LIVERPOOL FC - You'LL NeVeR WaLK aLoNe -

RosesAre_Red · Post time 28-10-2011 02:39 PM

1986: Kenny's Double

The English First Division: 88 points from 42 games, with a +52 goal difference.

The FA Cup Final: Ian Rush with two goals, Craig Johnston with one. 3-1 defeat of Everton at Wembley.

Kenny Dalglish, in his first season as player/manager of Liverpool, brought Anfield its first-ever double.

And more titles were on their way.

1990: 18

In May 1990, Liverpool landed their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish's management, earning Dalglish his third Manager of the Year award.

It was to be 39-year-old Dalglish's last season as a player as he made his last ever Liverpool appearance in a 1-0 home win over Derby County.

It also proved to be his last full season at the helm, as he would resign in February 1991.

His resignation brought about Liverpool's gradual loss of dominance in English league football, and their 18th title win, to this date, remains Liverpool's last.

1992: Ian Rush's Scoring Record

Ian Rush = Goals. 346 of them.

That's a record that will take some beating.

Signed for £300,000, a record fee for a teenager, Ian Rush became a mainstay in the Liverpool first team, and he was duly voted as the PFA Young Player of the Year in 1983.

After a prolific spell at Anfield, Rush left for a one-year Italian sojourn with Juventus in 1987, but failed to settle. Liverpool brought him back to partner him with John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley.

The critics said that Rush and Aldridge were too similar in style (and looks) to play together.

Ian Rush responded by scoring goals.

And in October 1992, Rush scored his 287th goal in a Red shirt and overtook Roger Hunt as Liverpool's leading scorer.

1993: Robbie Fowler's Debut

After Ian Rush came Robbie Fowler.

And Robbie Fowler also became synonymous with goals.

He scored on his debut in a League Cup match with Fulham in September 1993.

In the return leg, he scored all five goals.

And in 1994...

1994: 4 Min. 33 Sec.

...Robbie Fowler scored the Premier League's fastest ever hat-trick.

Four minutes and 33 seconds.

That's all it took for the man affectionately known as "God" to kill off Arsenal.

Robbie Fowler went on to be the PFA Young Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996, as he established himself as one of the most natural finishers the English game had ever seen. His prolific partnership with winger Steve McManaman was renowned as one of Europe's most lethal attacks, and even his partner said that he was the greatest goalscorer of all time.

Fowler eventually left Liverpool in 2001 after Gerard Houllier's treble-winning season (more on that later), but found himself back at Anfield in 2006.

During his two spells at Anfield, he scored 183 goals in 369 appearances.

1996: Match of the Decade

"Collymore closing in...!"

In the 92nd minute of the April 3, 1996 Premier League encounter between Liverpool and Newcastle, Stan Collymore closed in.

Before he did, the then-precocious Robbie Fowler had opened the scoring in just the second minute, before Newcastle hit back twice through Les Ferdinand and David Ginola to take the lead. Fowler's second effort in the 55th minute briefly brought the Reds level, before Faustino Asprilla took Newcastle ahead almost immediately.

Then, in the 92nd minute, Ian Rush got into a mix-up with John Barnes in the box. But Barnes saw the onrushing Collymore.

And Collymore closed in to score the winner for Liverpool, much to the delight of the watching Kop, and to the excitement of commentary team Martin Tyler and Andy Gray.

It was an afternoon's display of sumptuous and never-ending attacking football from both teams on the Anfield pitch, and it was duly voted as the Premier League's

1997: Michael Owen's Debut

Less than six months after signing his professional forms with Liverpool, Michael Owen made his debut against Wimbledon.

And he scored.

In his first full season in English football, Owen finished joint top scorer and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year. And he made headlines around the world with his wonderful solo effort against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, just over a year since his professional debut.

In 2001, his goalscoring exploits in red made him the first Liverpool player to win the European Footballer of the Year award.

By the time he left Anfield, just seven years after his first appearance for Liverpool, he was seventh-highest scoring in Liverpool history, with 158 goals in 297 games.

1998: Then Comes Steven Gerrard

In the beginning, Steven Gerrard wasn't anything special.

He made his debut in 1998 as a right-back. His 13 further appearances that season saw him play all over the pitch as right-back, left-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, and right winger. The only thing that caught the eye was his work rate and his versatility.

