Famous Liverpool Supporters

There are Liverpool FC supporters all over the world. Here is a list of celebrity Liverpool fans –

Caroline Wozniacki. liverpoolfc.com

1. Caroline Wozniacki – Tennis PlayerShe has been seen wearing the Liverpool jersey a few times and often tweets about the club. At the Qatar Open, she wore a personally signed jersey by Steven Gerrard to the court. She even completed her warm-up in the jersey.

Brad Pitt. liverpoolfc.com

2. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - Actors

They frequently watch Liverpool games and have revealed that their son, Maddox is a huge Liverpool fan.

Samuel Jackson.
football-rumors.co.uk

3. Samuel Jackson – Actor and Producer
He fell in love with Liverpool after attending a Merseyside derby while shooting the movie ‘The 51st State’ in Liverpool. From an executive box, he was seen waving his arms and singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ during the game. He has publicly admitted that he puts his Liverpool gear on every now and then while going out.

Liam Neeson. blogspot.com

4. Liam Neeson - Actor
He and his two sons are big Liverpool fans. They attend games when they are able to.

Daniel Craig and Steven Gerrard.
dailymail.co.uk

5. Daniel Craig – Actor and Producer
He was brought up in the Liverpool area and remains a Liverpool FC fan. He has been seen frequently at Anfield games, and in numerous interviews he’s revealed his affection for Liverpool since childhood, with Kevin Keegan and Steven Gerrard being his favorite players. Recently, he said that Gerrard would make a good Bond.”

Mike Myers.
dailmail.co.uk

6. Mike Myers – Actor
He is a passionate Liverpool supporter and has done so since childhood, as his parents are scousers, born in the Old Swan area of Liverpool. He was among the Liverpool fans at the Ataturk Stadium on that famous night in Istanbul. In an interview to lfctoronto.com he said, “I was the only kid in Toronto to wear an olive-green Nehru jacket and support Liverpool FC.”

LeBron James. ibnlive.com

7. LeBron James – Basketball player
He has a minority share in the Liverpool Football Club. He has revealed that he is excited in being part of one of the biggest sports clubs in the world.

Nelson Mandela.
thekop.liverpoolfc.com

8. Nelson Mandela – Former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
He was delighted to meet the Liverpool squad which toured South Africa in 1994 and told that he supported Liverpool in an exclusive interview with John Barnes, former Liverpool player.

Dr. Dre. liverpoolfans.net

9. Dr. Dre – Record Producer and Rapper
Dr. Dre’s friendship with John Barnes is the reason of his support for Liverpool. He became friends with John Barnes after the recording of the ‘Anfield Rap’. He also claimed that Barnes was his favorite player at the time. He admitted that he looks out for the Reds and keeps track of the team whenever he can.

10. Rafa Benitez – Football Manager

Rafa Benitez. telegraph.co.uk

The former Liverpool manager’s love for the club isn’t much of a secret. When Rafa was fired by the former owners, he went to Inter Milan and said that he didn’t like the blue colors of the team as it reminded him of Everton, Liverpool’s rivals. He has also been of tremendous help to the families of Hillsborough victims along the years, donating 96,000 pounds when he left the club. Rafa received two standing ovations at the 2011 Hillsborough Memorial Service and was seen weeping in the stands. He will always be remembered for the right reasons at the club.

Snoop Dogg. flickr.com

11. Snoop Dogg – Rapper and Entertainer
He wore a Liverpool shit at a concert in Liverpool. When asked about it, he said that a few of his friends supported the club so he thought he would do the same.

Xabo Alonso.
dailymail.co.uk

12. Xabi Alonso – Football player (Real Madrid)
The former Liverpool midfielder revealed that he ‘is and always will be’ a Liverpool supporter. He loves the club so much that he wants to raise his son as a Liverpool supporter too. He is one of the best players to have worn a Liverpool jersey, and has promised to return to Liverpool FC one day.

Clive Owen. baomoi.com

13. Clive Owen – Actor
He has an avid Liverpool supporter. He is known to follow as many Liverpool matches as he can even while on shoots and always makes arrangements to see the Liverpool games in his trailer.

Theo Walcott. telegraph.co.uk

14. Theo Walcott – Football Player (Arsenal)
He is a massive Liverpool supporter. He started following the club as a youngster because of his father supported the club. He has recently been linked to a move to Liverpool. Who knows, he could very well join the club sooner rather than later.

