New date for Reds' Carling Cup clash

Liverpool's postponed Carling Cup quarter-final tie against Arsenal has been rearranged for January 9, three days after their FA Cup clash

Benitez

Reina is not leaving
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has re-iterated he has no intention of selling goalkeeper Jose Reina.

RONALDINHO: LIVERPOOL TIE WON'T BE EASY

Paul Rogers 17 December 2006

Brazilian World Cup star Ronaldinho has today spoken of his respect for Reds boss Rafael Benitez, captain Steven Gerrard and the Liverpool players ahead of February's meeting between the two sides in the Champions League.
Speaking in Spain, Ronaldinho admitted that Barcelona will have to be wary of the 2005 Champions League winners if they intend to hold on to their crown. "Liverpool have a very shrewd manager in Rafa Benitez and I understand his record while managing Valencia was very good against Barcelona," he said. "They also have the bonus of having Spanish players in the side so they will know what to expect. Naturally I'm a big fan of Steven Gerrard. I like committed and passionate players. He's a tremendous player and would warrant a place in any side throughout Europe."

Charlton 0-3 Liverpool, 16/12/06

Charlton 0-3 Liverpool 16/12/06

WATCH NOW: CHARLTON 0 LIVERPOOL 3

Paul Rogers 17 December 2006

Liverpool moved up to 3rd place in the Premiership after goals from Xabi Alonso, Craig Bellamy and Steven Gerrard gave them a comfortable 3-0 win over Charlton on Saturday and you can watch 40 minutes of highlights on the website now.
It was a second away win of the season for Rafa's men after victory at Wigan the last time they were on the road and it was a win that was rarely in doubt after Alonso's 3rd minute penalty was added to by fine second half goals from Bellamy and Gerrard. The Reds got off to a flying start here when a rash challenge on Pennant by former player Djimi Traore gave them a 3rd minute penalty. And Xabi Alonso made no mistake from 12 yards to send Myhre the wrong way and make it 1-0. Liverpool scored four in the first half of their last away game at Wigan and they could have eclipsed that here. It was almost 2-0 in the 7th minute when Bellamy weaved his way through the Charlton defence only to see his point blank effort blocked on the line by the legs of Young; and Bellamy turned provider for Kuyt minutes later, but the Dutchman's strike was narrowly wide. Traore went some way towards making amends for conceding the penalty when his superb goal-line clearance stopped Pennant scoring in the 16th minute, but the Reds were well on top it seemed only a matter of time before they'd score again. Craig Bellamy's pace was causing Charlton's defence all sorts of problems and he again fed Kuyt, but he was again frustrated as his side footed shot went wide. And Charlton reminded us that at 1-0 they were still firmly in the game when Hreidarsson missed an easy chance from 6 yards. The second half of this match was almost a carbon copy of the first. Liverpool again created chance after chance without adding to their lead; and Charlton again reminded us how frail a 1-0 lead is when Ambrose blasted just inches over in the 75th minute and Bent shot wide just minutes later. How Liverpool hadn't put the game out of sight was a mystery. They cut the Charlton defence open almost at will and they hit the post in the 59th minute through Kuyt and saw Myhre save well from Alonso and Gerrard. But just when we thought they'd have to settle for one, they scored a second through Bellamy in the 82nd minute and a third through Steven Gerrard in the 88th minute to give the scoreline the emphatic look Liverpool's play had deserved. Bellamy continuing his fine goalscoring form with a brilliant strike from 6 yards and Gerrard scored a trademark goal with a superb curling shot after cutting inside.

[2006.12.09] Liverpool 4 - 0 Fulham Highlights

Champions League Final 2005

GERRARD EXCITED BY REDS SHEIKH-UP

Sporting Life 14 December 2006



Steven Gerrard believes the future is bright for Liverpool with a takeover of the club looming.
The Reds skipper is excited about the club's future with Dubai International Capital, the investment arm of Dubai's billionaire ruler Sheikh Mohammed, set to make a formal offer for the club.


Gerrard met DIC chief executive Sameer al-Ansari, who is likely to become the club's new chairman, after Saturday's 4-0 win over Fulham.