But the Liverpool coaching team had faith.

And did he ever prove them right.

Soon, in October 2003, he was made Reds captain, and he curbed his temper and upped his professionalism to the stuff of legends.

But before that, he scored ten goals in the 2000-2001 treble-winning season...

RosesAre_Red · Post time 28-10-2011 02:46 PM

2001: Gerard Houllier's Treble

FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup.

Not quite the holy trinity of the Premier League, European Cup and FA Cup, but still a treble, and still a massive achievement.

This came in Gerard Houllier's second full season in charge of Liverpool.

The particular highlight of the three cups was Liverpool's heart-stopping win over Alaves, when Alaves clawed back from a two-goal deficit and then scored a last-gasp equalizer to drag the contest into extra time.

Gary McAllister's free kick led to a Delfi Geli own goal, and the rest is history.

2004: Rafa Benitez Arrives

A disclaimer to the anti-Rafa Benitez legion: The next few slides are all Rafa-related.

Fresh from an impressive few seasons at Valencia, Benitez was drafted in as a replacement for Gerard Houllier, whose last season at Liverpool was underwhelming.

His first signing was Josemi. His second was Xabi Alonso.

While it's safe to say that the fans' views on Rafa's reign are as polarized as the fortunes and popularity of his first two signings, there can be no doubt that he brought Liverpool back on the European map.

And what better place to start than in his first Champions League campaign with his new club?

2004: Olympiakos

In their last game in the 2004-2005 Champions League Group Stages, Liverpool needed to win against Olympiakos. Any kind of win with a clean sheet would do, but if their defence would be breached, they would need to win by two clear goals. Such were the rules of the tie.

And Liverpool found themselves down by a goal to nil in the first half.

After Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Neil Mellor started a heroic rescue act, Steven Gerrard arrived on cue to send Liverpool into the knockout stages with a stunning late volley.

I'll leave it to Martin Tyler and Andy Gray to the rest of it.

Mellor...Lovely cushioned header...For Gerrard!

Oh, you beauty! What a hit son, what a hit!

With a swing of his gifted right foot, Steven Gerrard says, Champions League Knockout Stages, here we come!

2005: Istanbul

Steven Gerrard's header.

Vladimir Smicer's pile driver.

Xabi Alonso's penalty rebound.

Jerzy Dudek's miraculous double save.

That's all it took to drag Liverpool from the depths of a 0-3 half-time deficit to win their fifth European Cup in Istanbul against AC Milan. They got it for keeps.

Stuff of legends.

And during Rafa Benitez's tenure at Anfield, Liverpool became European specialists.

Barcelona. Internazionale. Chelsea. Real Madrid. And many more.

2005: Gerrard Stays at Liverpool

"How could I leave Liverpool after a night like this?"

So said Steven Gerrard after he became the second-youngest captain of a Champions League-winning side in Istanbul.

Unfortunately, after an unsuccessful bid the previous summer, Chelsea and Roman Abramovich's millions came calling once again in the summer of 2005. And this time Gerrard's head was turned.

Gerrard rejected a club record £100,000-a-week offer and submitted a written transfer request. The Liverpool hierarchy admitted defeat in their fight to keep their club captain and braced themselves for his departure to Stamford Bridge.

But the next day, Gerrard had a change of heart and decided that he couldn't possibly leave his hometown club behind. In a stunning turnaround, the Liverpool skipper put pen to paper on a new contract, cementing his future at Anfield.

Where he still is.

2006: The Gerrard Final

Jamie Carragher started the scoring. Too bad it was an own goal.

Then Dean Ashton pounced on an error from Pepe Reina to take West Ham two goals to the good.

Down 2-0, Djibril Cisse first scored a sumptuous volley from a tasty Steven Gerrard cross. Gerrard then went on to score a delicious volley inside the box to bring the Reds level, before a peach of strike from Paul Konchesky found his way into the corner of Reina's net.

With half the players on the pitch suffering from cramp and the game entering injury time, it was that man Gerrard again with the heroics. He caught the ball on a sweet right-footed volley from fully 40 yards out, and the ball nestled itself in the far corner of the West Ham net.

He was too tired to celebrate. So he pointed to the back of his shirt. To which Andy Gray said, "We know the name, son."

Of course, the drama wasn't over yet.