Graeme Smith. facebook.com

15. Graeme Smith – South African Cricket Player
He has openly talked about his support for Liverpool FC and confessed that he has been a Reds supporter since the time he was 6 years old, although the rest of his family support Manchester United. Graeme’s all time hero is Kenny Dalglish, he has fond memories of watching videos of him as a youngster.

Rio Ferdinand. virginmedia.com

16. Rio Ferdinand – Football Player (Manchester United)
He grew up idolizing John Barnes. He became a Liverpool fan because majority of his friends supported Liverpool, and now he plays for Liverpool’s biggest rivals.

Source: liverpoolfc.com

bleacherreport.com

Image Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19vysiZnlq3ykOHNwP5NzOwB9ApTHGu-4dEiJImYaSig/edit

First Home Game Win

Liverpool v Reading. www.mirror.co.uk

Liverpool recorded their first home win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Reading.

Brendan Rodgers made just one change to the team following the game against Stoke last time out, as goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who was injured on international duty, was replaced by Brad Jones. Reading boss Brian McDermott, however, made two changes – Jay Tabb and Noel Hunt for Mikele Leigertwood and Danny Guthrie respectively.

Sterling celebrating with teammates. www.liverpoolfc.com

Liverpool began the game brilliantly, and on the 29^th minute, Suarez’s intelligent first-time pass let Sterling free. After taking one touch, Sterling shot the ball past the keeper to put the Reds in front. Raheem Sterling, the 17-year old inside forward, became the club’s second-youngest Premier League goal scorer behind Michael Owen. “It was a brilliant goal,” said Rodgers. “We have been asking him, Suso and the other wide players to try to break the line of defenders and he’s done that.”

Liverpool continued to control the game. They dominated the possession and had 25 shots on goal to Reading’s 5, but were unable to find another goal. Reading came close to finding an equalizer as Liverpool’s defense looked very vulnerable.

In the end, Liverpool held on for the much-needed victory as the next five weeks are going to be very tough for Liverpool. They are going to face Everton, Newcastle, Chelsea, Tottenham and Swansea in the league, and have three Europa League games.

Sterling played very well, and the Liverpool fans will be expecting to see more performances like this from him. Although Suarez had a good game, his finishing was poor. He had many chances but could not add another goal due to his profligacy.

Anfield KOP. www.liverpoolfc.com

Also, after years of stalled projects and financial uncertainty, Liverpool FC abandoned plans on Monday, October 15, to build a new stadium and decided a redeveloped Anfield can provide the money needed to make the team regularly successful.

Liverpool had struggled to generate the income it needed due to the 45,000 capacity limit of its 120-year old ground. The redevelopment is likely to increase the capacity by 15,000 to 60,000, within the top three Premier League stadium capacities. It will cost Liverpool $247 million to redevelop Anfield, but owner John Henry expects this to increase match-day revenue by $64 million. 

This is the link to the highlights of the game - http://footyroom.com/liverpool-1-0-reading-2012-10/

Source: www.bleacherreport.com

www.givemefootball.com

www.goal.com

www.boston.com

Image Source: "Liverpool v Reading" http://i2.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article1389359.ece/ALTERNATES/s61 5/Liverpool+v+Reading+-+Premier+League

"Sterling Celebrating" http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/pics-sterling-sinks-reading

"kop" http://www.liverpoolfc.com/shop/official-club-stores/anfield

Greatest Comeback Ever? and Ronaldo

Germany v Sweden. www.uefa.com

World Cup Qualifier games were played on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. I think that the two most significant games were Germany v Sweden and Portugal v Northern Ireland.

Germany v Sweden was one of the best games I have watched in a long time. Germany hosted the away team in Berlin. In the first half, Germany scored three goals and playing very comfortably. Even in the beginning of the second half, the Germans were in control. They added to their tally and were four goals up. However after their fourth, the German side became very complacent. Sweden did not lose hope even after conceding four goals. They continued to fight and drew level by scoring four goals in the last 30 minutes of the game. It was one of the greatest comebacks ever.

The last goal was a little controversial. Ibrahimovic appeared to have elbowed Mertesacker in the face. Even though the referee should have awarded a free-kick for that, it does not take anything away from the fact that Sweden showed a lot of determination to produce one of the greatest international comebacks.

