COLEGIUL NAŢIONAL PEDAGOGIC „CONSTANTIN BRĂTESCU”
ȘCOALĂ EUROPEANĂ
CONSTANŢA
Lucrare de atestat la limba engleză
Liverpool Football Club
Coordinating teacher: Bardu Veronica Student: Panait Sara-Maria
Grade: XII A
Constanța
2023
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Table of contents
Introduction.............................................................................................3
Chapter I: The history of the club...........................................................4
1.1 The founding of Liverpool F.C. ..................................4
1.2 Colours and badge .......................................................5
1.3 The Anfield Stadium....................................................6
Chapter II: We are Liverpool F.C.
2.1 Memorable players.......................................................8
2.2 Managers.....................................................................13
2.3 Honours.......................................................................16
Conclusion…………………………………………………………….17
Bibliography…………………………………………………………..18
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Introduction
The theme of my research is a deepening in the knowledge of Liverpool Football Club. Football
is an important part of every country, especially of The United Kingdom, having its origins in
Great Britain. In the beginning, England and Scotland had the first leagues, but clubs sprang up
in most European nations in the 1890s and 1900s, enabling these nations to found their own
leagues. Many Scottish professional players migrated south to join English clubs, introducing
English players and audiences to more-advanced ball-playing skills and to the benefits of
teamwork and passing.
In Europe, there are five main leagues: Premier League in England, Serie A in Italy, La Liga in
Spain, Bundesliga in Germany, Ligue 1 in France. They are called The Big Five. By the end of
the competition, the top four teams in each league qualify for The Champions League. Besides
these leagues there are other competitions in each of the countries named before.
The purpose of this research is to improve people’s culture about an important part of this
beautiful country, The Great Britain. I chose this theme because it defines me. I have loved this
football club for as long as I can remember and I will never stop loving it. Talking about
Liverpool FC seems to me like the easiest thing I could ever do, because they fill up to 90% of
my brain, my heart and my time. I have loved this club since before I was even born. In 2005
Liverpool FC faced AC Milan in The Champions League final a month before my birth. My
father told me about that day and how he watched the football match with his father. He told me
he did not expect that comeback and that it was amazing. He was so happy that day and after the
match he declared his support for this club. When I was five years old he bought me my first
Liverpool Kit with the name Torres on its back and the iconic number 9. I have loved and
supported them ever since, even if they had bad moments because that’s what a true fan does.
The internet is one of the sources of information in this research, to which is added my own
contribution, with information from my general culture, but also from specialized books and a
documentary.
The paper is divided into two big chapters. The first chapter includes information about the
history of the club. The second chapter will give us more information about the team itself: the
players, the managers and the honours they have collected over the years.
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Chapter I
The history of the club
This chapter is dedicated to the study of the history of the club. The history of Liverpool F.C. ,
like the history of every other sports club in the world is very important because it shows us that
everyone worked very hard to accomplish a certain result.
The purpose of this chapter is to familiarize us with this football club and to make us understand,
with certain details, why there are so many people that love this club with their whole heart.
This chapter is organised in three sections. The first one teaches us about the founding of
Liverpool Football Club. The second subchapter is entirely dedicated to the colours and badges
of the club. The third one presents The Anfield Stadium, one of the best stadiums in the world.
1.1 The founding of Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club
competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Liverpool F.C. was founded
following a dispute between the Everton committee and John Houlding, club president and
owner of the land at Anfield. After eight years at the stadium, Everton relocated to Goodison
Park in 1892 and Houlding founded Liverpool F.C. to play at Anfield. Originally named
"Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd" , the club became Liverpool F.C. in March 1892 and
gained official recognition three months later, after The Football Association refused to
recognise the club as Everton.
Liverpool played their first match on 1 September 1892, a pre-season friendly match against
Rotherham Town, which they won 7–1. The team Liverpool fielded against, Rotherham, was
composed entirely of Scottish players—the players who came from Scotland to play in England
in those days were known as the Scotch Professors. Manager John McKenna had recruited the
players after a scouting trip to Scotland—so they became known as the "team of Macs". The
team won the Lancashire League in its debut season and joined the Football League Second
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Division at the start of the 1893–94 season. After the club was promoted to the First Division in
1896, Tom Watson was appointed manager. He led Liverpool to its first league title in 1901,
before winning it again in 1906. Bill Shankly was appointed as manager in 1959. Shankly's
arrival laid the foundations for the club's success in the 1970s and 80s domestically and in
European competition, as the club won numerous League Championships and four European
Cups.
