Liverpool FC Forum

by **Sabre** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 6:46 pm

supersub wrote:I agree with redtrader and I shake my head at stu's reasoning for being a red or not.For the record my 1st game was in the late 60's,by the mid 70's I was attending every home game,1980 got my 1st season ticket which I've had ever since.I value all the support our club gets from near or far..

As a foreign LFC fan is good to know to me that a long term true LFC supporter thinks that way, and Stu's sentiment is not general.

Thanks.

by **bugsy** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:24 pm

i am Australian and live in Aussie and i have been a red fan for probably 25 years, ever since i used to watch good ol Craig johnston play for the mighty reds. those where the days. i live and love my mighty Liverpool fc. :bowdown

by **weringo** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:29 pm

Ive supported LFC since about 96/97, when we were sh*t. I'm London based so I'm neither a "local fan" or a "glory hunter", not sure what type of fan I am

by **redmikey** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:56 pm

ever since my big brother told me i was!!!!!!

got the full bite of the bug when our cub scout group was taken to anfield when aldo was playing for oxford and we battered them 9-0 or something daft

still get a tingle in my spine when i climb the stairs and see the pitch

by **Sabre** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:42 pm

redmikey wrote:ever since my big brother told me i was!!!!!!

got the full bite of the bug when our cub scout group was taken to anfield when aldo was playing for oxford and we battered them 9-0 or something daft

still get a tingle in my spine when i climb the stairs and see the pitch

This, "how you become a fan of a team" is something interesting. Sometimes it's a matter of friends, as some have said, sometimes it's the big brother, and sometimes your father.

My dad is a Real Madrid fan :blush:

but it was the old butcher of my neighbourhood who providently took me one day when I was a lil boy to the old ground, and he made me a RS adept. The Liverpool soft spot also rised due to admiration to Aldo and Toshack, but it's curious sometimes no matter how different your family thinks you become a supporter of another team.

Any cases like that here? meaning being a true red while the dad and all the family are archenemies?

by **Scouserbychoice** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:51 pm

My username says it all for me...But I'm no glory supporting OOT.
I was born in Leicester and have spent me whole life(upto now) living in Leicester but saw Liverpool play at the tender age of 5 or 6(1970-71)and have been a Red since that day.
I've jumped for joy many times over the years and almost in tears on various occasions as well.
I've been proud to be a scouserbychoice and also embarrassed as well(Champions League final and the idiots that cost others with tickets their seats).
My daughter is a Liverpool fan as well as are two of my Grand kids.(unfortunately my Grand Daughter is a Gooner,still trying to convert her

).

Highlight of being a Red....Champions League Final 2005...sat at home with my 4 month old grandson watching us win our fifth.....Woke the poor little bugger up when Dudek saved Sheva's penalty.

Low....Hillsborough and Heysel.

No matter what I'll always be.....scouserbychoice!

by **Paul C** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:56 pm

28 years, my uncles used to take me the footie, I remember sitting on the kop as a 4 year old kid, I had a dead ar5e sittin on the bars so a fella gave me his coat to sit on, this sums up Liverpool fans and the people of Liverpool, best fans/people in the world.

Short but sweet

by **Bretc** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:44 pm

I'm a Singaporean and growing up a sa young boy during the early 80s, I vaguely remembered the first Liverpool match I watched was sometime in '83 or '84. It was an European match (I know cos the other team is not an English team) and someone wearing the red No. 9 jersey caught my attention. I remembered he was being marked by a giant defender and yet still managed to come out tops. He was none other than the legendary goal machine IAN RUSH! That was the moment I became a RED.

The mid to late 80s was a very exciting period, especially the intense rivalry with Everton. Who can forget the '86 FA Cup final when Dalglish won the double as a player-manager? I stil remembered the team, Hansen was the coolest player in the team, Craig Johnston was stylish, Grobelaar was as agile as a monkey and the save he made rushing back to the goalmouth to tip over (Sharp?)'s header was superb. Of cos, Rushie was at his usual best.

If that year was good, then the following years, '87 to '89 was great! My fav player ever, JOHN BARNES was mesmerising with his dribbling skills down the left flank. He was THE BEST as far as I'm concerned! Nobody in the current team is as good as him, yes that includes Gerrard...haha....Barnesy was and will always be my No. 1 Player - A LEGEND! Together with Beardsley and Aldridge, they formed a formidable attacking trio, supported by the brilliant Ray Houghton and Steve McMahon and were unmatched by anyone in England. It was a pity that legendary team was not allowed to strut their stuff in Europe cos many were saying at that time they were the uncrowned European kings and I fully agree!