Cristiano Ronaldo. tumblr.com

The second game, Portugal v Northern Ireland, was significant, not because Portugal failed to produce a result again, but because Ronaldo capped his 100th game for Portugal. That makes him the third youngest player to reach the milestone after Germany’s Lukas Podolski and Estonia’s Kristen Viikmäe.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his international in 2003 at the age of 18 and helped lead Portugal to the Euro 2004 Final on home soil.

He is also the third most capped Portuguese behind Luis Figo (127) and Fernando Counto (110).

Also, over the weekend, Cristiano Ronaldo reached 50 million likes on his Facebook page. Ronaldo is the most liked soccer player on Facebook, with Lionel Messi around 12 million likes behind him. This shows you how popular the Portuguese star is.

It really makes you ask the question – What can’t Ronaldo do?

This is the link to the highlights of the Germany v Sweden game - http://footyroom.com/germany-4-4-sweden-2012-10/
and the Portugal v Northern Ireland game - http://footyroom.com/portugal-1-1-northern-ireland-2012-10/


Source: www.bleacherreport.com
Image Source: "Germany v Sweden" http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/Comp_Matc hes/01/87/76/85/1877685_w2.jpg
"Cristiano Ronaldo" http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_leglnmI9qE1qfr3z2o1_500.jpg

Kings of Europe

Kaka v Gerrard. nikola22.blog.rs

One of my favorite soccer games of all time was when Liverpool played AC Milan in the Champions League Final of 2005 in Istanbul.

It was the Reds’ (Liverpool) first appearance in a European Cup Final for 20 years and, despite defeating Juventus and Chelsea during a memorable run to the final, Liverpool went into the game as overwhelming underdogs against the Rossoneri (AC Milan).

Liverpool FC v AC Milan. wikimedia.org

In the first half, Milan raced into a 3-0 lead. Milan captain Paolo Maldini fired the Italians ahead just after 53 seconds. Then Hernan Crespo scored two goals – one in the 39^th minute and the other just before half-time. Liverpool’s Champions League dream looked all but over and it seemed as if the Liverpool supporters’ trip was in vain. “Milan had played the ball so quickly and so fluently and cleverly that we were lucky to be 3-0 down at half time. It took a lot out of us chasing their shadows because we could not get near them,” said Steven Gerrard.

Milan players were already celebrating in the dressing room. AC Milan had outplayed Liverpool in the first half and were cruising with a three goal lead.

Rafael Benitez, Liverpool manager, said, “At half-time we needed to do something and decided to make some changes. There is no way we could have went back out and lost by four or five goals in front of our wonderful fans. Once we started thinking and believing we could do it, anything was possible.”

In the second half, however, the Reds' passing was better and they created more chances. Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool their first goal of the night after scoring a header from Riise’s cross in the 54^th minute. At the time, Liverpool’s first goal might have seemed like a consolation. But when Vladimir Smicer scored a second, it brought hope to the team. Only four minutes later, Gerrard burst into the Milan penalty box and was brought down. The referee awarded a penalty, and Xabi Alonso stepped up to take it. Alonso converted on the rebound after Dida saved his spot-kick. Liverpool had scored three goals in just six minutes. The game went into extra-time but neither team was able to score the game-winning goal.

The tension heightened as the penalty shoot-out commenced. However, the Reds held their nerve to triumph. Jerzey Dudek saved the crucial penalty from Schevchenko and Liverpool had won the Champions League.

It was the most incredible night in the club’s illustrious history as Liverpool reclaimed their crown as ‘Kings of Europe’.

Champions of Europe. articles.squarefootball.net

After the game, Dudek said, “To be honest when I saved the penalty from Shevchenko I didn't know that was it but when I saw all the guys running towards me it was just a great feeling. You honestly can't describe the feeling as it is just special. We celebrated into the night and it was magnificent.”

This is the link to the highlights of the 2005 Champions League Final - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg3_uFEkjzc

Source: www.liverpoolfc.com

Image Source: "Champions of Europe" http://articles.squarefootball.net/.a/6a00e552103050883401761684 5bbc970c-800wi

"Kaka v Gerrard" http://nikola22.blog.rs/gallery/4435/genius(left%20)VS%20buljash.jpg

"Milan v Liverpool" http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Milan_vs_Liverpool_2005-05-25.svg

Unfair Treatment of Luis Suarez

Roberth Huth Stepping on Suarez. www.liverpoolfc.com

After Liverpool's game against Stoke on Sunday, many people have been criticizing Luis Suarez for diving in the penalty area. However, very little has been said about the striker suffering a bruising to the chest after Robert Huth, the Stoke defender, intentionally stepped on Suarez.

Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers said, "As manager of this football club I find it incredible that in nearly all the coverage about Luis Suarez this weekend, very little focus has been placed on the fact that he was actually the victim of a stamping incident within the first five minutes of the game."

Luis Suarez. picasaweb.google.com

The referee said after the game that one of his assistant referees had seen the incident but deemed it accidental. But after watching the replays one can clearly see that Huth meant to step of Suarez.

Suarez is not being treated the same as every other player. The media and the FA are picking on Suarez because he is not English. For example, Suarez got an 8 match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra, whereas John Terry, former English skipper, got only a 4 match ban for racial abuse against Anton Ferdinand. "At this moment there seems to be one set of rules for Luis and another set for everyone else," said Rodgers.

Diving and simulation need to be eradicated from the game, but there are other important issues that are not getting enough coverage.

The media needs to stop picking on Suarez because it is affecting the referees' opinions about Suarez. The officials tend to put Suarez's reputation before him when making decisions in a game. That is why he did not get a clear penalty in the game against Norwich last week.

Rodgers also said, "I believe some people need to develop a sense of perspective and I also believe in this moment the vilification of Luis is both wrong and unfair. I will continue to protect the values, spirit and people of this great club and game while searching for a consistent level of results in order to make progress on the field."

Source: www.liverpoolfc.com

Image Source: "stamp3" http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/rodgers-luis-treatment-unfair
"150801214" http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/150801214-luis-suarez-of-liverpool-celebrates-his-goal-gettyimages.jpg

Soccer Sunday

Liverpool v Norwich. www.liverpoolfc.com

In this post, instead of talking about soccer in another country, I will be writing about the games, that the two teams I support, Liverpool and Real Madrid, played on Sunday. Liverpool played Stoke City, and Real Madrid played Barcelona, and both the games ended in a draw.

First, I watched the Liverpool game. Stoke City traveled to Merseyside to play the Liverpool team at Anfield. The game resulted in a 0-0 draw, but I do not think that it was a fair result. I believe Liverpool should have won the game as they dominated possession and had 12 shots to Stoke’s 4.

Luis Suarez. www.thesundaytimes.co.uk

Brendan Rodgers decided to start with the team that had beaten Norwich City 5-2 last week. This meant that there were three teenagers in the first eleven – Suso, Raheem Sterling, and Andre Wisdom. Stoke, on the other hand, made one change to the team. Andy Wilkinson, who was suspended after getting red carded in the game against Manchester City, was replaced by Geoff Cameron.

Both the teams started well and created plenty of chances in the first half. However, no team could take the lead. In the second half, Liverpool was much brighter than Stoke. They outplayed Stoke and controlled possession. Martin Skrtel and Raheem Sterling both struck the post. Despite their domination, Liverpool could not find a way past Begovic, the Bosnian goalkeeper.  

This means that Liverpool are still waiting for their first home win of the season.

Real Madrid v Barcelona. www.nationalturk.com

The second game I watched is one of the most highly anticipated matches in the world. Real Madrid played their rivals, Barcelona, at Camp Nou.

I think that the 2-2 draw was a fair result as both the teams played really well. Even though Barcelona played with a make-shift defensive line, due to injuries to Puyol and Pique, their defenders did not make too many mistakes. All the goals were scored by two of the world’s best soccer players – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Here are the links for the highlights of the two games:

Liverpool v Stoke City: http://footyroom.com/liverpool-0-0-stoke-city-2-2012-10/

Real Madrid v Barcelona: http://footyroom.com/barcelona-2-2-real-madrid-2-2012-10/

Image Source:"Real Madrid Barcelona" http://www.nationalturk.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/barcelona-vs-real-madrid-2012-supercup-nationalturk.jpg

“Luis-Suarez” http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/sport/football/Premiership/article1143107.ece

"Liverpool_v" http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/photos-reds-in-stoke-draw

Football in England

England Jersey. wallbase.cc

Football is the national sport of England. With the modern passing game believed to have been innovated in London and with England home to the oldest football clubs in the world, the world’s oldest football trophy, the Youdan Cup, the first national competition, the FA Cup, and the first ever association football league as well as England having the first national team that hosted the world’s first ever international football match, a 1-1 draw with Scotland on 5 March 1870 in London, England is considered the home of the game of football.

