You and Liverpool...Why?

Unlike many of you who are born in the UK and many are local Liverpool lads, as for me I'm thousand of miles  away. My passion for Liverpool FC dated back to the early 70s when I was a very young boy but do not have any particular liking for any team, just an ardent fan of the old 1st Division League. Then came the events where the club won the FA cup against Newcastle and the UEFA Cup against Borussia Monchengladbach and that's where my curiosity about the club starts. So I read things in the magazines that said no one player is bigger than the club, the training sessions were army like, the stamina of each and every player is truly unbelievable that they can outrun the oppostion inside the 90mins and beyond, no one in the team is a star player, players who hit the peak and on the descend will be replaced with an able replacement, scouts got ready replacements, any player found to have lost possession of the ball due to carelessness during play will be fined, no player is indispensable, never say die attitude etc. These are good qualities and beliefs of the club that got me to support LFC to this day.

Funny I only asked me da this a few weeks ago, how did I become a Liverpool fan. He said he got me into them because of the way the club acted on and off the field. In other words as well as being a great football side they were dignified and graceful didn't boast about success and took defeat when it came moved on and came back stronger.

I can remember back to the early 80s watching on tv. The red strip played a part to I think almost as awe inspiring as the team. I suppose it was 86 that I really got going as a red. That's when the Christmas presents were Liverpool footballs or books. The yellow crown paints kit arrived and was lived in for longer then it should have  . But the real moment of no turning back was when I got the official history on video and witnessed what went on before my time. Even at a young age I knew I was into something very very special.

Strangely my love for the club became greater in the barren early 90s. Schoolmates uncles and so on slagging my club. Nah wasn't having that that's when pride kicks in and that's when you know its more then football to you now.

I was never lucky enough as a kid/teen to visit Liverpool or Anfield so every visit now is cherished. Funny how what started out as football now has me hooked on the city of Liverpool as well. Without LFC I might never have visited Liverpool. I cant imagine having the same buzz or pride I feel for Lfc if I supported anyone else. I know I wouldn't love any other city like I do Liverpool.  Its the perfect match for me. Thanks da 

Sorry for the waffle 

great thread this dls.

i originate from glasgow and as u know is another great city for football, rangers were my first club but being so young never really undrstood anything about the sectarian issues which continue to this day sadly, i was taking to ibrox from the age of 8 and by the time i was 15 was going on my own, every week tho wasa battle as you would run into celtic fans either going to a match or when we played each other, one day at school my friend and i were discussing how pissed off e were at having to go to a football match and how we had to endure all the violence, so we suggested supporting another team, we could'nt agree on a scottish side to go for so we put all the teams from the english 1st division into a bowl and i drew out liverpool(how lucky was i)my  mate drew out spurs, hahahaha, that was 1976, and well just fell in love , the amount of stick i used to get was mad, even to the point of school fights, i never knew any one from livrpool, i did'nt even knew scousers spoke as funny as i did, but what i did know was i felt priviledged and honoured to support lfc, 77 brought another european cup, we lost kk but we gained the king, and jockey, the golden era was just beginning, it was for me at least, 6 yrs later i moved to worcester england, used to do a bit in the building trade and was on thise site met this guy who 's dad ran the worcester lfc supporters club, now don't normally believe in fate but there has to something about how it all came about, sadly i have 'nt been to anfield since 90 like all lfc fans i belong to a family, a family that looks after there own, another reason why i'm proud to be a red. that is my story sorry its so long.

ynwa justice for the 96 irwt

born in Liverpool, Dad was a red, uncle was a blue... had no real interest until the 1986 Cup Final (I was five), when I watched it on telly with both of them.

Lineker scored, I cheered. Liverpool scored three, I kept cheering. Liverpool won THANK F**k, so I thought I would support them.

Not a bad decision.