Alas, good times dun last. The 90s was filled with false hopes and the rot started not with Dalglish's departure but rather the appointment of Souness as manager!

When Dalglish left, he left behind a great team. One which is more than capable of matching Fergie's boys but Souness, being Souness destroyed the whole team and brought in rubbish players. Paul Stewart, Michael Thomas - my GOD!!! Souness may be a good player but he was and will always be a lousy manager. He has to shoulder much of the blame for Liverpool's decline. His only credit during that period was the introduction of Fowler and McManaman and that FA Cup win in '92. Other than that, he was a complete disaster!!!

Roy Evans tried his best to inject flair into the team and he succeeded. Liverpool was playing sexy football with Mcmanaman in a pivotal role BUT they forgot the fundamentals of defending in the process. James + Ruddock + Dicks + Kvarme + Babb = disastrous!!! Though a decent side, Evans' squad was never good enough for the title but I appreciate what he was doing and he did a much better job than Souness. Next came Houllier who was the exact opposite of Evans - he simply loves to defend and defend and defend. His attacking strategy? Only one, pump the ball up to Heskey for the knock-downs to Owen. Yes, we won the Treble but we also played boring one-dimensional football. Flair players like Berger and Litmanen were bought but their talents were restricted by the dull tactics. When his time was obviously up, Houllier still insisted on staying and his stubborness and arrogance irked me so much to the point of hatred!

The Rafalution era promises hope and I've got a feeling that Rafa is the man who will bring us the Holy Grail! His style of play is well-balanced and he is a top-quality manager, one of the best in the world. (Probably the only one better than him might be Gus Hiddink) If he can't do it, then I don't know if anyone else can. gus Hiddink perhaps?

by **neilE** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:33 am

I was brought up in a Wiltshire garrison town. For those that don't know, there are no top flight clubs in the SW 1/4 of England, and all the kids support different teams. Swindon was about 30 miles away, but that was the other side of the moon to a 9 year old kid with no transport. Plus the squaddies kids supporting teams from wherever they came from. Like the rest of the locals I had no attachments. Decided in 1969 I think it was I needed to support a team, and looked through my footy comics collection of team photos to choose one. I have no idea why I chose Liverpool, I had never seen them play and had no idea of the history. Having made my random choice it wasn't long before I was getting into playground arguments about who was the best team. In the way that only kids can do. I suppose I might have been one of those who changed teams as often as the wind, but then we got to the 1971 cup final, which I played out in my garden for what seemd like months before the game itself. For youngsters who dont know, the FA cup final was the only live football on tv and I was totally hooked. My mum thought I'd gone insane charging around the house when Steve Heighway scored. Quickly followed of course by the massive disappointment only football fans can know. From then I couldn't have possibly supported any other side, and Istill don't really understand why anyone suports any other team. They repaid me big time over the next few years, 1974 cup, and then the long list of League and Eurpoean Cup success. My Dad took me to QPR to watch them for real for the first time in 1997. a 1-1 draw, but a fantastic feeling to watch Keegan and the rest in the red shirt. 1977 was the first time I realise I hated Man U, when they robbed us in the Cup Final that year and stopped us getting a treble. Another superb goal (Jimmy Case) to no avail. Of course the Wednesday after made up for it with the European Cup. By the year after I was living in London, and seeing the boys whernever I could mostly away games. Tried to get in to the Wembley European Cup final in 78, but no-one had any tickets for sale. Some things don't change. The glory days had to end, with Dalgleish resigining through stress, having signed David Speedie of all people to save the club. Hmm. Went down hill then through the 90's, the last joy for a long time being singing you'll never be the champions to the scum. God I wish that was true. Then came the Houllier revival - failed ultimately, but he turned us into a credible side for a while, closer to the league than even Benitez sides have been. It took until 25 May 2005 to put the disappointment of the Heighway and Case goals away, when Alonso lifted the penalty rebound into the net - and we won! Now even losing a European Cup final doesnt' hurt too much - if you're going to be in it every other year it loses its gloss lol! What hurt much more was losing at home to the scum - again. Nothing will put that right until we have that Premiership trophy back at Anfield - let this be the season!

by **Red Red Tom** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 4:31 pm

I grew up in Hong Kong and didn't really know what football was, when I was 9 or 10 my family decided that we were going to move back to England, and my mum told me that I needed to choose a football team so I could talk to kids at school about something! I asked some friends in Hong Kong if they'd heard about this football lark, and my closest friends turned out to be big LFC fans, and they told me all about Robbie Fowler, and how great he was. This was in the summer of 97.

