Our chairman recently got interviewed by an Indian national newspaper, and was asked about his views on number 19!!
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Newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool travel to Etihad Stadium on Thursday night to take on second in the table Manchester City, title-holders for the last two seasons. As is the custom, Pep Guardiola’s team will give the Reds a guard of honour before kick-off. Even though there will be no fans in attendance at the venue, it’s bound to make every Liverpool fan’s heart swell with pride and there are bound to be a few tears of joy when they watch the end of their 30-year title drought from afar.
Ken Skupski, a former top 50 men’s doubles tennis player, was just seven when Liverpool won its last league title, back in 1990. He doesn’t remember it, but curiously, has a faint recollection of his hometown club losing the 1988-89 title to Arsenal based on a weaker scoring record (both teams were tied on 76 points).
“That hurt,” he offers.
Patrick Newton, another Liverpool resident, was just four when Liverpool won what is arguably considered the most gripping Champions League finals ever played in 2005. He doesn’t have much recollection of that match that he assumes he watched at his grandparents’ home (“Family tradition, to watch all finals there,” he explains). It was only a few months after Newton had attended his first match at his favourite club’s home ground Anfield – a Youth FA Cup tie.
“My parents pretty much started taking me to matches when I was old enough to leave home,” he says.
While Skupski and Newton have no recollection of the last time Liverpool won the English Football League – the top flight division until the Premier League was formed in 1992 – over in Leeds, 61-year-old Simon Plimley had spent just under half his life waiting to embrace that old, long lost feeling again. That feeling of watching The Reds being crowned champions of England.
And so it happened, when Chelsea beat second-placed Manchester City, and the title was secured. Yet this time, precautions against the COVID-19 pandemic would force the celebrations to be subdued – including, empty stands this Thursday night when City’s players give the new champions a Guard of Honour.
“To know that we won’t see it and the trophy ceremony in person, that we won’t be in the grounds to enjoy the moment, it’s a little disappointing,” says Newton, who grew up listening to stories his grandfather would tell him of the glory years in the 1970s and 80s, when the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley et all ruled the roost.
“The older generation, they’ve seen it, they’ve experienced it. They know what it’s like. For (the younger generation) to think we’re finally going to see it, to have our moment, and now it’s been taken away from us. It’s a terrible situation in the world, so we can’t complain, but yes, it is disappointing.”Skupski acknowledges that disappointment as well. But the 37-year-old also exudes a sense of relief.
“You have to appreciate the fact there are things going on bigger than football,” says the 2017 Wimbledon men’s doubles quarterfinalist. “We have had an amazing season but at one point we almost had to accept the season was going to be void. So to be able to come back to finish off what we started is a relief more than anything. It’s disappointing to not be in the stadium but at the end of the day, we are just super excited to finally get back on our perch.”
Whenever he managed to take a week or two off from the tennis circuit, Skupski would sneak in an outing at Anfield – including the 5-2 win over local rivals Everton. Newton has gone for all home matches this season ever since he was employed by The Anfield Wrap – a fan-site that started off by publishing podcasts (including interviews with former players Dalglish and Kevin Keegan, and current manager Jurgen Klopp).
Plimley, though, is a veteran. He’s been going for games since 1969.
“In the last five decades, I have seen Liverpool winning three Champions League titles, at Wembley (1978), Paris (1981) and in Madrid last year,” lists the sexagenarian. “I’ve also watched them play four FA Cup finals and four different league-title winning matches.”
This time though, once the league restarted behind closed doors in June, the match experience was different.
“I am missing the camaraderie of fellow fans – travelling together on the bus, having a pre- and post-match beer together and taunting the opposition fans,” he says. “I can’t replicate this at home as my wife was not happy about me making a lot of noise in front of the television.”