I started watching liverpool when I was young and I fell in love with the club simple as that. No one in my family really liked football when I was young

Wow Michael Owen sure did turn alot of people into Kopites

My Great Gran got me supporting Liverpool...even in her 80's she was diehard, roaring at the TV when the reds were on.  My first real memory of Liverpool was at her house watching the 95 League Cup final.  I was very young and my family used to joke about what team I'd support.  My Dad was Leeds, Mum was Spurs and Granda was United and they all thought I'd support the team that they did.  But I remember sitting with my Gran and Liverpool scored and she scared the bejesus out of me when she roared...of course we won 2-1 and from her jubilation I decided Liverpool were the team for me.

I remember filling in my wall charts from the Match magazines on my bedroom wall every year never missing a result or goalscorer.  And I remember the heartache of the 96 FA cup final when Cantona scored for United near the end.  I was at my Grandas having a bbq and he was a right dick about it all, thus started my hate for Man United. 

My first match at Anfield was against Leeds in 98 I think and we lost.  I was totally devastated   Luckily that was the only match I've been to that we got beat but that was the best experience of my life being at Anfield for the first time.  I was still young at the time but I tried to sing the songs, I held my scarf aloft like everyone else and I knew I had joined something special

My Great Gran died just a few weeks before I turned 11, and on my birthday I got a big letter through the door.  Being young and excited to get post for the first time I ripped open the envelope to find a subscription to the Liverpool Supporter's Club...her present for my birthday that she had organised before she died.  Needless to say, that just strengthened my bond with LFC and I thank her everyday for that.  YNWA Gran

Think I've told this story before in another thread but its worth recalling it again.  Well for me anyway

Think I've told this story before in another thread but its worth recalling it again.  Well for me anyway

Was worth it, i enjoyed reading it. What a great grandmother
Loving this thread, i enjoyed telling my story earlier and am loving the others, makes you proud to be a red with so many other passionate stories.

YNWA

A bit strange really, as all my uncles and cousins were blues. Me Grandad was a red all his life and had 4 girls who wern't really into the footy. (One obviously being my mum.)  When I was living in Hanbury Road L4, he took me to games as soon as poss. 4years old the first, in the Annie Road End when it was corrugated tin on a wooden frame, (easy to climb on for a better view) From there it continued, a passion born. That was in 1956, now I have 3 boys, aged 30,  13 and 11. All devout reds, not forced just educated. Me Grandad died in 1985 and left me lots of knowledge and memories, but the greatest gift he gave me was that love for Liverpool F.C.

I loved watching footy from about 10yrs old when I was allowed to stay up for MOTD although my earliest memories were mainly Leeds and Chelsea (early 70's FA cup finals). 

My first ever live match was at North End, Preston v Notts Forest, with my Dad and his mate 1973/74 when footy was played for the first time on a Sunday due to the 3 day week.  I then started going to OT fairly regularly 74/75 the season they were relegated with a friend of the family.  I enjoyed it cos it was footy but was never passionate.  I hated the way everyone knocked Liverpool at the time not for the footy but the politics and bias against the City and the people. 

My first and only game seen at Anfield was an FA Cup replay, Preston v Crewe, in the days when a neutral ground was used after the replay was drawn, no penalty shoot out in those days.  Not sure what stand it was we were in but the Kop was to our left and it was nearly full of Liverpool fans singing all the songs of the day.

That was when I fell in love with Liverpool Football Club and everything it stands for.  The fact that the fans would go to the ground even though their team weren't playing to let everyone know where they were, ANFIELD!!  Can't explain it, it just felt like home, like I'd found the missing link.

I've only ever watched us at other grounds, mainly Sheff Wed and United, but one day I will get to Anfield and sing my heart out like I do when we are on the tv, I've just got to persuade somebody to go with me (they're all scared I will show them up singing and shouting) then actually get a ticket.   

Wow, Michael Owen really had a huge impact on all the young ones who watched him in 1998!

Wow, Michael Owen really had a huge impact on all the young ones who watched him in 1998!

Indeed. I think every young lad, me included just saw him as a hero.

Steven Gerrard however, well, he's just a God.

Much of my mum's family is from the north west. When we came back to the UK in the late 60's after a couple of years in Australia when i was 8 i started to get interested in football and i chose Liverpool to reflect my mum's roots. Now I am married with two great boys and the house is well and truly Red. Hopefully I have created a southern dynasty for the Mighty Reds.