A year later we did move back to England, with me having decided that I was going to support Liverpool. The first game I saw live on TV was the 98 world cup final, still in Hong Kong; I'd decided to support France because my dad told me Brazil were favourites. It was about 3am, but I enjoyed it a lot.

I remember putting match of the day on for the first time a few weeks after I'd started school, it did indeed seem that everybody was really into football and I thought I should at least find out how Liverpool were doing. We were second on I think - beating Notts forest 5-1 with Owen scoring four. I was hooked. I remember aruging with somebody in the changing rooms before a PE lesson about Liverpool's game against Celta Vigo in the UEFA cup that night only a few weeks later (or perhaps it was a few weeks before, either way these are my eairliest red memories). I remember Fowler's hattrick against Villa when they were top of the league, and the comeback from 2-0 down at home to the Mancs when Ince equalised, all from the telly.

I remember Carra's two own goals against United at Anfield, the first time I cried about a LFC match. It wasn't the last. My first game was when my Mum took me to see Watford v LFC and we won 3-2, I think Berger got the winner, and we played in that green strip. It remains one of my favourite kits. My next game was a 2-1 victory away at Wimbledon, and somehow this time she'd got tickets for the away end, so I went in a full LFC strip.

My first trip to Anfield came as a birthday present, when two goals from Michael Owen saw us send Derby County down.

Fast forward and I'm now twenty years old, studying at Liverpool University, and at Anfield for 90% of the matches. I missed four home games this season, and a friend helped me get to a couple of aways as well. As a fancard holder who got lucky in the ballot, Athens was an incredible experience, I went alone but felt among friends the whole time.

Best memory of LFC: Istanbul
Worst memory: United's late late comback against us at OT in the FA cup in 99.
Best game at Anfield: Well there are two here - the Arsenal FA cup game this season made me so proud to be a red, and for the first time I really understood the way this club works, how everybody looks out for each other and what makes this club so special.

Chelsea at Anfield in the European Cup (2007) will take some beating. I've never known anything like that in my life. I was gutted not to get a ticket for the Kop, and ended up in the Annie Road end, having been in the Kop for every other game (except Gala), but in the end it didn't matter. Had we won in Athens I'm sure that would be up here.

by **doorway dave** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:20 pm

nobody was interested in football in my family funnily enough,,i begged me dad to take me,,me uncle first took me to goodison park ,i remember going to my seat in the top of the main stand,i was about 12 years old ,the height and slope of the stand took my breath away,i remember the z-cars theme tune as well.so boy i was lucky as i could have been a blue! i then went to a couple of games at anfield and i was hooked,i first went by myself when i was 14 with me mates in 1976 against man city,beat them 2-1.a couple of weeks later we played st.etienne,what a night!!,went straight from school and just about got in.next season i got a season ticket and watched from the annie road end where we gave the kopites loads of stick!for 10 geat years i barely missed a game home and away until the wife and kids appeared.i have been very lucky,,been to 6 european cup finals only missin first one in rome because me dad wouldnt let me go with me mates as i was only 14 then,cant say i blame him lookin back now. this decade has been fantastic ,robbin the fa cup off arsenal in 2001,,uefa cup in dormund,fa cup win over west ham and the best 3 nights of my life in istanbul,unlucky in aftens but what the hell had a great week there with my lad,,roll on the premership,we need to bring it back home