1.2 Colours and badges
For much of Liverpool's history, its home colours have been all red. When the club was founded,
blue and white quartered shirts were used until the club adopted the city's colour of red in 1896.
The city's symbol of the liver bird was
adopted as the club's badge in 1901,
although it was not incorporated into
the kit until 1955. Liverpool
continued to wear red shirts and white
shorts until 1964 when manager Bill
Shankly decided to change to an all-
red strip.
The Liverpool away strip has more
often than not been all yellow or
white shirts and black shorts, but
there have been several exceptions.
An all grey kit was introduced in
1987, which was used until the 1991–
92 centenary season when it was
replaced by a combination of green shirts and white shorts. After various colour combinations in
the 1990s, including gold and navy, bright yellow, black and grey, and ecru, the club alternated
between yellow and white away kits until the 2008–09 season, when it re-introduced the grey kit.
A third kit is designed for European away matches, though it is also worn in domestic away
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matches on occasions when the current away kit clashes with a team's home kit. Between 2012
and 2015, the kits were designed by Warrior Sports, who became the club's kit providers at the
start of the 2012–13 season. In February 2015, Warrior's parent company New Balance
announced it would be entering the global football market, with teams sponsored by Warrior
now being outfitted by New Balance. Nike became the club's official kit supplier at the start of
the 2020–21 season.
The Liverpool badge is based on the city's
liver bird symbol, which in the past had
been placed inside a shield. In 1977, a red
liver bird standing on a football (blazoned
as "Statant upon a football a Liver Bird
wings elevated and addorsed holding in
the beak a piece of seaweed gules") was
granted as a heraldic badge by the College of Arms to the English Football League intended for
use by Liverpool. However, Liverpool never made use of this badge. In 1992, to commemorate
the centennial of the club, a new badge was commissioned, including a representation of the
Shankly Gates. The next year twin flames were added at either side, symbolic of the
Hillsborough memorial outside Anfield, where an eternal flame burns in memory of those who
died in the Hillsborough disaster. In 2012, Warrior Sports'
first Liverpool kit removed the shield and gates, returning
the badge to what had adorned Liverpool shirts in the 1970s.
The flames were moved to the back collar of the shirt,
surrounding the number 97 for the number of people who
died at Hillsborough.
1.3 The Anfield Stadium
Anfield was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park. Situated 2 miles (3 km) from
Liverpool city centre, it was originally used by Everton before the club moved to Goodison Park
after a dispute over rent with Anfield owner John Houlding. Left with an empty ground,
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Houlding founded Liverpool in 1892 and the
club has played at Anfield ever since. The
capacity of the stadium at the time was
20,000, although only 100 spectators
attended Liverpool's first match at Anfield.
The Kop was built in 1906 due to the high
turnout for matches and was called the
Oakfield Road Embankment initially. Its first game was on 1 September 1906 when the home
side beat Stoke City 1–0. In 1906 the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally
renamed the Spion Kop after a hill in KwaZulu-Natal. The hill was the site of the Battle of Spion
Kop in the Second Boer War,
where over 300 men of the
Lancashire Regiment died,
many of them from
Liverpool. At its peak, the
stand could hold 28,000
spectators and was one of the
largest single-tier stands in
the world. Many stadiums in
England had stands named
after Spion Kop, but
Anfield's was the largest of them at the time. It could hold more supporters than some entire
football grounds. Anfield could accommodate more than 60,000 supporters at its peak and had a
capacity of 55,000 until the 1990s, when, following recommendations from the Taylor Report,
all clubs in the Premier League were obliged to convert to all-seater stadiums in time for the
1993–94 season, reducing its capacity to 45,276. The findings of the report precipitated the
redevelopment of the Kemlyn Road Stand, which was rebuilt in 1992, coinciding with the
centenary of the club, and was known as the Centenary Stand until 2017 when it was renamed
the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand. An extra tier was added to the Anfield Road end in 1998, which
further increased the capacity of the ground but gave rise to problems when it was opened.
Chapter II
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We are Liverpool F.C.
This chapter introduces us to the team itself. In this chapter we will get to know the players, the
managers and the many honours that this club has collected through the years.
The purpose of this chapter is to allow us to understand the purpose of team work and the
wonders eleven players can do on the pitch in 90 minutes. Even though I love every chapter, I
prefer this one because it is about the people. The people who represent this team and would do
anything for it.