The Football League, established in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor, was the first professional football league in the world. Since its founding, however, many other leagues have been founded in England.

The English football league has a pyramidal structure allowing promotion and relegation between different levels, which helps maintain the possibility that any club in England may dream of one day rising to the very top, no matter what status they currently hold.

English Fans. www.thenewsgrind.com

In a study made by FIFA in 2006 there are around 40,000 clubs registered with the Football Association (FA), which is 11,000 more than any other country, the closest being the Brazilian Football Confederation who have 29,000 registered clubs. Even without taking relative population into account, England has more football clubs than any other country in the world.

England’s top domestic league, the Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest sports leagues in the world, and is home to one of the world’s most famous football clubs. The Premier League also has the highest total attendances of all football leagues throughout the world based on the 2007-08 season with 13,676,390. The games from this league are a lot of fun to watch because the Premier League is more open than any other league. Unlike leagues where a couple of teams dominate all the other teams, all the teams in the Premier League are very competitive, which can lead to surprise results on match day.

England Soccer Match. wallbase.cc

England has a national football team that represents England in international football. It is one of the two oldest national football teams in the world, and is one of only eight national teams to have won the World Cup and did this in 1966. They are one of the more prominent teams on the global stage, rarely dropping outside the top ten rankings. The national stadium of England is the Wembley stadium, and is the largest stadium in the country with a capacity of 90,000.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_in_england
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_league_system

Image Source: “England Jersey” http://wallbase.cc/wallpaper/768610

“England soccer match” http://wallbase.cc/wallpaper/1985906

“England-fans1” http://www.thenewsgrind.com/sport/football-sport/england-players-call-for-inquest-into-running-of-fans/

The Beautiful Game: Why is soccer the best supported sport in the world?

Liverpool Kop. www.liverpoolfootballblog.com

Soccer has existed, in one form or another, since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, possibly before. It was played in England as far back as the medieval times.

However, the game had become so rowdy and disruptive in England that soccer was banned between 1324 and 1667 by more than 30 royal and local laws. It was the British "public" schools that kept the game alive. The public schools took the game away from the "mob" and civilized it through an organization of rules and codes of conduct. As such, the game was transformed from a working-class game to an upper-class game.

When the ban was lifted, the working classes at the time worked six days a week for 12 hours a day. Thus, they had little time for games, and, consequently, the British public schools controlled and strengthened the game.

In 1850, Parliament passed the Factory Act, which changed the law so that the working hours were shortened. As a result, children had more time to absorb games like soccer. Thus, the heart of soccer was slowly passed back to the working classes.

Up until this time, soccer and rugby were virtually indistinguishable, because the rules of play were different depending on where you played. This changed in 1863 with the creation of The Football Association (The FA). Modern soccer grew out of the work of the FA in England, and in similar associations around Europe.

The Industrial Revolution gave birth to modern soccer. It was the small, provincial industrial towns, like Manchester, Dortmund, and Liverpool, which grew out of the revolution, that had the most successful clubs. Migrant workers from all over Europe flocked to these industrial cities for work. They had no ties to their new community. In most cases, they didn't know the language, had few friends, and had no outlet outside of work. Soccer gave them something they could belong to. It was a club, not just for the players, but also for the supporters. It gave them a sense of belonging. They were strangers in a strange land, and soccer became their passion. The game became a source of civic pride for its supporters. What started as local support among provincial townspeople soon grew to encompass supporters from other areas.

Love = Soccer. www.passportsoccer.com

Soccer teams became a leisurely outlet for its supporters. Often times, the soccer team became the outlet for the embittered passions of a populace that had no outlet for its frustrations. Rivalries became an "us" vs. "them" affair in which violence was not unknown. At its worst, these social passions devolved into hooliganism and violence. While the collective passions, and frustrations, of the supporters often result in violence, more frequently they create a passionate spectacle that is unrivaled in sports.

This, then, is the story of why soccer fans are so passionate.

http://www.historyofsoccer.info/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football

Image Source: “lolovego;” http://www.passportsoccer.com/2010/syrup-nyc-puma-global-campaign/lolovego/

“Liverpool_kop” http://liverpoolfootballblog.com/opinion/the-role-we-fans-have-to-play/attachment/liverpool_kop/

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/football
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_Act_1850