[Rafa]

Brief Overview

Liverpool Football Club are an English football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool play in the Premier League, and are the most successful club in the history of English football, having won more trophies than any other English club. They have won a record eighteen English League titles and five European Cups, which is an English record. Only A.C. Milan and Real Madrid have won Europe's premier club competition more times. They have also won the FA Cup and League Cup seven times. Liverpool were a founding member of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.

Liverpool have played at Anfield since they were founded in 1892. However, plans have been formed to start work on a new 60,000 all-seater stadium, which could be raised to 80,000 depending on planning permission, in the summer of 2010 near Stanley Park. The venture will be funded by Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who became the club's owners on February 6, 2007.

The club's fans have been involved in two major disasters. At the Heysel Stadium 39 Juventus F.C. fans died when a wall collapsed after crowd trouble in the 1985 European Cup Final, and at Hillsborough in 1989, 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives due to overcrowding.

Anfield

A UEFA 4-star rated stadium, it is the home of Liverpool F.C. It is famous for its wonderful atmosphere and noise. The stadium is well known for the Kop stand on the south-west side of the ground, and the atmosphere fans can create at games.

The club plans to replace Anfield with a new Stanley Park Stadium, where construction is set to begin in spring 2008. It will hold an extra 14,000 fans and will be open in 2011.

The Kop

The Kop is a stand in Liverpool's ground, Anfield. Spion Kop was the site of a battle in the Boer War at the start of the 20th Century. After the Boer War several football stadiums named stands/terrace areas as the Kop Originally they were all called the Spion Kop - they were shortened later. Other grounds with Kop stands include Sheffield Wednesday's and in Northern Ireland's Linfield's at Windsor Park. The Liverpool Kop stand became the most famous in the 1960s when it became world renowned as a result of the fans humorous chants and sing-alongs to Beatles songs. After the Hillsborough and Heysel stadium disasters The Kop became an all-seater stand. The supporters there are among the most admired in the world for their knowledge of the game and the sense of camaraderie, and staging Flag Days and other special events. Liverpool are currently looking to move stadiums, and whether any new stadium will have a Kop Stand has yet to be ascertained.

You'll Never Walk Alone

There is much speculation of who was the first club to sing YNWA. Celtic have made claims that it was they, not Liverpool, who were the first to belt out this inspirational song. Some crazy Manchester United fan even claims it was a Manc who belted out the classic after the Munich air disaster. YNWA can be linked to Liverpool from when it was released by 'Gerry and the pacemakers' after it was firstly sung on the musical 'carousel'. The Kop used to sing the latest 'chart toppers' before Kick off and YNWA stayed at the top for a long. Shankly heard this song, and demanded it was played before every game to act as a motivation. YNWAs most famous moment was at half time in the champions league final 2005, with liverpool trailing 3-0. It spurred the team into an amazing comeback to finally win the game on penalties.

Honours

Domestic Honours

League Champions (18 times)
1900-01, 1905-06, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1946-47, 1963-64, 1965-66, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1989-90

FA Cup winners (7 times)
1964-65, 1973-74, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1991-92, 2000-01, 2005-06

League Cup winners (7 times)
1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1994-95, 2000-01, 2002-03

Charity Shield
1964-65 (shared), 1965-66 (shared), 1966-67, 1974-75, 1976-77, 1977-78 (shared), 1979-80, 1980-81, 1982-83, 1986-87 (shared), 1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91 (shared), 2001-02, 2006-07

European Honours

European Cup winners (5 times)
1976-77, 1977-78, 1980-81, 1983-84, 2004-05

UEFA Cup winners (3)
1972-73, 1975-76, 2000-01

European Super Cup (3)
1977, 2001, 2005

Hillsborough

On 15th April 1989, thousands of Liverpool supporters went to watch their team in an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium.

96 of them, never came home.

With Kick-off approaching, there was congestion at the turnstiles as fans tried to get in. In all his wisdom, the stadium manager ordered the police to open the gates and in doing so opened up the stadium to every man and his dog, regardless of ticket. The middle pen in Leppings Lane was becoming dangerously crowded, but fans were not ushered into the side pens that were almost empty. Soon, the crush spilled out onto the pitch where the game was still in full motion. Gasping for air, dying supporters were thrown back into the pen by police officers thinking they were facing a riot. As a consequence of appalling policing and poor management, 96 Liverpool fans died that day.

