1977 Liverpool Football Club

Liverpool FC has a prestigious history and 1977 was no exception.

They finished the season as League, European Cup, European Super Cup and Charity Shield winners … quite a year. I have been delving into the scrapbook and pulled out a few clippings from that year.

Our house as a kid was red through and through (except for my eldest brother who had a leaning towards Everton but he is not really into football so that didn’t count)

My other brother was fanatical as a lad (and still is). I have seen him in floods of tears when they lost cup matches and running around the garden whooping when they won.

My earliest memory of football was the Mexico World Cup 1970, watching Brazil win and the tremendous talent of the South American players. I have had to look up whom they beat (it was Italy 4-1) but the magic of the match is still there in the memory banks.

Consequently I have watched every World Cup since and other International tournaments.

As a teen my first taste of live football was obviously watching the lads at school, but after that I was a regular at Southport’s ground. It was great at half time you would change ends and have cups of hot soup.

Later in my teen’s I started to go to Liverpool’s home games. Cramming into the Kop was a scary experience and trying to keep with your mates, particularly if you needed the loo at some stage, was practically impossible. I always made sure stood in front of a barrier so when the crowd surged forward I was not squished or swept away. It was pretty disgusting at times because blokes would pee where they stood and it would run down the terraces. But the atmosphere and the roar of the crowd was phenomenal.

The first time I went I just couldn’t get over the fact you couldn’t change ends at half time.

The last Liverpool game I attended was the one after Bill Shankley died in 1981, I think it was against Swansea? (I am probably wrong!)

My boyfriend & I queued up (well queue is a relative term.. it was like a rugby scrum) at the Kop, but seeing no way to get in we went round to the Anfield Road end. This was just as bad, but we gave it a go. Suddenly everyone surged forward and I was picked off my feet and carried along with the crowd. I couldn’t breathe. After what seemed like a lifetime I was suddenly out of the crowd, gasping for breath and in floods of tears but at least I was safe. My boyfriend found me about 20 minutes later (he had been trying to get back through the crowd but couldn’t so he waited at the side of the gate until the stream of fans thinned out). We turned about and went home. I have not been to a live game since as it scared me so much…. It’s much safer to watch curled up on my comfy sofa, where I won't get lost going to the loo and instead of hot soup it is a glass of fine Ozzy white!

Now ladies don't get too excited (lol)