LIVERPOOL INFORMATION

PREMIER LEAGUE PERFORMANCE
With a record 18 league titles and five European Cup triumphs under their belt, Liverpool are always a contender for football's honours. The Reds kicked off their pursuit of the FA Premier League championship in 1992, just weeks after celebrating an FA Cup final victory over Sunderland under Graeme Souness' leadership. Souness was unable to muster a sustained title challenge and long-time Anfield man Roy Evans ushered in a new wave of young talent after taking charge in 1994. Robbie Fowler took over the goalscoring duties from folk hero Ian Rush, and in turn Michael Owen became the attacking focal point for both club and country. With some rich talent at his disposal, Evans revived the Reds who registered four top-four finishes in the FA Premier League. Frenchman Gerard Houllier took charge in July 1998 - initially alongside Evans - and added steel, epitomised by England star Steven Gerrard, to the undoubted style of the Liverpool team. An amazing 2001 saw Houllier's team lift five trophies, including the FA and UEFA Cups, and 2002 proved fruitful as well as they finished the season in second spot - the Reds' best finish in the FA Premier League. The signings of Australia's Harry Kewell and Irish star Steve Finnan further boosted one of the strongest squads in the top division. They achieved a fourth-placed finish in 2003-2004, but Houllier departed soon afterwards, with former Valencia coach Rafael Benitez taking charge. And the Spaniard secured silverware in his very first season as Liverpool lifted the 2004/05 Champions League following a thrilling victory over AC Milan. The 2005/2006 campaign saw the Reds deliver a much-improved Barclays Premiership performance - finishing third - as well as adding a seventh FA Cup courtesy of a penalty shoot-out victory over West Ham United.
CLUB
Formed in 1892 following a dispute over rent between Everton FC and their landlord at Anfield - John Houlding - who founded Liverpool as Everton departed for Goodison Park. The Reds soon established themselves as one of the country's top teams with five league titles between 1900 and 1947, before slipping into Division Two in 1954. But the reigns of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley from 1959 to 1983 saw power shift significantly towards Anfield. After gaining promotion to the top flight in 1961, the club earned honour after honour, including four European Cup triumphs. Their 18 First Division title victories is a proud record on Merseyside. However, the club and the city reeled from two disasters - Heysel in 1985 and Hillsborough in 1989. The 1990s was something of a transitional period for the club, with one FA Cup and one League Cup added to the trophy cabinet. But the arrival of a new regime, led by French coach Gerard Houllier, reprised the glory days. In one calendar year, 2001, Houllier's side collected a staggering five trophies, although the much-coveted Premiership title remains elusive so far. After Houllier's depature in May 2004, Rafael Benitez was the man appointed to seek the top prize. And Benitez immediately secured his place in the Anfield history books with victory in the 2004/05 Champions League - the Anfield outfit's fifth triumph on Europe's biggest stage.
CLUB HONOURS
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS1900-01, 1905-06, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1946-47, 1963-64, 1965-66, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1989-90
CHARITY/COMMUNITY SHIELD WINNERS1964, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2001, 2006
F.A. CUP WINNERS1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006
LEAGUE CUP WINNERS1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003 .