Of those who died, 89 were male and 7 were female. In respect of age, the majority were under 30 years of age, and more than a third were under 20 years. The youngest to die was a boy of 10 years.

The cause of death was attributed to crush asphyxia. Most deaths occurred in pen 3, and the remainder occurring in pen 4. The majority of deaths occurred at the front of the pens. 730 people were injured inside the ground. 36 people sustained injuries outside the ground.

But the hurt did not stop after the disaster. The memories of the 96 loved ones, was run through the mud 4 days later when The S*n printed damning lines on its front page under the headline 'THE TRUTH'. The truth was, that this accusations were lies based on nothing. But the damage was done. Every liverpool fan in Hillsborough that day was stuck with the label of murderers who rob and piss on the dying and dead.

No Liverpool fan with a sense of decency Will EVER EVER buy The S*n. Even today, the editor at time Mackenzie still refuses to apologies for these lies that still continue to hurt. And still, justice has not been resolved.

Justice for the 96. NEVER BUY THE SUN. The Truth

The Team

Goalkeepers


Defenders


Midfielders


Forwards

One night in May

Spoiler:

Show

SOCIETY THREAD LOG
Each thread, regardless of content, is locked at 10,000 posts. This current thread is the second Liverpool F.C. Society instalment (10,000 posts previously logged, making this Mrk. III).

[Zerforax]

Lol, we need to remove - Sissoko, Crouch, Kewell and Riise from there

[Laevis]

[46664]

Probably a few.

But us Red Devils will always be in the lead...what i we on 4 now?

[Ronaldo VII]

Is it going to be your year this time?

[Zerforax]

(Original post by 46664)
Probably a few.

But us Red Devils will always be in the lead...what i we on 4 now?

Meh the Utd soc was started a bit before i think? And you guys have more spammers.. woodeedo

Ronaldo is a spammer *gives evils*

[Lord Hysteria]

(Original post by Laevis)

you should have gone to the meet maybe next time?


what are people's take on the transfer of Keane?

[Ronaldo VII]

I had 412 posts in the last thread Pleased with that

[Zerforax]

User Name Posts
sarforaz 1,164
farhan 908
Laevis 885
izaldo 680
_MaLc_ 578
Ronaldo VII 412
kpg 355
DontBuyTheSun 333
El Stevo 314
Rafa 265
Nissay 265
Saff 207

(was going to do a top5 but then Ronaldo wouldnt be included, then was going to do a top10 but then Nissay and Saff would be missing)
So there is our top12 posters!

[white_haired_wizard]

(Original post by Ronaldo VII)
I had 412 posts in the last thread Pleased with that

How do you find out how many posts you have in various forums, sub-forums etc?

[Ronaldo VII]

(Original post by white_haired_wizard)
How do you find out how many posts you have in various forums, sub-forums etc?

Don't think you can, only individual threads 95% of mine would be in the football forum

[Zerforax]

(Original post by Lord Hysteria)
you should have gone to the meet maybe next time?


what are people's take on the transfer of Keane?

He's an intelligent player, who is well rounded and has regularly scored goals in the premiership. By adding a proven goal scorer to replace Crouch, it's going to help us.
I think he should strike up a good partnership with Torres but equally will play a bit behind Torres rather than up with him.
Age wise, we've had a number of young players added recently and I think its important to retain some age and experience for mental toughness, Carra/Gerrard/Alonso are there but so too Keane now.
He might sound old at 28 but he's a professional and never relied solely on pace so I think he easily has a good 4 or 5 years left in him still.
Likewise he was vice-captain and filled in as captain regularly for Spurs, so having another leader in the ranks is only a good thing, to shoulder responsibility.
Price-wise, people might moan at the £19mil (and 1.3mil add-ons) but when you look at Johnson looking to move for £10mil, Bent for £16mil, Crouch for £9mil with only a year left, Carrick for £14mil (and 4mil added), Rooney for 23mil and 4mil added etc, we can see how expensive mediocre players are and how expensive potential players are. Now to get one of the consistent and quality strikers in the league who is proven and from a potential rival will be expensive anyhow but i dont think £19mil is too excessive considering everything else.