The stadium may be shut for them, and visits to the pubs – a regular venue for banter among fans – limited because of the pandemic. But with Liverpool winning its first league title in 30 years, and 19th overall, means The Unbearables (a tag Liverpool fans were given by rival fans, but one that they embraced citing the opponents being ‘jealous’ of the club’s achievements) now hold bragging rights. And after the three-decade wait, there’s a long list of rival fans the ‘torture’ will be repaid to – which includes, in Skupski’s list, his former doubles partner and Andy Murray’s current coach Jamie Delgado.
“My entire career, I’ve had to listen to Manchester United fans tell me how good their team was and how sad it must be being a Liverpool fan,” Skupski says. “I have to admit I was envious of their success. The title has been our need for too long as other fans have mocked us for so long. But now it’s time for The Unbearables to enjoy their wonderful team.”
And he signs off in a manner typical of Liverpool fans: “YNWA.”
You’ll Never Walk Alone. Ironic in these times.
Liverpool ended their 30-year wait to rule English football’s top-tier after Manchester City failed to get the win they needed to prolong the season at Chelsea.
Goals from Christian Pulisic and Willian were enough for a 2-1 win over the reigning champions, with Kevin de Bruyne’s free kick being scant consolation.
The result sparked emotional scenes across Liverpool, Merseyside, and the wider world, as the Reds wrapped up the title with seven games remaining – a Premier League record – in a tumultuous season that once threatened not to even be completed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For anyone unsure of what this means after three decades of frustration, you need only see the video Liverpool put out on the final whistle.
As Trent Alexander-Arnold revelled in one of the greatest victories in Liverpool’s famed footballing history, he said the Reds would be the world’s best team if prizes were dependent on character.
But they are not.
It is why the local hero wants a trophy outcome after a memorable campaign that included the stunning win over Barcelona that sealed an all-English Champions Leaguefinal meeting with Tottenham – and has left them still in with a chance of the Premier League title on today’s final day.
Liverpool need to overcome Wolves at Anfield and hope Manchester City, leaders by one point, fail to get victory at Brighton.
After the midweek miracle on Merseyside, the Reds – beaten just once in the league by City – and right back Alexander-Arnold will not give up hope.
As a Kop fan growing up in West Derby, the 20-year-old admits not even reaching a second successive Champions League final will soften the blow of being unable to bring a top-flight championship to the club for the first time since 1990.
“No I think it will still hurt massively,” he said. “We put so much into the Premier League.
“Thinking back to the round of 16 against Bayern, I think people were maybe saying it would be best for us to maybe just dismiss the Champions League and focus on the Premier League.
“But we showed we can focus on both. Both competitions are massive for us.
“I think it’s just that extraordinary season where I think if this is any other year we would have probably won it (the league), barring last season obviously when City got so many points again.
“We’ll learn from it, but we won’t look back and have regrets because we’ve been beat once this season and the draws that we picked up are mostly away games.
“In previous years you can afford to pick up them. You’re kinda glad if you’re going to Everton and Man Utd and picking up a point because those are tough places to go.
“But it just shows the nature of the Premier League now and just how good us and Man City have been to push each other and make results like that not really good enough.
“It is what it is. We’re not going to look back and regret it. We’ve got to take it and use it next year.
“If you look at the points and all the progress we made since the gaffer came in a few years back they point to the fact that each year we’re getting better as a team we’re doing better in the league and we’re reaching finals.
“So this season, we’ll be able to use it as motivation, look back at it and learn from it and get better next season.”
Like many Liverpool fans, Alexander-Arnold is yearning for a return to the glory years when the club dominated English football and won the European Cup five times.
The magnificent 4-0 win in the second leg over Barcelona, which saw them wipe out the three-goal advantage of the Spanish champions will help.
Alexander-Arnold set up Divock Origi for the decisive strike using instinct and intelligence at a corner as the Barca defence switched off. He said he had watched others do it and would have been “shouted at” if it had gone wrong.
“It was worth the risk,” added the England international, whose side were without Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino against Barca and lost left back Andrew Robertson at half time to injury.
