The Kop 20 years on

20 years to the day that the most famous terrace in world football seen its last game, a 1 nil loss to Norwich. Only days after that game it would be torn down and replaced by the all seated Kop we know, and still love, today

I was never honoured to stand on the Kop. But for the 20th anniversary Id love to read the stories and memories of those who di stand there or maybe pass on a dad or granddads story and pictures.

Awesome sight

I was at that game, great weather, sh*t result.

I could not believe it when I went to the ticket office and just bought 2 tickets for the Main Stand.

I have some 'photos so I will try and scan them and then post them here.

I was on the Kop that day with my 6 yr old son we'd travelled from South Yorkshire and twenty minutes in he said 'Dad I've got toothache can we go home' been the loyal man I am I said 'It'll be okay in a minute' I wasn't going anywhere ! not on the Kop's last stand !
I've been for previous more illustrious nights but the last stand was just that,THE LAST MATCH ON THE STANDING KOP I wasn't going to miss it for the world!

I was never honoured to stand on the Kop. But for the 20th anniversary Id love to read the stories and memories of those who di stand there or maybe pass on a dad or granddads story and pictures.

I was Brian.
I was privileged and of course the scary thing is quick the years have rocketed.

Much I have said before  but there was something very special coming into the right of the Kop .....climbing the steps whilst mesmerised by the green velvet surface of the pitch.
We all used to get there for 1 - 1.30 so we could get our spec aquarter of the way up right behind the goal.

We'd congregate round and lean with our backs to the crash barriers and kill time with a few jokes.
Some other lads would arrive. We'd acknowledge them and they us with the knowing " we know who we are and we know why we are here".

The ground would fill up and by Kick Off we would have 23,000 of us out of a 54,000 ground capacity sardined together.

We couldn't move an inch.... only when the wave of the crowd lifted and moved us where it wanted to take us.
Down we would all tumble and then scurry back up the steps, sometimes ducking under the barriers. Never did we end a match standing where we started.

Ciggies.
That was a ritual.
Ciggies had to be in a hard pack into a shirt left breast pocket so you could manoevure to get one out with your right hand .... your arms were squashed to your sides.
The lighter had to be in a top pocket as well

Girls.
Always questionable between the true fans and the girls who just enjoyed being in a baying pack of males crushed together.
There were often "accidental" fumbles that would put you away today.
Who knows who enjoyed that the most.

One time it was cold.
Very cold and there was less on the Kop than normal.
There had been a Liverpool Echo seller outside the Kop who came up the stairs with a bag full of newspapers. We had a warming bonfire.

Eee Aye Adio./ Mighty Emlyn./ The latest chart songs and all the others
We would just burst into spontaneous song.
It just happened.
It was natural. We never realised that one day standing there crushed together as one mass of waves of fanatical support it would be no more.

Shankly.
Walking in front of the Kop arms raised.
We saluted him and he saluted us. Never did we know then that the legacy left to Bob and those to follow would be so powerful.

We were in the presence of deity.

I am so proud to have been a Kopite.
I have so many memories of standing there with my Prescot and Huyton mates I could be rambling on till next week.
So many players who came and went and who are part of our glorious history.
We salute them.

As they say about history  ... " I was there " and I am so proud of that.

I was lucky enough to be stood there that day. Was taken over as birthday present by big brother. Flew in Sat morning dumped our bags in the adelphi and straight out around 11bells. Few scoops in the beehive and up to the ground. A couple more around the ground,remember there was a fight outside the barbers shop for some reason(nothing to do with the match) or us. Once we all(9 of us went over)got on the 'kop it was buzzing.All crammed together for.about 5minutes then that was it. I remember being stood in the middle to start with then went from one side to the next and back again and again. I lost a shoe in all the tooing&froing but found it about 2 hours after the game asit emed out(still have it at home in a box with the programme&the matchday ticket. Best day of my young life. Great goal by Goss to win it but i dont think one person gave a sh*te. Sorry for.the long speal but that was a day that some will never understand unless you where stood there. YNWA.

I was Brian.
I was privileged and of course the scary thing is quick the years have rocketed.

Much I have said before  but there was something very special coming into the right of the Kop .....climbing the steps whilst mesmerised by the green velvet surface of the pitch.
We all used to get there for 1 - 1.30 so we could get our spec aquarter of the way up right behind the goal.

We'd congregate round and lean with our backs to the crash barriers and kill time with a few jokes.
Some other lads would arrive. We'd acknowledge them and they us with the knowing " we know who we are and we know why we are here".

The ground would fill up and by Kick Off we would have 23,000 of us out of a 54,000 ground capacity sardined together.

We couldn't move an inch.... only when the wave of the crowd lifted and moved us where it wanted to take us.
Down we would all tumble and then scurry back up the steps, sometimes ducking under the barriers. Never did we end a match standing where we started.

Ciggies.
That was a ritual.
Ciggies had to be in a hard pack into a shirt left breast pocket so you could manoevure to get one out with your right hand .... your arms were squashed to your sides.
The lighter had to be in a top pocket as well

Girls.
Always questionable between the true fans and the girls who just enjoyed being in a baying pack of males crushed together.
There were often "accidental" fumbles that would put you away today.
Who knows who enjoyed that the most.

One time it was cold.
Very cold and there was less on the Kop than normal.
There had been a Liverpool Echo seller outside the Kop who came up the stairs with a bag full of newspapers. We had a warming bonfire.

