Thursday Thirteen: Liverpool FC

1. Anfield was built in 1884 on land adjacent to  Stanley Park. It was originally used by Everton before the club moved to Goodison Park after a dispute over rent with Anfield owner John Houlding. Left with an empty ground, Houlding founded Liverpool in 1892 and the club has played at Anfield ever since.

2. Blue and white quartered shirts were used until 1894, when the club adopted the city's colour of red.

3.The city's symbol of the  liver bird was adopted as the club's badge in 1901, although it was not incorporated into the kit until 1955.

4. Liverpool continued to wear red shirts and white shorts until 1964, when manager Bill Shankly decided to change to an all red strip.Liverpool played in all red for the first time against Anderlecht, as Ian St. John recalled in his autobiography:

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

5.  100 spectators attended Liverpool's first match at Anfield.

6.  The song "You'll Never Walk Alone", originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and later recorded by Liverpool musicians Gerry & The Pacemakers, is the club's anthem and has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early 1960s.

7. Liverpool's longest-established rivalry is with fellow Merseyside and Liverpool-based team Everton, against whom the club contest the Merseyside derby. Their rivalry stems from Liverpool's formation and the dispute with Everton officials and the then owners of Anfield. Unlike other rivalries, there is no political, geographical or religious split between Liverpool and Everton.

8. Liverpool Football Club is a Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The club has won five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, 18 League titles, seven FA Cups, a record eight League Cups, and 15 FA Community Shields

9. My first Liverpool tattoo

10. Liverpool have had 21 full-time managers.

11. Brendan Rodgers led Liverpool in the 2013 - 2014 season to a surprise title challenge, however Liverpool ended the league season in second place, despite scoring 101 goals scored, the club's most since 1895.  He was the first Liverpool manager to win the LMA manager of the year award but he was also the first manager of the club not to win a major trophy in his first three years at the helm, and on 4th October 2015, he was sacked. On 8 October, he was replaced by former Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp. 

12. One of the most famous, and most quoted, coaches of Liverpool was Bill Shankley. Here are some of his quotes:

13. 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'

 
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'If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing.'
 
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'Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool.'
 
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'The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they don't know the game.'