“We showed that we’ve beaten one of, if not, the best team in the world 4-0 when the odds were against us.
“I think it’s a massive statement for us as a club to show that we’re doing these sort of things.
“I’m sure people have respect for us already but I’m sure that’s taken us to the next level.
“We’ve shown the world-class nature of our team. And with two of our main players injured as well and with Robbo going off at half time, which was a blow for us.
“It just shows the character we have in the team. And if it was down to character we’d probably be the best team in the world.
“I think we showed that in the Champions League last season, where we’d been underdogs in many games.
“We’re showing that we are brave and a really good side and a team to be feared and that’s the main thing.
“It’s important for the club to be back amongst the best in Europe and in the world and that’s what we’re trying to achieve, to create a team that is feared throughout world football. We’re not too far away from doing that.
“I think silverware defines where you stand in terms of rankings. So the main thing for us is to go to the final and go that one step further than last year.
“I think it shows the signs of progression for us in terms of reaching the last day of the season and still being in the title race and reaching the Champions League final.
“It shows that we’re able to compete on both fronts and take it to the very end. We’ll be looking to hope for the best on Sunday and see what happens come the final.”
With a puff of his cheeks and pause for reflection, James Milner admits it is “damn hard” to win a Premier League title.
Twice he achieved the feat on the final day of the season with Manchester City.
Now he is prepared for a hat-trick of dramatic finishes as he bids to upset his former club and end Liverpool’s long wait for top-flight success.
The Reds have been champions 18 times in their illustrious history, but not since 1990 have they been crowned kings of English football.
“It is always so hard to win the Premier League,” said Milner, the only title winner in the current Reds squad. “Two other times I won, it was the last game of the season. It looks like it will go down to the death again. “There are so many changes in a title race, we’ve seen it so many times before. We won it at City against QPR in incredible fashion and seen changes in this title race as well.
“So much can happen in the five games we’ve got left. That is why everyone loves the Premier League. It is special any time you win the Premier League, to be honest. It is that damn hard to do.
“You are going up against what a lot of people have said is one of the best-ever Premier League teams in City.
“The players they have, the points they have, so for us to go toe-to-toe with them and get over the line, hopefully. But if not, you have to look back and say we have done everything we can – and go again next year.”
Liverpool have proved in recent weeks they will fight in every game for the results that will stop City retaining the title they won in record-breaking fashion last season.
A comeback win at Southampton, which followed late 2-1 wins over Fulham and Spurs, put them two points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side, who have a game in hand.
Fresh from their 2-0 midweek success over Porto in their Champions League last-eight first-leg tie, Milner’s men host Chelsea today in arguably their toughest game of the run-in.
It was the Blues who ultimately dashed Liverpool’s hopes in 2014 with a 2-0 win at Anfield, when Demba Ba’s crucial opener followed Steven Gerrard’s unfortunate slip.
That allowed City to pinch the title with a final-day win over West Ham – just as they had two years earlier thanks to Sergio Aguero’s iconic injury-time strike over QPR.
Milner played his part in both those triumphs for the Etihad outfit, but there are no divided loyalties for the 33-year-old this time around.
“There will not be any tug of emotion,” he added. “Not on that side.
“I had a great five years there, won every trophy in England. There’s no extra motivation. The motivation is to beat a very good team.
“Just to win the Premier League again would be amazing. It will be very difficult.
“The way we do that is concentrate on our own games. Of course they are in the driving seat. We could win all our games and it’s not enough, but it’s down to us to keep putting pressure on them and getting results.
Virgil van Dijk says he stepped in to protect Mohamed Salah after he was accused of diving in Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Arsenal.
The Dutch defender was seen clashing with Gunners counterpart Sokratis Papastathopoulos at half-time of the Anfield encounter.
It followed the incident that saw Salah awarded a penalty after being caught by the Greece international in the box.
Sokratis could not hide his anger at the decision as he left the field at the break and van Dijk said: “I saw that he went to Mo and was saying that he dived.