Eee Aye Adio./ Mighty Emlyn./ The latest chart songs and all the others
We would just burst into spontaneous song.
It just happened.
It was natural. We never realised that one day standing there crushed together as one mass of waves of fanatical support it would be no more.

Shankly.
Walking in front of the Kop arms raised.
We saluted him and he saluted us. Never did we know then that the legacy left to Bob and those to follow would be so powerful.

We were in the presence of deity.

I am so proud to have been a Kopite.
I have so many memories of standing there with my Prescot and Huyton mates I could be rambling on till next week.
So many players who came and went and who are part of our glorious history.
We salute them.

As they say about history  ... " I was there " and I am so proud of that.

Thank you Skip for refreshing the memories which I have many of going back to the early 1950s.I recall one time being on the KOP for a Cup Tie I think it was a replay against Burnley in the 1960s. My Dad was with me and he was a sick man, we got in our usual place about 15/20 rows back from the KOP goal. My Dad could not get his breath so the only  alternative was to climb the Kop steps to the top and I will never forget the help we got from the REDS on the KOP as packed as it was. The Kop were always  ready to help a fellow RED in times of adversity as we witnessed plenty of times when people were passed head over head down to the St Johns first aiders for treatment. We were the lucky ones Skip to have been part of a fantastic standing KOP.

Great memory's of standing on the Kop. The one funny memory for me was the way the Kop swayed, especially if you stood in the middle of it! I was at the European cup semi final v Panathenikos (1985) and as the crowd started to push forward and sway someone caught the back of my heel and took my shoe off. I was propelled forward and never saw my shoe again! I had to walk to the bus stop with only one shoe on my foot and get on the bus... After that I got to the games very early and try and get on that ledge above the main walkway in the middle as you could sit there.

I used to get in line with the 18yard box near the main stand and about 20 steps up in front of the barrier. Getting in early was a must and queuing would start anything from an hour or more before the gates opened. watching the players arrive and walk around the ground listening to Queen ,Dire Straits and  Elton John it all seems like yesterday. It was a progression and a rite of passage to get into the Kop. 1st boys pen then the paddock then the Anfield road and finally the Kop. No social media in them days it was all discussed daily at School or later at work and of course most conversations at home included the coming games. I have to say I never ever felt scared or in danger when on the Kop and I think I mist have been 14 or so when I started going in their regularly. Fantastic days and memories that you can take to the grave but I have to say what is happening now with this team and this manager is very very reminiscent of the very best days at Anfield

I thought this thread would of attracted more attention than it has, surely there are a lot more posters on LFCREDS who experienced that fantastic  Kop. There must be more than 7 of us with memories of rolled up Echo's and the camaraderie that only existed on our beloved Kop. I for one will always cherish the fantastic REDS who I stood alongside on that famous Kop.

I thought this thread would of attracted more attention than it has, surely there are a lot more posters on LFCREDS who experienced that fantastic  Kop. There must be more than 7 of us with memories of rolled up Echo's and the camaraderie that only existed on our beloved Kop. I for one will always cherish the fantastic REDS who I stood alongside on that famous Kop.

probably all too young Billy but its their loss isn't it. 25000 Kopites singing its not a bad memory to have is it.Gary Sprake Carless hands Gordon west picking up money and putting it into a handbag fantastic stuff and the football 2-0 halftime not a problem if we were kicking into the KOP.

probably all too young Billy but its their loss isn't it. 25000 Kopites singing its not a bad memory to have is it.Gary Sprake Carless hands Gordon west picking up money and putting it into a handbag fantastic stuff and the football 2-0 halftime not a problem if we were kicking into the KOP.

I well remember  Gary Sprake throwing the ball into his own goal (Leeds had a good team in those days) and Gordon West and the handbags. A memory that really sticks in my mind is Chelsea beating us 2-0 at half time, we came out for the second half and  Willie Stevenson (I Think) got a goal back for us. We went on to win 5-2 so the lads must of got a good talking to by Bill Shankly. Talk about Willie Stevenson he was pure class.

Me shoe came off bouncing up and down singing in the middle of one game, or should I say platform stack , ha ha..watched it being thrown around in the air for most of the game and found it a few steps back after everyone had emptied out at the end....
My most cherished game memories have to be the 5-0 battering of CSKA Sofia in the semi final of the European Cup when Souness scored a hat trick.
Kenny's first goal at the Kop end against Newcastle on his home debut (I think?)
You'd be stood right next to your mate only to see him being carried 20 yards away in the surge and then next thing he'd be back alongside you..Mental !!
The guy with the tray of sweets who would chuck em into the Kop at half time..remember him?..
I can remember the ball dissapearing into the Kop never to be returned on a few occasions as well.. ha ha..
Good times..

Only 16,500 standing, I think, by the time I was going on the Kop, best memory probably would be the 3-3 game against the mancs, the flares as well! Celebrations for Ruddock's equaliser were superb, even losing JD off here for a minute or two in the impending celebrations.

The year before remember a load of mancs getting leathered in the same fixture at the front of the Kop after some of them had tried to infiltrate our stand. They were dragged out under a hail of two pences to stop them getting battered even further. Still feel sorry for the scouse lad who was hit with a coin and turned round telling the Kop he was scouse, cue the chants of "let him go."

Funny times!