EVERTON VS LIVERPOOL ON THE BANKS OF THE MERSEY

Today, The Grandma has been reading about the origins of the two most popular football clubs in Liverpool, Everton FC and Liverpool FC.

Everton Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Liverpool that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

The club was a founder member of the Football League in 1888, and has, as of August 2023, competed in the top division for a record 121 seasons, having missed only four top-flight seasons (1930-31, 1951-52, 1952-53, and 1953-54).  

Everton is the club with the second-longest continuous presence in English top-flight football, and ranks third in the all-time points rankings. The club has won nine league titles, five FA Cups, one European Cup Winners' Cup and nine Charity Shields.

Formed in 1878, Everton won their first League Championship during the 1890-91 season. After winning four more League championships and two FA Cups, the club experienced a post-Second World War lull until a revival in the 1960s. A period of sustained success came in the mid-1980s, when Everton won a further two League championships, one FA Cup, and the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup. The club's most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup.

The club's supporters are colloquially known as Evertonians or Blues. Everton's main rivals are Liverpool, whose home stadium at Anfield is just under one mile away from Everton's home at Goodison Park; the two clubs contest the Merseyside derby. 

Everton have been based at Goodison Park since 1892, having moved from their original home at Anfield following a disagreement with the landowner over their rent. The club's home colours are royal blue shirts with white shorts and socks.

More information: Everton FC

Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has played its home games at Anfield since its formation.

Domestically, the club has won 19 league titles, eight FA Cups, a record nine League Cups and 16 FA Community Shields. In international competitions, the club has won six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four UEFA Super Cups -all English records- and one FIFA Club World Cup. The club established itself as a major force in domestic and European football in the 1970s and 1980s, when Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish, led the club to a combined 11 League titles and four European Cups.

Liverpool won two further European Cups in 2005 and 2019 under the management of Rafael Benítez and Jürgen Klopp, respectively; the latter led Liverpool to a 19th league title in 2020, the club's first during the Premier League era.

Liverpool is one of the most valuable and widely supported clubs in the world. The club has long-standing rivalries with Manchester United and Everton. Under management by Shankly, in 1964 the team changed from red shirts and white shorts to an all-red home strip which has been used ever since. The club's anthem is You'll Never Walk Alone.

The club's supporters have been involved in two major tragedies. The Heysel Stadium disaster, where escaping fans were pressed against a collapsing wall at the 1985 European Cup Final in Brussels, resulted in 39 deaths. Most of these were Italians and Juventus fans.

Liverpool were given a six-year ban from European competition, and all other English clubs received a five-year ban. The Hillsborough disaster in 1989, where 97 Liverpool supporters died in a crush against perimeter fencing, led to the elimination of fenced standing terraces in favour of all-seater stadiums in the top two tiers of English football. Prolonged campaigning for justice saw further coroners inquests, commissions and independent panels that ultimately exonerated the fans.

More information: Liverpool FC

Football is a game of mistakes.
Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins.

Johan Cruyff