“He was attacking him a bit, but I wanted to say he didn’t dive. Obviously everyone came around us and it looked like we were fighting or something but we weren’t.
“I just wanted to talk to him. But that happens in football and we move on.
“I’m protecting my team-mates and that’s normal, that’s how everyone should react and that’s what we all need to do, to back each other. That’s what I definitely do.”
Salah claimed his 16th goal of the season from the subsequent spot-kick and set up Sadio Mane for his strike.
The Egyptian then stepped aside from penalty duties to give Roberto Firmino the chance of his first Premier League hat-trick and seal a crushing victory that took Liverpool seven points clear at the top.
Salah was also accused of going down too easily to earn a penalty in the 4-0 win over Newcastle, but boss Jurgen Klopp added: “Look, I’m three years in and of the few things I read in the English press is the ref watch on Sky [television] after the game.
“Not a lot of times have I thought, ‘That was a penalty,’ and then looked at it to find it was not the right decision. ‘Ah, good decision,’ Dermot Gallagher said [after Newcastle], ‘penalty.’ His arm was there.
“Do we need blood for a proper penalty? I think no. In that moment, if you don’t touch Mo and he makes the next step and shoots – and we know he’s pretty good at that. These are the situations.
“I haven’t seen it back [with Sokratis] and I have no clue about what happened around it, but the ref really was close to it.
“We don’t have divers and that was not a dive. The other one [against Newcastle] is not a dive. The ref decides it. In the three-and-a-half years we have had more penalties not given when they were penalties and you think, hmph, hmph, hmph.”
Klopp, though, was more eager to reflect on a “brilliant performance” from his side.
Van Dijk also felt the Reds were “almost perfect”, conceding an opener to Ainsley Maitland-Niles but responding with a dominant display and a frontline to fear yet again.
“At the beginning of the season people were saying they didn’t click,” added van Dijk about Salah, Firmino and Mane.
“They’re fantastic. You see here in this game as well, they can be undefendable. It’s scary, good players, and I’m happy to see that. We were almost perfect, we conceded the goal and that was the only thing. But it was an important win.”
It also set Liverpool up perfectly for Thursday’s crucial clash at champions Manchester City.
“Arsenal had been playing pretty well this season so we had to stay focused on them, not think about City,” added van Dijk.
“City is a game that we want to win. It will be very hard, very tough, but for them as well. It’s going be a good match, but it is not a decisive game or something like that. We are not going to treat it different to any other. We will be prepared for a very tough game.
“We have finished 2018 now pretty well and hopefully we can keep that going.
“Confidence is definitely here, but it can change over a couple of games. We won’t get carried away. We need to keep doing what we have been doing.
“There will be setbacks, as there always is in life, but it’s how you react and so far we have been doing pretty well.
“There are things to improve, but we are top of the league, still in the Champions League, and we are doing well, just need to keep going.”
Branch members raised £2,000 for Kidney Research Yorkshire. The money will fund vital kidney research for patients based in Yorkshire and further afield. More than 1.8 million people have chronic kidney disease in England with a million more thought to be living with the condition undiagnosed.
Dr Andrew Mooney, scientific advisor to the charity and a kidney consultant based at St James’s Hospital, collected the cheque on behalf of the charity.
We also raised money for Leeds MIND, Leeds Mind promotes positive mental health and wellbeing, and provides help and support to those who need it. 1 in 4 people experience mental health difficulties at some point in their lives. Whether that be depression, anxiety, stress, self harm, personality disorder, bereavement or any other negative mental health experience.
Our contributions to both charities will be greatly appreciated i am sure.
Fantastic effort from our branch and true to our sentiment of YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE!
Members can now request their coach travel and request for tickets online now.
You can access the members dashboard from “Member Sign-in” at the top of this page.
All systems are go go go!
Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool will target the unprecedented quadruple of trophies as he bids to make history with the Reds.
Confidence is sky high at Anfield following six successive wins – the first time they have done that at the start of a season since 1961.