Gerrard told the club's official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv: "I think the future is bright.


"I've been fortunate enough to meet with the people who are going to be taking over the club. "I'm very excited. They assured me and the rest of the players that the club is going to be in safe hands and that the future is going to be really bright.


"The fans have been reading the same things as I've been reading and so they have got every right to be excited.


"Having met them, I'm even more excited now because I've heard their thoughts face to face." Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has insisted the club will not become a "rich man's plaything".


Parry told the Liverpool FC magazine: "We are focused on success but we want a club that will not be ludicrously profligate. It is not just about throwing money at a challenge, that is not a sound long-term strategy.


"It is definitely not about being a rich man's plaything. It is about taking Liverpool FC to the next level and securing the future of the club for the next hundred years."


Parry said the aim would be for Liverpool to use the investment to run the club as a successful company and take advantage of their international fan-base. He said DIC would benefit from being associated with a global brand.

Who is Sheikh Mohammed?

By Cornelius Lysaght BBC racing correspondent

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - to give him his full name - has built the biggest bloodstock empire there's ever been.
And now he is the central figure in one of football's biggest takeovers as the investment arm of Dubai's government seeks a buy-out of Liverpool FC.
SHEIKH MOHAMMED

Age: 57
Nationality: United Arab Emirates
Position: Vice-president UAE, ruler of Dubai
Wealth: Estimated £7bn. Add in 'family money' and some reports rate him world's 5th richest man
Hobbies: Horse racing, camel racing. Patron of Dubai events including golf and tennis
Comparisons have already been made with Chelsea's billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich, but the Sheikh is a man apart - one who has helped revolutionise the world of horse racing.
A keen and talented horseman in his native Dubai, he was educated in Britain, at the Sandhurst Military Academy, and is said to have taken a train to see the horse credited with giving him a first taste of racing success.
She was called Hatta, trained by John Dunlop, and won the unremarkable Bevendene Maiden Stakes at Brighton in June 1977, worth a mere £968.
Within a few years the Sheikh, now 57, the ruler of Dubai and number two in the whole United Arab Emirates (UAE), was travelling by chauffeur-driven limo and helicopter to see his dozens of horses in action.
His brothers Sheikhs Maktoum, Hamdan and Ahmed were involved too, and today they own a total of about 3,000 horses worldwide, but mainly in Britain.
Probably the most successful are members of the Godolphin stable, founded by Sheikh Mohammed in 1992, so that he could have a hands-on role in the training.
The idea was, and basically still is, that while Europe shivered during its winter, the horses would benefit from being stabled in the Dubai sunshine before returning for the European summer.
This system had the added advantage for the Sheikh that he could oversee his equine investments while also staying close to the day-to-day running of his homeland.
THE MAKTOUM EMPIRE

Sports backed by the Maktoum family include:
Football: Arsenal's Emirates Stadium
Motor racing: A1 GP
Horse racing: Dubai World Cup
Cricket: Encouraged ICC move to Dubai from Lord'sGodolphin has been generally highly successful, and has played a big part in the commercial development of Dubai as one of the world's most sought-after sporting, holiday and business destinations.
Horses with names like Dubai Millennium (Sheikh Mohammed's favourite) and Dubai Destination have kept the area's name prominent in the minds of the well-heeled that are marketing targets.
And the employment of an exuberant and popular stable jockey in Frankie Dettori has helped raise the profile further.
The Maktoums' investment in racing over the last 30 years or so has spelled nothing short of a revolution.
That £968 purse at Brighton suddenly feels a lifetime away: Sheikh Mohammed and his brothers have pumped millions of their oil, tourism and shipping dollars into the sport.
Their deadly rivals at the Irish-based Coolmore operation apart, they dominate world racing.
Much of the investment has proved a triumph, with Godolphin winning more than 130 top races in 11 different countries.