Good player, good signing, will fit into the side well and has improved us by joining me thinks. Being a loyal Liverpool fan is always a bonus since you know he will always give 110%

[BigScouser]

The Boy Who Would Be Keane

The £20m capture of Robbie Keane from Spurs has been one that has excited namy a Liverpool fan. Despite being offered the chance to join his boyhood heroes aged 14 he took the journeyman route to his dream move to Anfield.

The courtship of the Republic of Ireland international has been a lengthy process dating back as far as 2001 - something revealed by his former Leeds United team mate and namesake Robbie Fowler in his autobiography when Gary McAllister accidentally left a message intended for Keane on Gerard Houllier's behalf on Fowler's answerphone about signing for the club. The deal - £18million but worth up to twenty with add ons - is considered the going rate for a player of Keane's calibre with a track record to match. It is that proven record in the Premiership that adds to his value. Proven strikers in the English top flight are very hard to come by and it is seldom that one goes for anything less than £15m.

Despite this some cynical Liverpool supporters believe that paying the same price for Keane as the club did for Fernando Torres twelve months previous is bad business given that Keane is now 28 years old. The difference between the two deals is that Torres came with the reputation of a proven striker in La Liga, not the Premiership. In a league where there is little room for faults Torres had to adapt to the English game as quickly as possible and he did it in some style with an impressive scoring tally. Rafael Benitez's gamble on the Spaniard, who went on to fire his country to victory in the European Championship final in June, had paid off.

Keane, on the other hand, has a wealth of experience from his time at Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur and a brief understanding of the foreign game from his short spell with Internazionale. He admits that he is not a sole striker but rather as a second striker who can play "off the shoulder, link things up and play in the hole." During the press conference where his lifelong dream of being unveiled as a Liverpool player, Keane stated "I have come here to win things." He is eager to please as early as possible and hopes to achieve half what Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish - predecessors of the shirt number he will be wearing and unlike the previous occupant of the Anfield number 7 Keane will not fail to disappoint like his former Leeds team mate Harry Kewell did in his five year spell at Anfield.

The signing of Keane has given Liverpool supporters a new-found confidence about the club mounting a serious title challenge in the coming season unlike the blind optimism that is uttered every summer in phrases such as "we'll win it this year, I can feel it" and "this year is the one". Some believe that Keane is the missing link required to challenge for the league but in reality there are several areas that need strengthening, most notably the absence of a proven right winger. Rafael Benitez's judgement is usually accurate when he gambles on a player with the exception of several previous signings and reported signings (Josemi, Mark Gonzalez and Gareth Barry to name but three) and the arrival of Robbie Keane is one gamble that will most definitely pay off.

[Hedger]

(Original post by sarforaz)
User Name Posts
sarforaz 1,164
farhan 908
Laevis 885
izaldo 680
_MaLc_ 578
Ronaldo VII 412
kpg 355
DontBuyTheSun 333
El Stevo 314
Rafa 265
Nissay 265
Saff 207

(was going to do a top5 but then Ronaldo wouldnt be included, then was going to do a top10 but then Nissay and Saff would be missing)
So there is our top12 posters!

I made the XI at least Beassst.

Saff JUST missed out

[Zerforax]

Lol she was like 59 posts out

[anelka9]

nice intro rafa.

i think barry would have been a better signing then keane
then again, pool may still buy him!

[anelka9]

(Original post by Ronaldo VII)
I had 412 posts in the last thread Pleased with that

how do you check this

[Zerforax]

If you click the number of posts once in the football forum (its like the 3rd column?) and it shows how many posts each person made in that thread...

And Keane was a more important signing than Barry since we're lighter on strikers than we are central midfield players.

[Zerforax]

(Original post by anelka9)
how do you check this

Just checked, you had 73 posts

[bullneck]

I think Keane is a great, great addition to the team. Can't wait to see the new team in action.