The latest came in the Champions League on Tuesday as they edged Paris Saint-Germain with an injury-time winner from Roberto Firmino after the French champions had pulled back a two-goal deficit in their enthralling Group C encounter.
For van Dijk, that was another sign of Liverpool’s strength of character and quality – and belief they can achieve something no English side has managed to do, rather than prioritise one competition like the league.
“Everyone is excited, feeling good, wanted to be part of this,” said the £75 million centre-back, whose side came fourth in the Premier League last season and were beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
“We know the season is very long, four competitions to play and we want to win everything. That’s basically our mindset. You need to have ambitions.
“With the size of this club, the people around here and with the history, we want to try to win everything. It’s going to be hard, we know it’s something very difficult to do, but we are going to try. That’s what we are here for.
“I’ve enjoyed every bit since I arrived here and hope to keep going. I want to win things, create memories here and write history as well with all of these boys.”
Liverpool’s weekend win at Tottenham saw them top the Premier League with Chelseaafter five games.
And the impressive result, and display, against a PSG side featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe was further evidence they will be contenders for the big prizes.
“I think everyone had that feeling,” added van Dijk, 27. “We were not in the [Champions League] final last season for no reason. I think we should have already got the respect, but this season is new.
“Everyone starts over and we need to show it in every game.
“We need to keep going, keep improving, but also enjoy it. It’s the highest stage.
“If you are going to be on the pitch and you don’t believe it [that you can beat teams like this] then you need to stay home. You need to believe in your team. I have the belief. I’m enjoying it. I think it’s a great time to be a Liverpool player. You want to play in these games, you want to play these clubs.”
Liverpool’s depth of talent was highlighted against PSG when Firmino struck late after coming off the bench. He had been doubtful with an eye injury and his replacement, Daniel Sturridge, claimed the opening goal before James Milner added a penalty.
With summer signings Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri also on the bench, van Dijk has been heartened by the options available to Jurgen Klopp.
“When one player is out, another one needs to be in there for him,” said the Dutchman.
“If you look at the team, the whole squad, players who are not even in there and have so much potential, so much quality, it says a lot about our team.
“At the end, it’s about making sure everyone is there for each other. That started for us in pre-season and hopefully we can just keep going.
“We have had a good start but there may be times when we have downs and it’s important how we react. We have won nothing yet and need to keep working hard and be humble. But I’m not worried about anything like that.”
Visitors PSG also remain positive despite the loss, especially as group rivals Red Star Belgrade and Napoli shared a goalless draw in their tie.
Belgian full-back Thomas Meunier, who sparked the comeback with a fine finish before Mbappe levelled seven minutes from time, said: “We were too defensive in the second half. This wasn’t a catastrophe and we still control our own destiny in terms of qualification.”
As we are still setting up the ticket and coach ordering phase of the new Leeds Branch system, orders are still being placed / accepted in paper format. The new form is below, please note that requests will only be accepted from people who are registered members for the 2018/19 season so please visit the website and enroll as a Branch Member prior to submitting ticket requests.
****This is only a short term measure and therefore we are only accepting orders for the following games.
August 2018
Sun 12th 13:30. West Ham United Home
Mon 20th 20:00. Crystal Palace A
way
Sat 25th 17:30. Brighton and Hove Albion H
ome
September 2018
Sat 1st 12:30. Leicester City Away
Request forms will be available at the Branch Meeting Saturday July 14th, alternatively If you would like to place an order for any of the above games then please send a blank cheque (made out to Liverpool FC International Supporters Club Leeds Branch) and an order form ASAP (individual for each match) to:
Paul Shaw
11, Highfield Court,
Roberttown,
Liversedge,
West Yorkshire,
WF15 7PD
If you have any questions about match tickets and / or coach travel then please send these to shawpaul66@yahoo.com. Please note that this is the only point of contact for ticket inquiries, there is no longer a Branch phone number for this facility.