Hillsborough disaster.
The 2000s for Liverpool
The 2000s brought about a mixed period of success for Liverpool, with the one notable high above all else coming in the form of the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ as legendary captain Steven Gerrard inspired a dramatic comeback from three goals down at half-time against one of the most star-studded AC Milan sides of all time.
A steady decline post-Rafa Benitez’s tenure at the helm, coupled with increasing discontent with the manner in which the club was being run by the deeply unpopular disaster duo of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, brought about one of the most concerning periods in the club’s history until Fenway Sports Group took control.
Brendan Rodgers came achingly close to breaking the Reds’ Premier League duck in 2013/14, but not even the brilliance of Luis Suarez could mastermind the return of the long-awaited league title every fan desperately craved.
Following a disappointing campaign and a half, however, the arrival of Jurgen Klopp heralded the beginning of something new, yet somewhat familiar at the same time, harking back to an era of domestic and European dominance not seen since the days of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.
Liverpool today
The 2019/20 was one to remember for a multitude of reasons – prime amongst them being the return of the league crown to Merseyside after a 30-year hiatus.
Klopp’s men took a brief break from fighting for silverware in the following season before making a triumphant return in 2021/22, coming to within two games of securing their place in the history books with a quadruple haul of silverware.
Harrowing scenes in Paris, following a joint show of utter incompetence from French officials and UEFA, marred what should have been a thrilling night for the neutral, let alone the attending Liverpool and Real Madrid fans.
An apology has since followed in the aftermath of a lengthy investigation that rightly saw Reds supporters cleared of any and all charges laid at their feat by French government officials, including chief instigator Gerald Darmanin.
“I feel sorry for what happened and we will make sure that it doesn’t happen again, that’s the most important thing for me,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told The Overlap (via the Mirror).
“When I went to the match, I had a meeting with the King of Spain and someone came and said there is a problem with some entrances with the fans. We didn’t know how serious that was back then, because UEFA does not have jurisdiction outside the stadium. The French police did not communicate with us.
“Trust me, there is not a single person in UEFA who is not terribly sorry, and the main topic of conversation is how to make sure that it does not happen again. Thank God, nothing terrible happened.”
Struggles in the midfield department, along with what appears to be a general drop in the levels of intensity within the Liverpool squad have seen the FA Cup holders struggle to build on what was a phenomenal prior campaign.
However, there’s great confidence in the prospect of the club coming back stronger than ever in 2023/24 provided that they invest appropriately in the upcoming summer window.
Liverpool YNWA will come back stronger