Reina still had to make three penalty saves in the ensuing shootout to keep West Ham at bay and bring the FA Cup back to Anfield. A year after Jerzy Dudek's heroics at Istanbul, his replacement produced yet another masterclass in a penalty shootout.

But the 2006 FA Cup final was all about Gerrard: a fitting performance to crown his highest-scoring season in a red shirt.

RosesAre_Red · Post time 28-10-2011 02:52 PM

2007: El Nino Lands at Anfield

In July 2007, Fernando Torres arrived at Anfield in a deal worth £25 million. Thus began a happy, happy marriage.

Torres' Liverpool career got to a flying start when he scored against Chelsea on his Anfield debut. But little did the Kop faithful know what a special player they had on their hands. He finished his first season in English football as the most prolific ever foreign goalscorer in his debut season.

There were better things to come.

In his second season, he came in third place for the World Player of the Year Award. He scored two last-gasp goals against Chelsea. He opened the scoring against Real Madrid in Liverpool's 4-0 rout at Anfield. He made Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic look like a schoolboy when he scored the equalizing goal in an eventual 4-1 victory at Old Trafford (we'll get there).

The Torres-Gerrard axis came to be known as one of Europe's more fearsome attacking partnership.

But.

A season and a half later, his love affair with the Kop was painfully cut short.

His head had been turned by Chelsea, and unlike his captain, he wasn't able to resist the lure of Stamford Bridge.

He may be reviled for the manner of his departure, but there's no denying Fernando Torres' status as one of Liverpool's best-ever strikers.

2009: Demolition at Old Trafford

March 2009.

On the back of an impressive demolition of Real Madrid at Anfield in the Champions League Quarterfinals, Liverpool traveled to Old Trafford to close the gap on the Premier League leaders.

What ensued was the most memorable result to emanate from the Reds in a long time.

It didn't start well. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot.

But Fernando Torres pounced on a defensive error from Nemanja Vidic and tied things up. Steven Gerrard coolly struck a penalty of his own and planted a kiss on a television camera. Fabio Aurelio stepped up with a curling free kick that left Edwin van der Sar no chance. And to wrap things up, Andrea Dossena followed up his strike against Real Madrid with a classy lob.

This was a result that made people sit up and take notice. Could the ever-elusive Premier League title finally arrive at Anfield?

Unfortunately, it was ultimately not to be. United showed their ruthless side as they maintained their lead to clinch the title, making Liverpool the first side to not finish as champions despite only losing twice.

2009: Sami Hyypia's Farewell

Sometimes, legends need to be celebrated.

And the legend that was Sami Hyypia was celebrated all right.

Liverpool's last game of the 2009 season was a clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, a match the Reds won 3-1, with goals from Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun.

But the star of the show was always going to be Hyypia.

After the Kop had clamored for his introduction all match, Rafa Benitez finally bowed to fan pressure and sent the former captain on for his 464th appearance in a Liverpool shirt. And he would take over the captain's armband for the final time, with Steven Gerrard doing the honors.

In true Hyypia fashion, he came on and didn't let the occasion faze him. He went about his defensive tasks like any other game and ordered his charges on the field. Even more in true Hyypia fashion, he went up to attack a corner, which was unfortunately cleared off the line to deny him a fairy tale last goal.

The post-match ovation afforded to Hyypia by both the fans and his teammates saw him finally succumb to tears.

It was a beautiful way to show that the club were still united on the pitch with another season to look forward to, despite the ongoing boardroom struggles.

2011: The Return of the King

The ongoing boardroom struggles reached an unwelcome conclusion when it was revealed that Liverpool were in a state of financial turmoil.

And if they couldn't pay off their debts in time, the threat of administration loomed large.

All amidst Liverpool's worst league finish (seventh) under Rafa Benitez and the Hicks-Gillett decision to replace him with Roy Hodgson, who brought in players clearly not up to the task.

But in October 2010, a man named John W. Henry made a bid for Liverpool Football Club.

His bid was accepted, and soon New England Sports Ventures (as his company was called then) completed a takeover of the club. They promptly began a financial restructuring of the club and went out of their way to establish healthy relationships with the supporters.

There was still one thing nagging at the back of the Kop's collective mind, though. The unpopular Roy Hodgson found himself less and less popular by the day, and soon it became clear that Liverpool had to make a change.