The boys in blue: Sheikh Mohammed and Frankie DettoriThough, just as in football, money does not guarantee success.
Famously, Sheikh Mohammed paid a whopping $10.2m (£5m) in 1983 for Snaafi Dancer, a horse that was not only so slow that he never raced, but at stud he proved infertile as well.
Friends speak of a man who is fiercely competitive, highly ambitious - reports suggest he is the world's fifth richest man, but he does not enjoy finishing fifth - and a lover of all sports, so a move into football is an understandable one.
He once wrote: "In the race for excellence, there's no finish line". It could almost read: "The Uefa Cup is not an option".
Of course, Liverpool fans are Merseyside's Reds. But Team Godolphin, because of the colour of their racing silks, are known as the Boys in Blue.
What a lot of fun those that dream up the chants from the terraces - particularly blue Evertonians - are going to have with all this.

LET'S CONTINUE

LUIS: LET'S CONTINUE OUR GOOD FORM
Paul Eaton 12 December 2006

Luis Garcia is hoping Liverpool can maintain their impressive recent Premiership form during the forthcoming festive period.
The Reds have secured 4-0 victories in each of their last two league games and moved into the top four of the table after seeing off the challenge of Fulham at the weekend. With five more games to play before the month is out, Garcia is pleased Liverpool have struck form ahead of a demanding schedule of fixtures. "No game is easy at home or away," he said. "We know what we have to do and every game is important for us. At home we've kept another clean sheet and scored more goals. Now we must do more of the same away. "We did a good job on Saturday, it was hard before the first goal but we remained calm to go on and score more. "The table looks better for us now. It looks better than a few months ago, and now we need to keep this going. "From a psychological point of view it's really important for us to be back in that top four, although sometimes maybe it's better not to look too much at the table."

CARRA WANTS MORE GOALS

Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher has his sights set on more goals after netting his first of the century on Saturday.
The centre-back bagged only his fourth goal for the Reds during the 4-0 demolition of Fulham. "I get forward for more corners these days so hopefully I can get on the end of a few more things in the future," he said. Carra's strike, his first since January 1999, helped earn him the FA.com player of the weekend. However, the man himself was keen to stress the contribution of teammate Pepe Reina after yet another clean sheet. "I think we have to credit our goalkeeper because he made a great save from McBride's shot in the first half," he said. "I thought it was going in to be honest, and if Pepe hadn't saved it then we'd have been 1-0 down." The 4-0 victory puts Liverpool in a Champions League spot for the first time this season - and Carragher reckons third place is the least they should now be aiming for. He said: "We're probably a bit too far behind the front two now, but third place is anybody's. "If we can get there and then string a great run together, you never know what can happen. "If both of the top two slip up and we get good results then you just don't know."
Liverpoolfc.tv Ltd