This chapter is divided into three sections: memorable players, managers and honours.
2.1 Memorable players
I believe that all the players from all the seasons since the founding of the club are special in
their own way and each player takes his position seriously in every match. That is the thing that
matters the most in a team, as well as communication and balance between the players and the
manager. In this subchapter I will describe a few of my favourite players that I think have done
memorable things during their contracts at this club. It is very hard to limit my choices to a few
players, but that does not matter that I do not love and appreciate the other players. Furthermore,
I am inspired everyday by what this team can do and I get my motivation from it.
The players will be sorted by their position on the pitch: goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and
forward.
GOALKEEPERS:
Alisson Becker has cemented his position as one of
world football's most formidable goalkeepers since
joining Liverpool FC in 2018. He arrived at Anfield
from AS Roma and was integral to the Champions
League and Premier League triumphs in 2019 and
2020 respectively. The Brazilian enjoyed an
incredible first season on Merseyside after becoming an immediate starter for Jürgen Klopp's
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side, initially wearing the No.13 shirt. He scored a spectacular last-minute winning goal for
Liverpool in the 2020/2021 season. Alisson played every minute of the Reds' domestic campaign
and made history when he became the club's first goalkeeper to win the Premier League Golden
Glove award in more than a decade after recording 21 clean sheets en route to a second-placed
finish with 97 points.
Ray Clemence joined Liverpool in 1967 and went on to become an Anfield legend. He was a
key figure in the team during the 1970s and early 1980s, helping
Liverpool win numerous league titles and European trophies.
Clemence was known for his outstanding positioning, reflexes,
and shot-stopping ability. The iconic goalkeeper made an
astonishing 650 plus appearances, winning multiple awards for
his dedication and commitment to Liverpool FC. His remarkable
consistency and calm demeanor made him a beloved figure
amongst Liverpool fans. Clemence's legacy at Anfield is
undeniable, and he stands as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Liverpool's history.
DEFENDERS:
Jamie Carragher started his career at the Liverpool
Academy, making his professional debut in the
1996–97 season, and becoming a first team regular
the following season. Having initially played as a
full-back, the arrival of manager Rafael Benítez in
2004 saw Carragher move to become a centre-back,
where he found his best form. His honours with
Liverpool total two FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, one Champions
League, one UEFA Cup, and two Super Cups.
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Virgil van Dijk has established himself as one of the
finest defenders in world football since joining
Liverpool FC in January 2018 and is now club captain
and captain to The Netherlands National Team. The
powerful Netherlands international, who combines a
graceful reading of the game with a dominant physical
skillset, has helped the Reds lift every major trophy
available to date . He played every single minute of the
2019-20 Premier League campaign as Liverpool gloriously and emphatically ended their wait for
the title with a club-record 99 points. A constantly imposing presence in the backline, Van Dijk
also weighed in with five goals, including a vital double against Brighton & Hove Albion and the
opener past Manchester United at Anfield. The historic season also saw the UEFA Super Cup
and FIFA Club World Cup added to the trophy cabinet – the latter for the first time.
MIDFIELDERS:
Steven Gerrard was born in Merseyside and
played for Liverpool from 1998 to 2015, winning
nine trophies. Gerrard made his first-team debut
for Liverpool on the 29th of November 1998 as a
late substitute in a Premier League match against
Blackburn Rovers. During a six-minute stretch in
the second half of the 2005 Champions League
final against AC Milan, Liverpool came back
from a three-goal deficit to tie the match at 3–3 after extra time, with Gerrard scoring one of the
goals, a header from a John Arne Riise cross. Dubbed the Miracle of Istanbul, the match is
widely regarded as one of the greatest finals in the competition's history, and Gerrard was lauded
as the catalyst for the second half comeback. Gerrard was named the Man of the Match, and later
received the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award.
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James Milner joined Liverpool on a free transfer
from Manchester City in august 2015, immediately
becoming vice-captain. Milner played his first
competitive match for the club in 1–0 win over Stoke
City at the Britannia Stadium. He captained Liverpool
for the first time on his third appearance for the club,
a 0–0 draw at Arsenal. On the 26th of September
2015, he scored his debut goal for Liverpool in a 3–2
win against his former club Aston Villa at Anfield. He appeared in the 2016 UEFA Europa
League final at the end of his first season with the club. Milner ended his first season with
Liverpool scoring seven goals and recording 15 assists in all competitions. On the 4th of April
2023, in a 0–0 draw against Chelsea, Milner marked his 610th Premier League appearance,
which moved him up to third place in all-time Premier League's appearance charts.