With Owen, think it was THAT goal he scored against Argentina...never seen anything like it since

My older brother who is 8 years older was a Liverpool supporter before I started watching football so I think it was just a natural transition to support Liverpool. I only properly started watching football in 1997 when we first got Sky Sports on Cable. . I would only look for Liverpool's result and no one else. I can remember if we lost a game, i would actually be effected by it for the rest of the day. Even today, even if we DRAW, my whole weekend is ruined.

I had all the kits, even the green goalkeeper one that David James wore.

Over the years Ive been to a couple of games with my first being at the almighty Anfield where we played Charlton in May 2004. I remember sitting at the Kop end. Lost 1-0.

Second game was all the way down Southampton in Jan 2005. We lost 2-0. Remember the Crouch goals.

Third game was at the Valley agaisnt Charlton. I remember Darren Bent scoring a penalty in that one. Up until this game every time I have gone to see Liverpool play we have lost and not even scored a goal.

Until I went to the Arsenal game at the Emirates in December 2008. 1-1 with that Robbie Keane goal. Finally my first goal at  Liverpool game. 
Will never forget the Anfield game. One of the best moments of my life.l 

Over the years Ive been to a couple of games with my first being at the almighty Anfield where we played Charlton in May 2004. I remember sitting at the Kop end. Lost 1-0.

Second game was all the way down Southampton in Jan 2005. We lost 2-0. Remember the Crouch goals.

Third game was at the Valley agaisnt Charlton. I remember Darren Bent scoring a penalty in that one. Up until this game every time I have gone to see Liverpool play we have lost and not even scored a goal.

Until I went to the Arsenal game at the Emirates in December 2008. 1-1 with that Robbie Keane goal. Finally my first goal at  Liverpool game. 
Will never forget the Anfield game. One of the best moments of my life.l 

You're barred!

Great thread this.
My storys quite boring compared to some of these .
I'm still pretty young but for as long as i can remember my dad has drilled into me liverpool liverpool liverpool. My dads oringinally from liverpool althougth we're living down south these days , which often gets me branded as a 'glory hunter'. But i can assure you i'm not. I've always supported liverpool, but my love and obsession for them started when i was about ten throughout our magical european campaign. The game against olylmpiakos really had me hooked and Istanbul confirmed how much i really loved the reds. I was in Turkey at the time , although my dad couldn't manage to get us match tickets. I was sitting in a pub with my old man watching the game and i can just remember seeing his face at half time , he looked distraught and then i remember us dancing and singing on the table when the 3rd goal went in. This was the moment when i knew i loved liverpool , the elation on my dads face then has had me fixated with the reds ever since.
 My dad told me all his tales of how he followed liverpool all around england and europe when he could,  and explained all the history. It just made me realise what a truly amazing club this is , other clubs just don't seem to have the same passion for their club. I feel immense pride at being a liverpool fan and i hope that one day i'll have just as many tales to tell as my dad about the mighty mighty reds.

I started watching football when i spent a semester in spain in college (or university as you guys call it) so i was always drawn to spanish teams. first real madrid, because my host family supported them, and Osasuna because I lived two blocks from their stadium, then Valencia for family reasons and Barcelona because of the UNICEF deal. For about three years I had no idea what went on in the EPL except that sometimes one of my spanish teams would play and english team in Champions or UEFA and I always wanted the spanish side to win.

Eventually I got to be friends with a manc fan who had all the satellite football channels, which is a prerequisite to be able to catch games here in the states. We used to waste vast amounts of time watching games from all parts of Europe so I figured i needed an English team to support. I'm a stubborn pain in the ass kind of girl, so i wasn't going to support his team, plus i found fergie pompus and irritating. Conveniently, Liverpool had just hired a spanish fellow named Benitez along with some eye candy known as Xabi and Luis so it was an easy choice; they were the most spanish english team out there. The team actually just grew on me. Obviously, Istanbul was incredible and did a lot for convincing me, but there wasn't any one single thing that drew me, just the team and it's history overall.