1901 - Our first title win

Just eight years after entering the Football League, Liverpool Football Club rose to the pinnacle of the English game with a title triumph that set the tone for future generations at Anfield.
The seeds of this success were sown in 1896 when the legendary Tom Watson was recruited to take charge of team affairs. The impact he was to have on the club cannot be under-estimated. One of his first major signings was the inspirational Alex Raisbeck two years later and it was around him that Liverpool's first team of champions was constructed.
With Raisbeck leading by example from the back, the dependable Bill Perkins between the sticks, Scotland international Billy Dunlop at full-back, flying winger Jack Cox and promising goal-poacher Sam Raybould in their ranks, the Liverpool team that kicked of the 1900/01 season was considered to be their most formidable yet.
This was the era of the handlebar moustache, when Liverpool players changed in the nearby Sandon public house and travelled to away games by train or horse-drawn wagonette. Anfield held just 20,000 and during the week goats grazed on the grass-covered terraces, while the Boer War in South Africa and the impending end of Queen Victoria's reign dominated the newspapers
Goals from Robertson, Satterthwaite and Raybould got Liverpool's season off to a perfect start when Blackburn Rovers were defeated 3-0 at Anfield on the opening day before a crowd of 20,000.
The Reds were to set the early pace and following a 2-1 victory at Stoke City, West Brom were emphatically beaten 5-0 to make it three wins out of three for Tom Watson's men, although Aston Villa, by virtue of having played more games, topped the table.
Centre forward Sam Raybould, along with Tommy Robertson, had scored in each of the first three matches and he netted again in front of packed Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby. His 46th minute strike cancelled out a first half Everton opener but there was to be no further goals and Liverpool's one hundred per cent record came to an end.
The following week title favourites Sunderland inflicted on the Reds a first defeat of the season when they triumphed 2-1 at Anfield, thus ending our unbeaten start. For manager Watson, losing to his former club was a bitter pill to swallow but it was he who would have the last laugh come the end of the season.
Notts County and Wolves were to repeat the feat of the Wearsider's as Liverpool temporarily slipped out of the chasing pack at the top but an impressive 5-1 hammering of fellow title challengers Aston Villa restored faith around Anfield.
Despite that encouraging performance though inconsistency plagued the Reds around this time and further setbacks against Sheffield clubs Wednesday and United were suffered before a confidence-boosting 4-3 victory in a thrilling clash with Manchester City, Andy McGuigan snatching the all-important final goal after the home side had gone in at half-time 3-2 ahead.
By the turn of the year however even the most optimistic of Liverpudlians would have thought the title was out of reach and although the new century began with a 3-1 home win over Stoke but successive league defeats at home to Everton and away to Bolton seemingly killed off any last lingering hopes.By mid-February Liverpool languished in eighth place, nine points adrift of leaders Nottingham Forest. But, with what was to become a trademark of championship winning Liverpool teams in the future, an impressive late surge saw them emerge from the wilderness to gatecrash the title race.
On 23 February, Watson took his team to his old stomping ground of Roker Park and no doubt returned home with a wry smile of satisfaction on his face after a lone Jack Cox goal secured a crucial 1-0 win that was to prove the catalyst for formidable unbeaten run.Wolves, Villa and Newcastle were then all defeated as the Reds slowly made their way back up the table and Raybould's 75th minute winner against second placed Notts County at Anfield on 8 April was crucial.
It moved them to within five points of new league leaders Sunderland and with three games in hand the title pendulum was swinging ominously towards the red half of Merseyside.
Victory over Sheffield United, thanks to another goal from leading marksman Raybould, on Easter Monday saw Liverpool draw level with the Rokerites at the top as the season boiled down to an exciting climax.
Also still vying for the leadership were Nottingham Forest but when they visited Anfield on the last Saturday of the campaign goals from Cox and Goldie ended their title ambitions and maintained the Reds pursuit of the crown.
Three days earlier Sunderland had completed their programme with a 2-0 win over north-east rivals Newcastle and still topped the table courtesy of a slightly better goal average so the destiny of the 1900/01 championship hung on the outcome of Liverpool's final game away to West Brom on Monday 29 April.
Just one point would be sufficient for the Reds against the already relegated Albion. The doomed the Baggies were expected to roll over and hand Liverpool the title on a plate but that could not have been further from the truth.
Straight from the first whistle they fought as if their lives depended on it and Liverpool were relieved to go in at the interval one ahead, the vital goal coming via Walker after a Raybould shot had been parried by the Baggies keeper. The second half saw the home side bombard Bill Perkins in the Liverpool goal but the Reds held out to clinch the points and more importantly their first Division One title.
It was a deserved triumph and a perfect riposte to those who had written off Liverpool's chances earlier in the season. Perkins, Goldie and Robertson were ever-presents, Raybould topped the scoring charts with 16 goals and Raisbeck led by example as the inspirational skipper of the side.
In summing up the season the Liverpool Echo wrote: "It was a tussle between Liverpool and Sunderland up to the last day of the season, but the Anfield men never faltered. Since the beginning of the year they have only twice gone under. The Liverpool men are the only team who have scored more goals on opponents' grounds (23 to 22) than the home side. This is a great achievement.
"In away games they won seven times and drew five times, which secured them 19 points out of 34, more than half on opponents territory. Their goals at home were nearly 3-1 against the opposition, when they won 12 times and drew twice. The facts mentioned point to the all round excellence of the Liverpool team, their defence having the best record of the whole division. Liverpool are also credited with the most goals in the tourney, 59 to Sunderland's 57."
After the win at West Brom the newly crowned champions returned to Central station later that evening where thousands of fans were waiting to greet them. Raisbeck was carried shoulder high through the crowded streets, while a drum and fife band provided the perfect soundtrack to the moment with a rousing rendition of 'The Conquering Hero'.
The players and directors eventually made their way back to Anfield by horse-drawn carriage and the League Championship trophy was proudly placed in the trophy cabinet for the first, but by no means the last, time.