FORWARDS:
Fernando Torres was named the Premier League Player of the Month for February 2008, during
which he scored four goals in four appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on
the 23rd of February 2008. This hat-trick and
another in a 4–0 victory over West Ham United on
the 5th of March 2008 meant he became the first
Liverpool player since Jack Balmer in November
1946 to score a hat-trick in successive home
matches. On the 4th May 2008, Torres scored a
57th-minute winner against Manchester City,
which equalled the consecutive Anfield league
goal record of eight games set by Roger Hunt. After scoring his 24th league goal in the final
game of the season, a 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur, he set a new record for the most
prolific foreign goal scorer in a debut season in England, eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy's 23
goals.
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Mohammed Salah joined the club on the 1st of July 2017 upon the opening of the summer
transfer window, becoming Liverpool's first Egyptian player. He scored on his Premier League
debut against Watford in a 3–3 away draw on the 12th of August. On the 19th of October 2021,
Salah became the first player in Liverpool history to score in nine consecutive games with two
goals in a 3–2 win away to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. His second goal, his 31st
in the Champions League, saw him become Liverpool's record goalscorer in the competition,
surpassing the 30 goals scored by Steven Gerrard. In his next game on the 24th of October Salah
continued breaking records
with a hat-trick against
Liverpool's arch rivals
Manchester United in a 5–0
away victory. In scoring three
goals Salah became the highest
scoring African player in
Premier League history
(surpassing the 104 goals
scored by Didier Drogba), and the first Liverpool player to score in ten consecutive games as
well as the first Liverpool player to score at Old Trafford three games in a row. On the 26th of
October, Salah scored the last goal in a 5–1 victory against Toulouse to become the highest-
scoring Premier League player in European competitions, overtaking Thierry Henry. On the 9th
of December, Salah scored his 200th goal for Liverpool in a 2–1 win away to Crystal Palace in
the Premier League to become the fifth player at the club to reach the landmark, following Ian
Rush, Roger Hunt, Gordon Hodgson and Billy Liddell.
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2.2 Managers
William Shankly was a Scottish football player
and manager who is best known for his time as
manager of Liverpool, between 1959 and 1974.
Shankly brought success to Liverpool, gaining
promotion to the First Division and winning
three League Championships and the UEFA
Cup. He laid the foundations on which his
successors Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan were
able to build by winning seven league titles and
four European Cups in the ten seasons after Shankly retired in 1974. A
charismatic, iconic figure at the club, his oratory stirred the emotions
of the fanbase. In 2019, 60 years after Shankly arrived at Liverpool,
Tony Evans of The Independent wrote, "Shankly created the idea of
Liverpool, transforming the football club by emphasising the
importance of the Kop and making supporters feel like participants".
The "THIS IS ANFIELD" sign in the players’ tunnel was installed by
Shankly in 1972 to instil fear into the opposition.
Rafa Benitez On the 16th of June 2004, he was appointed manager of Liverpool, replacing
Gérard Houllier, becoming the first Spanish manager in the Premier League. On his arrival he
stated: "It is like a dream to be here. I am
very, very proud to be joining one of the most
important clubs in the world in one of the best
leagues in the world - and I want to win.".In a
classic final, dubbed the Miracle of Istanbul,
Liverpool came from 3–0 down at half time to
level the score at 3–3 in the space of just six
minutes, eventually triumphing 3–2 on
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penalties with the assistance of goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. Benítez's calm, methodical approach at
half time was said to give the players the belief they could pull off an improbable comeback, and
win Liverpool an historic fifth European Cup. In doing so, Benítez became only the third
manager in history (after Bob Paisley and José Mourinho) to win the UEFA Cup and UEFA
Champions League in successive seasons, and the second Liverpool manager ever to win the
UEFA Champions League/European Cup in his first season in charge. Benítez's tactics were
credited as a key factor in Liverpool reaching, and winning, the final, despite a relatively
unimpressive squad of players.
Jürgen Klopp became the manger of
Liverpool F.C. on the 8th of October 2015
after five seasons at Borussia Dortmund in
Germany. When he came to Liverpool
things started to get better, but not right
away. They needed time to improve the
team and to get back up, among the other
big clubs.