I knew for sure it was love when we drew Barcelona in '07 and I wanted Liverpool to win. I'm hooked for sure and, hopefully, i'll be able to make it out for a game before they tear down Anfield.

My story isnt that different - born in bootle where we lived till I was 5 then we moved to somerset. My da is a red and he used to tell me stories of all the greats when i was young. I live in London now so dont get home as often as i should but my cousins dont ever miss a game. I had all the kits and my first game was against arsenal at anfield. I guess I understood from an early age that this is more than just a football club, that ties go much much deeper than prawn sarnies, but that was proved in istanbul. My da and I went and we stood shoulder to shoulder with strangers but we all felt we were with friends. You'll Never Walk Alone always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up but i admit in instanbul it made me cry - with pain cos we were losing 3 - 0 but also with pride because we are Liverpool and we are proud of our club. I have friends who support other clubs and they make me laugh when they switch off the telly cos they are losing. Thats not really supporting the team. I am proud of "my lads" no matter what the score, no matter who the opposition. I feel honoured to be part of the history and so so excited about being part of the future of the rafa-lutiion. I am honoured to be able to watch Stevie, Nando, Jamie and everyone else at the club who knows what the red shirt means to the fans, and know that they feel the same way.

this year - make it a scouse year....and we will show the mancs how to party................

ynwa

You're barred!

What?

What?

Think he's referring to your unlucky streak at matches Kizzie.

For as long i can remember really, i've loved the pool. It was my brother who got me onto us originally and he was allowed name me when i was born. So he went for kenny after the king. And surprisingly he doesn't even like football now.
So i've been carrying the flame for 20 odd years now. And as the good reverand said ' Till death do us part'

Sorry kizzie! I was only joking!

I'm like many. I always have been a Liverpool fan. It's generational in my family. My earliest memories of it taking over my life was in 86 with the FA Cup Final. That whole season really. My first match was in  85 (was it? I did look it up for another thread - beat Watford 3-2 at Anfield - Barnes scored for them, Rush scored 2 for us). But in 85-86 when we did the double I was glued to the radio. When we played the cup game where we were 1-0 down and we got a pen 4 minutes from time. I think Jan Molby took it, and I jumped so high my head hit the ceiling, from standing. I was only 7! That feeling of dread and how long the last 15 minutes of a game can be when the result is against you and then you pull something magical out of the hat and suddenly you're jumping for joy! Well, Liverpool Football Club did that then and have been doing so ever since. I got a season ticket after we did the double, went to Wembley in 88 (b***ard Wimbledon) and went in 89 aswell - though I remember it more for Rush's goals than the poignancy of it all. Then Arsenal beat us 2-1 at Anfield for the title and I was behind the goal where the b***ard scored. Ever since there's been plenty of ups and downs. Gutted I never kept my season ticket on when I was about 13 and my Dad has lost the desire to go to every home game. Through the bad times there are still highlights. My last time I ever stood on the old Kop was when we played Bristol City in the cup and they had those f***in luminous green shorts on and they beat us 1-0, but at least I was standing on The Kop with a bar behind me! And my Dad said he wasn't coming then ran two miles to catch me up.

One of my funniest memories about being in the Annie Road and I think we were playing Coventry or Sheffield Wednesday or someone or other. Late 80's. I think it was early kick-off because of the Grand National and it was strange to be going the game at lunchtime. Anyway, we battered them, but it was so foggy The people in The Kop were singing 'Annie Road, what's the score?' And we were singing back and there was some great proper old school banter, when The Kop didn't need to be able to even see the game but would sing anyway! I think we won 5-0.

But we won 5-0 practically every week then!

my father wasn't into football so it was a mate who got me to watch liverpool on the tv. a few weeks later the hillsborough disaster happened and everyone was talking about them. I remember watching the final game vs arsenal and feeling devastated even though I knew little about professional football, but even at the age of 10 I could feel there was magic and soul about the club and could see a great side at the time. my mate was just a glory hunter and ended up supporting another team once souness made his mark.