Club culture

The song "You'll Never Walk Alone", originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and famously recorded by Liverpool musicians Gerry & The Pacemakers, is the anthem of Liverpool FC and has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early 1960s.The song has since gained popularity among the fans of other clubs around the world. Claims that "You'll Never Walk Alone" was first sung by fans at other clubs have been dismissed as very unlikely.[16] The song's title also adorns the top of the Shankly Gates which were unveiled 26 August 1982 in memory of former manager, Bill Shankly. The "You'll Never Walk Alone" banner portion of the Shankly Gates is also reproduced in the Liverpool FC crest.
Liverpool fans, singing "You'll Never Walk Alone", were featured in the Pink Floyd song, "Fearless". Other popular chants include "Fields of Anfield Road" (to the tune of "The Fields of Athenry"), "Poor Scouser Tommy" (first section to the tune of "Red River Valley; second section to the tune of The Sash"), "Liverbird Upon My Chest" (to the tune of "Ballad of the Green Berets"), "We've Won It Five Times" (to the tune of "Sloop John B"), and "Ring of Fire".
Under Rafael Benítez, today's Liverpool FC has gained a Spanish influence. As well as having a Spanish manager, the assistant manager, Pako Ayesteran, and the goalkeeping coach, Jose Ochotorena, are also Spanish, as is physiotherapist, Víctor Salina. However, there are only three Spaniards in the current squad, although ten players in total have been brought to Liverpool directly from La Liga.

STADIUM

The Anfield stadium was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park, and was originally inhabited by Everton F.C. They left the ground in 1892 over a rent dispute. Anfield's owner, John Houlding, decided to form a new club to play at the ground, which became Liverpool FC.
In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally renamed the Spion Kop, after a hill in Natal that was the site of a battle in the Second Boer War, where over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, many of whom were from Liverpool. Fans that regularly use the Kop are known as Koppites. At its largest, the stand could hold 28,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world. Local folklore claimed that the fans in the Kop could "suck the ball into the goal" if Liverpool were playing towards that end - and in most games, Liverpool play the second half towards the Kop. The stand was considerably reduced in capacity due to safety measures brought in following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, and it was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, although it is still a single tier. The current capacity is 12,409.
The Anfield Road Stand is positioned at the opposite end to the Kop and houses the away-fans section. It is the newest stand at Anfield having been rebuilt in 1998 with a capacity of 9,074. The two side stands are the Main Stand, capacity 12,227, and the Centenary Stand, capacity 11,762. The Main Stand is the oldest part of Anfield, having remained largely untouched since it's redevelopment in 1973. It houses the players' changing rooms and the director's box. The dug-outs are also on this side of the pitch.
The Centenary Stand was previously known as the Kemlyn Road Stand until it was rebuilt for the club's centenary in 1992. This redevelopment saw all of the houses in Kemlyn Road demolished and the address become non-existent.
The current overall capacity of the stadium is 45,362.