Klopp's debut was a 0–0 away draw with Tottenham
Hotspur. Klopp secured his first win as Liverpool
manager against AFC Bournemouth in the League Cup
to proceed to the quarter-finals. His first Premier League
win came three days later, a 3–1 away victory against
Chelsea. After three 1–1 draws in the opening matches
of the UEFA Europa League, Liverpool defeated Rubin
Kazan 1–0. The team has finished fourth in the 2017–18
Premier League, securing qualification for the
Champions League for a second consecutive season.
Along with the emergence of Andrew Robertson and
Trent Alexander-Arnold as regular starters at fullback,
Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren built a strong partnership at the heart of Liverpool's defense,
with the Dutchman being credited for improving Liverpool's previous defensive issues. Klopp
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guided Liverpool to their first Champions League final since 2007 in
2018 after a 5–1 aggregate quarter-final win against eventual Premier
League champions, Manchester City and a 7–6 aggregate win over Roma
in the semi-final.
Liverpool started the 2018–19 season with the best league start in the
club's history, winning their first six matches. On 2 December 2018,
Klopp was charged with misconduct after running onto the pitch during
the Merseyside derby to celebrate Divock Origi's 96th minute winning
goal with goalkeeper Alisson. After suffering a 3–0 defeat at the
Barcelona Stadium Camp Nou, Klopp reportedly asked his players to
"just try" or "fail in the most beautiful way" in the second leg of the tie at
Anfield. In the second leg, Klopp's side overturned the deficit with a 4–0 win, advancing to the
final 4–3 on aggregate, despite Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino being absent with injuries,
in what was described as one of the
greatest comebacks in Champions
League history. In the final at the
Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid
against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool
won 2–0 with goals from Salah and
Divock Origi, despite only having
39% possession over the course of the game, giving Klopp his first trophy with Liverpool, his
first Champions League title, and the club's sixth European Cup/Champions League title overall.
His love and passion for this club is unmatched. The connection he has with all the players is
incredible and I see him as a role model for me because he is very motivated and he gives me the
encouragement simply by being him. He is dedicated to everything he does and you can tell that
just from the pictures. He is adored and appreciated by millions of fans in this world.
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2.3 Honours
On 30 July 2022, Liverpool opened
the 2022–23 season by winning the
2022 FA Community Shield with a
3–1 win over Manchester City, in
what was Klopp's first FA
Community Shield. On 27 August,
Klopp led Liverpool to a 9–0 win
over Bournemouth, which was the
joint-largest win in the history of
the Premier League. On 12 October, Klopp led Liverpool to a 7–1 away victory over Rangers in
the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, with Mohamed Salah breaking Bafétimbi Gomis' record
for the fastest Champions League hat-trick of all time. On 5 March 2023, Liverpool recorded
their biggest competitive win against Manchester United with an 7–0 victory at Anfield. This
surpassed Liverpool's previous record set in October 1895, a 7–1 victory in the Second Division.
On the 21st of May 2023, addressing the reality of being in the Europa League next season,
Klopp stated that Liverpool would "make [the Europa League] our competition".
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Conclusion
The theme of this paper has been „Liverpool Football Club”. I chose this because I could talk
about it for hours and never get bored of it. I do not think many people share this feeling but that
does not matter. I know how I feel about this club and no one in the world can make me change
my mind. This club’s song is called „You’ll never walk alone”. I think everyone should listen to
it whether they like football or not. It is a life lesson and it represents my lighthouse when I am
lost through a storm.
The aims of my research were to delve into this part of British culture, an important part,
exposing aspects from different categories.
In the first chapter, with three sections, we shown some aspects about the history of Liverpool
Football Club. The second chapter contained three sections and introduced us to the beautiful
word „team” and what this club really means. I presented players from every position on the
field, managers and last but not least, the honours collected in time.
I chose this theme out of all the possible topics out there because i wanted to show my favourite
thing in the entire world. I wrote this paper with a lot of emotion because I love this club with all
my heart. I love the players, past and present, I love the managers and I love the values they
promote.
We concluded that Liverpool Football Club is a very important part of British culture through
which many people have made a name for themselves, being then spread all over the world or
retiring being known as „Liverpool FC legends”.
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Bibliography
Honingstein, Raphael, Klopp, Victoria Books
Hughes, Simon, Allez, Allez, Allez- The story of the 2019 champion Liverpool FC, Victoria
Books
Baldursson, Arnie, Magnusson, Gudmundur, The Liverpool Encyclopedia, deCoubertin Books
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_F.C.
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/
Documentary The End of the Storm (2020)
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