History of the Liverpool FC Champions League

Liverpool F.C. is a club that plays in the Barclays Premier League. The club plays its home matches at Anfield Road, a stadium in Liverpool that was once the home of its fierce rival, Everton. As of 2010, Liverpool F.C. was one of the most honored clubs in the history of the sport, having won multiple championships at the FA Cup and in the UEFA Champions League.

  1. Founding Era (1892-1896)

    • Liverpool Association Football Club was founded in 1892 by John Houlding, the financial supporter of the club. The team's beginnings came as a result of a vacated football site that had previously been held by the Everton club. The first four years of competition were managed under John McKenna. After a season in the amateur Lancashire Association League, Liverpool was accepted into the Second Division of the Football League. The club had an unbeaten record in their first year and quickly moved up to the top tier, only to be relegated at the end of the following season.

    The Watson Years (1896-1915)

    • Tom Watson took over as head coach in 1896 following McKenna's departure. During this time, the team's official jersey colors changed from blue and white to red. Liverpool's signature red apparel has been definitive in the club's fan culture since the change. On the field, the club won two Division One championships under Watson (1901 and 1906) and also reached the FA Cup final in 1914, only to fall to Burnley. Watson died in 1915, at the beginning of the league's suspension of play due to World War I. He is regarded as one of the more popular managers in Liverpool's history and a central figure to the club's rise to success in the early 20th century.

    Decades of War (1920-1958)

    • Following World War I, Liverpool claimed consecutive Division One titles, in 1922 and 1923. Beyond these two seasons and one later victory in in 1947, the decades that surrounded the two world wars were defined by disappointing outcomes. Troubled seasons were instead highlighted by standout players such as goal scorer Gordon Hodgson. Goalkeeper Elisha Scott and winger Billy Liddell were also popular among the Liverpool faithful and had long careers exclusively with the club.

    The Shankly Years (1959-1974)

    • Manager Bill Shankly took over the team in 1959 and transformed it from a group that had been fighting to stay in the top tier of competition to one that was a heavy favorite to win honors every season. Shankly built his team around captain Ron Yeats. The streak of success began in 1964 when the club won its first Division One title in nearly two decades. This championship was followed by an FA Cup win the next year. By the end of his career with the team, Shankly led the club to three League titles, two FA Cup trophies, and one UEFA Cup.

    European Dominance (1975-1990)

    • Liverpool continued to have even greater success in 1970s and '80s after Bill Shankly's tenure had come to an end and Bob Paisley took over the leadership. In his second year, the club took home the League championship and the UEFA Cup. Several coaching changes took place during the '80s, but from 1975 through the 1990 season, Liverpool claimed 10 League championships to add to the many other titles that contributed to their dominance throughout Europe. These years were highlighted by a rare occurrence in the 1984, when the team won a treble: the League Championship, the League Cup and the European Cup. Ian Rush was the scoring leader during this period. Many of these points would contribute to his eventual club record of 346 in a career with the team.

    The Hillsborough Incident

    • On April 15, 1989, 96 Liverpool fans were killed during an FA Cup match against Nottingham Forest. The stadium section where Liverpool F.C. fans were directed to gather could not hold the amount of people and many fans were killed or injured as a result of crushing. A memorial with an eternal flame is permanently situated outside the Anfield stadium to honor the fallen. In Liverpool fan culture, the tragedy continues to be a rallying issue for the justice of the victims. The incident has also changed the way European football event centers have since been designed or renovated.

    Premier League (1991-Present)

    • The club went through several managerial changes after Division One became the Premier League in 1992. The dynamics of the team changed constantly, whether it was through new coaching staffs or different key players. Despite occasions of instability, Liverpool was able to win many honors in the nearly two decades since the creation of the Premier League. Most notably--in 2001, Liverpool secured another treble, winning the League Cup, FA Cup and the UEFA Cup. These teams have been made up of key players such as John Barnes, Danny Murphy and Michael Owen.