Over the course of Liverpool's history, many players have enjoyed extremely successful careers with the club, and established themselves as favourites with the fans. There is a huge amount of debate among supporters as to which players might be considered the most notable.
In the period before the Second World War several players played for Liverpool for lengthy periods of time, earning themselves great admiration. Among these were Ephraim Longworth, a solid full-back who became Liverpool's first England captain in 1921, and Elisha Scott, who played in goal for Liverpool for 22 years, making him the longest serving Liverpool player ever. In front of goal, of particular note is Gordon Hodgson, who scored a record 17 hat tricks playing for the club in the 20s and 30s.
In the 1960s, as Bill Shankly transformed the club into a European power, several players established themselves as key elements of Liverpool's success. Among them was Ron Yeats, who Shankly famously described as his "colossus",[9] and Roger Hunt, who scored 245 league goals (still a club record) as well as being part of England's World Cup winning team in 1966.
Paisley's additions to the squad were a massively important factor in Liverpool's success during the 70s and 80s. Two Scottish signings of 1977 had a particular impact: Alan Hansen, who was a part of 3 European Cup winning teams, and Kenny Dalglish, known to fans as 'King Kenny'[10], would excel as a Liverpool player before becoming Liverpool's first Double-winning manager. In 1980 Paisley also signed a young Ian Rush, who would go on to become the club's leading goalscorer.
Some of the Premiership's greatest ever players began and forged their careers at Liverpool. Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen began their careers at the Liverpool Academy, emerging across the 1990s among the batch that later included current captain Steven Gerrard.

