Liverpool FC

Ex codhead manager Bill Shankly

I had a week off last week but that didn't mean a week off from football, far from it my friends far from it.
Last Monday i took in a tour of England's second most successful football club; Liverpool FC. I must admit that i have very little interest in the Premier league these days. But it is always nice to see how the other half of the footballing world live.

Before today i had never been to Liverpool but had heard plenty about the place. The city centre is pleasant enough but the area around the football ground is, to be blunt, a shithole with boarded up and burnt out houses a plenty. Far too much barbed wire is situated on the walls around which tops off the atmosphere. This really isn't the kind of place you would want to be as an away fan of a team who have just scored the winner in the last minute on a night match. Not that Lincoln will be doing that anytime soon. We had time to kill before the tour so we had look around the clubshop which had a very impressive range of goods (as you would expect) My favourite item had to be the old retro shirts when "Candy" were the shirt sponsors from the late 80's and early 90's. I was very kindly bought a smart looking pin badge for £3 to add to my collection.

The tour starts outside the Shankly gates and from there takes you into the cooperate area media lounge then on to the changing rooms. The changing rooms are pretty much unchanged since the 70's. The Liverpool one has all the first teams shirts hung up but i was more interested in getting my picture taken out side the away team dressing room for in was inside this very room that the late great Bill Anderson masterminded a fantastic 3-1 win for Lincoln City here at Anfield in the second division in the 1959/60 season. Mr A Linnecor with one of the very few hatricks to be scored by an opposition player at Anfield.

The guide tells you bits and bobs about each area and gives you plenty of chances to take pictures. After the changing rooms you get to walk down the tunnel past the "This is Anfield" sign and on to the dugouts.

After the dugouts you get to sit in the Kop while they blast out a copy of fans singing YNWA. The ground looks fantastic and it must be speical to see a match here. After the tour we visited to museum which had plenty of interesting stuff to look at from various times in Liverpool's history.

After the museum we had a spot of lunch in the "Bootroom cafe" which was very nice and you get 20% off if you show them your tour ticket. Whilst you dine you get to watch LFC TV which was showing the 0-1 defeat at Stoke City. The last port of call was the Hillsbrough memorial gates that are on the far side of the ground.

All in all the tour was decent enough. I would have preferred to have walked round all four stands inside but you can't have everything in life i suppose.