by **RedorDead** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:20 pm

In around 1983 when I was seven years old all the boys in my primary school were given a Football wall chart, it had these slots and individual team cards that you could move up and down after each week's games. I'm from Sussex on the south coast and my dad wasn't a football man at all and so I had no inspiration, nothing to follow....I wanted to feel part of something and wanted to support a team and it just so happened that around that time me and my family had been to Liverpool to pick up this caravan we had bought for summer holidays. It is that fateful visit coupled with the fact that Liverpool were about the only team I had ever heard of and that Football League wall chart that made me a Liverpool fan. It sounds silly reading that back but that is the way it was.
Since then I have just completely fallen in love with football and Liverpool Football Club in particular.
My earliest memories are of the Roma game in 84 and then the tragic 1985 final. The 86 Cup Final against Everton is one of my favourite games, then there's the heart break and total injustice of the 88 final against the crazy gang.
Everton again in 89 was amazing, Rush was my absolute hero growing up and still my all time favourite player, 89 of course also brought agony against Arsenal, I was a 14 year old boy and I cried unashamedly.
I also cried like a baby in 96 when Cantona threaded the eye of a needle in the worst game I have ever seen, I was p!ssed as a fart and 21 years old in my student union, head in my hands and I'll never forget this guy just said "It's only a game mate!" We all know how wrong he was and I nearly went for him.
More recently you just have to mention the Treble season and Istanbul of course, amazing times are back at our club for sure.
I have been to see The Mighty Reds too, I hate to admit never at Anfield but I used to go up to Selhurst Park when Liverpool came down as it was the only top flight ground near me really, my local team Brighton have also had some good battles with Liverpool and I have watched them play a few times.
It remains my true ambition to visit Anfield before it is pulled down, I have a little lad now who is nearly two and in a year or two I will take him up to Anfield for sure (if I can get tickets somehow) I won't let him be like me, having no footballing footsteps to follow in...he'll be a Red with his dad and hopefully he'll have as much fun and heartache and true love watching the greatest team in the world do their thing.....like ONLY they can. Walk On.

by **god_bless_john_houlding** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:38 pm

one of my proudest moments of being a red was when i saw my son cry when we lost to Middelsbrough in 97 I think. It was the same game Carra made his debut. That night I knew my son was a Liverpool fan for life. My personal moment as a red was the 74 cup final against newcastle. I was only 7 and got to go to wembley. It was the first time I'd saw us win the FA cup and the fact that Malcolm McDonald had been running his mouth off about how he would run our defence raggered that day made the victory all the more sweeter because he didn't touch the ball all match. Also I whitnessed the best ever cup final goal when Kevin Keegan scored from 6 yards out after such trafific passing from left to right by us. Tommy Smith crossed the ball and Keegan was able to put the ball in. We won 3-0. There's always the St Ettienne game in 77, any European cup final success (including UEFA Cups), 86 double, 4-4 with Everton in the FA Cup, any time we beat United but for me it was that 1st F.A. cup back in 74. When i say 1st i mean my first, we had previously won it in 65 against Leeds

As for low last year against Milan has to be up there. Hillsbrough or Hysel as well are always close to my lowest point as a Liverpool fan. But I have to go for signing Djimi Traore

. Sorry about making a joke so close to the words Hillsbrough and Hysel which like most of you are the worst it can get for a reds fan. Hillsbrough shook the entire world and I think everyone, especially in Britain felt hurt, except those B>A>S>T>A>R>D>S at the S*N, but Hillsbrough brought hurt upon the entire footballing world and it wasn't only Liverpool fans who had hurt brought on them by the S*N, all football fans were hurt. Hysel was a different kind of hurt because we as a club are not hooligans and the majority of the fans who were arrested were not Liverpool fans, they were other clubs fans pretending to be reds just to cause a fight. It has also since be proven Juventus fans were the ones who caused and started the trouble, so it deepens the hurt because we were falsely blamed for the collapse of the wall at a ground which should never of held a European Cup final anyway.

by **sito pons** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:01 pm

I still remember the very first time I saw The Reds played against Toffees in FA Cup final 1986. I saw how Ian Rush scored goals & won the match for us. I saw how Liverpool terrorized Everton's defence on that grateful day. Eventhough Gari Lineker scored first, I still believed the team which wore red jersey will win the match. Full time, Liverpool 3 Everton 1. Until now, I still admired the Liverpool's playing quality on 80's & early 90's. Defender like Mark Lawrenson & Alan Hansen makes opposing striker duuno how to score. Midfielders like Ronnie Whelan, Craig Johnston & Steve McMahon makes great flowing of passing. Lastly, Ian Rush, the real deadly striker that I've ever seen on earth. I've never seen that our team have striker like that nowadays. Even in the time when our team suffered in 90's I still believed one day we will make a comeback. I still believe that EPL will come to us within 5 years from now.

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