HISTORY

Everton F.C. were founded 1878 and played at Anfield from 1884. In 1891 John Houlding, the leaseholder of Anfield, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 a year. The Everton members objected, left Anfield and moved to Goodison Park. With an empty ground and just three players remaining, Houlding decided to form his own football club and on 15 March 1892, Liverpool Football Club was born. The original name was to be Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds, Ltd., or Everton Athletic for short, but was changed to Liverpool F.C. after The Football Association refused to recognise the team as Everton. John McKenna was appointed director and signed thirteen Scottish professionals for the new club. Liverpool were elected to the Football League Second Division for the 1893–94 season. They ended the season unbeaten as Second Division Champions, and were promoted to the First Division. In 1901, Liverpool won their first Football League championship; a feat that was repeated in 1906. They played their first FA Cup final in 1914, but lost 1-0 to Burnley.
In 1921–22 and 1922–23 Liverpool won their first back-to-back League titles, captained by England full-back Ephraim Longworth. This was to be followed by the longest barren spell in the club's history. It was felt that Liverpool might have recovered in 1947 when they became Champions once again, but it proved to be a false dawn, and in 1954 Liverpool were relegated. The years 1954-59 were the nadir for Liverpool, when the team languished in League Division Two (the old second level of professional football in England) and had no success in the F.A. Cup. Their record league defeat, 9-1 to Birmingham City, came in December 1954. A small glimmer of success was a 4-0 upset of rivals Everton in the F.A. Cup in January 1955. This was a the only light in a gloomy decade however that included a Cup exit to Southend United in January 1957.
Bill Shankly was appointed manager in December 1959. Over the next fifteen years he transformed Liverpool into one of the top club sides in Europe. Within his first year, he released twenty-four players and rebuilt the team. Shankly's efforts would pay dividends. In his third season as manager, Liverpool won the Second Division Championship by eight points and were promoted to the top flight where they have remained ever since.
Having started the 1960s in the Second division, Liverpool would end that decade as a major domestic power. In 1964, Liverpool lifted the League Championship for the first time in seventeen years. They were League Champions again in 1966, having won their first ever FA Cup in the previous season, beating Leeds United 2-1 in the final.
Liverpool had won their eighth league title and defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach to win their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1973. However, a year later, after another FA Cup victory, Shankly retired from management. His assistant, Bob Paisley, was offered the chance to manage the team. Paisley would prove to be one of the most successful managers in the history of football. In the nine seasons he managed the club, Liverpool would win a total of twenty-one trophies, including three European Cups, a UEFA Cup, six league titles and three consecutive League Cups.
Liverpool's first European Cup was won in 1977. The final was played in Rome, and Liverpool defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1. The next year Liverpool would retain the trophy, beating Club Brugge 1-0 in the European Cup final at Wembley, and in 1979 the club broke another record winning the league title with sixty-eight points and only sixteen goals conceded in forty-two matches. Paisley's third and last European Cup victory came in 1981 with a 1-0 victory in the final over Real Madrid. Only one domestic trophy eluded him - the FA Cup.
The succession of winning managers appointed from within the club's staff is worthy of note. These managers are often referred to as 'the boot room boys' after a part of Anfield where Liverpool staff learned strategy and allegedly stored gin[7]. Just as Shankly had been succeeded by Paisley, so too did Paisley hand over the reins to his assistant, veteran coach Joe Fagan. He was aged 63 when he became manager in 1983. In his first season in charge, Liverpool become the first English club to win three major trophies in a single season — the League title, the League Cup and the European Cup. However Fagan's career was only to last two seasons, and would end in tragedy. In 1985 Liverpool again reached the European Cup final. The match was to be played at Heysel Stadium but, before kick-off, disaster struck Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged Juventus fans causing a retaining wall to collapse, killing thirty-nine Juventus fans. The match was played regardless and Liverpool lost 1-0 to Juventus. All English clubs were consequently banned from participating in European competition for five years with Liverpool receiving a ban for ten years (later reduced to six), whilst fourteen of their fans received convictions for involuntary manslaughter.
In 1985 Kenny Dalglish, already idolised as perhaps Liverpool's greatest player, became Liverpool's first player-manager. His reign would see the club win another three League Championships and another two FA Cups including a double in 1985/86 at Everton's expense. His initial season in charge saw the club winning the league title and beating arch rivals Everton 3-1 in the FA Cup final to become only the third team to win the league championship/FA Cup double in the 20th century (after Spurs (1961) and Arsenal (1971)). However, Liverpool's successes were overshadowed by the Hillsborough disaster. On 15 April 1989, when Liverpool were playing Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final, hundreds of Liverpool fans were trampled on the terraces. Ninety-four fans died that day and a ninety-fifth fan died in hospital from his injuries four days later. A ninety-sixth fan died nearly four years later never having regained consciousness. The Taylor Report later ruled that the main reasons for the disaster were overcrowding due to a failure of police control.
1992 saw Graeme Souness installed as manager. However, apart from an FA Cup win in his first year, his reign was not successful. After a shock exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Bristol City at Anfield, "Boot room" veteran Roy Evans took over. While his tenure saw some improvement in league form, in five seasons the club never finished higher than third. His only trophy win was the 1995 League Cup. Gérard Houllier, the former French national coach, was drafted into the Liverpool management team for the 1998-99 season to work alongside Roy Evans, but the partnership didn't work out and Evans resigned part way through the season.
2000–01 was Liverpool's best season for many years as the team completed a unique treble of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. They finished second in 2002, a year in which Houllier suffered a heart attack during a match with Leeds and had to undergo major heart surgery. Liverpool looked like becoming a force in English Football once again, but Houllier would only win one more trophy in his time in charge, another League Cup in 2003. Against a background of growing disquiet amongst Liverpool supporters, Houllier and Liverpool parted by mutual consent at the end of the 2003–04 season.
Spaniard Rafael Benítez took over and in his first season Liverpool finished a disappointing fifth in the Premier League. The season had a surprising ending, however, as Liverpool won their fifth European Cup final in Istanbul. The Reds met the heavily favoured Italian club A.C. Milan in an astonishing final. Liverpool trailed 3-0 at half time and looked much the poorer side over the first 45 minutes, but they made a dramatic comeback by scoring three goals in a period of only six minutes in the second half, forcing extra time. Liverpool went on to win the penalty shoot-out thanks to goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek.
In 2005–06 Liverpool gathered 82 points in the Premiership, their highest points total since 1988, and won the FA Cup in yet another dramatic final, this time against West Ham in which Liverpool trailed 3-2 until Captain Steven Gerrard fired home a goal from 35-yards out, as the P.A system was announcing injury time. They also picked up the UEFA Super Cup in a 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow.
At the very start of the 2006-07 season, Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 to win the Community Shield, after Peter Crouch scored the winner.
On December 4, 2006 Sheikh Mohammed engaged in takeover negotiations for Liverpool in a deal rumoured to be worth £479m. The bid was through his Dubai International Capital (DIC) investment group.[8] As an adjunct to the takeover, it has been speculated that DIC also initiated a bid to purchase Tranmere Rovers for £19.75m