Liverpool v Stoke City

[Will]

Down Memory Lane

YNWA takes a look back at recent memorable League meetings at Anfield as Stoke City arrive for the sixtieth time in the League on Saturday as we kick off the season. So far, we have won 44, drawn twelve and lost just three.

 

Most recently

New keeper Simon Mignolet kept a clean sheet by saving a late penalty and its follow-up on his reds bow as Daniel Sturridge’s goal was enough to secure victory in August 2013. Forward Iago Aspas and centre-half Kolo Touré both also debuted in this game. As the game was an early kick off on opening day, the reds finished the match at the top of the table! Luis Suárez scored on his reds debut as a substitute to round off a 2-0 victory in February 2011. Raúl Meireles had opened the scoring immediately after the break.

 

Farewells

Gordon Banks put in a fine performance in October 1972. Jimmy Greenhoff opened the scoring with one of his five strikes against the reds, with our equaliser coming about when Banks was penalised for taking too many steps with the ball, with Emlyn Hughes converting from the resultant indirect free-kick inside the area in his 300th reds game. Ian Callaghan’s long-range strike was deflected off Eric Skeels in the last minute to hand us 2-1 victory. However, Banks was involved in a terrible car accident the next day that resulted in him losing the sight in one eye. Romany right-half Rab Howell played his 67th and last reds game in our 3-1 win on New Year’s Day 1901. Jack Cox, Andy McGuigan and Tommy Robertson all netted, with Robertson also missing a penalty.

 

Reds milestones

Steve Nicol and Kenny Dalglish were on target in the first half-hour as we won 2-0 in February 1985, our most recent League encounter prior to last season, with Kenny making his 300th League appearance for the reds. In March 1983, we trounced Stoke 5-1 with Dalglish scoring twice, with the other goals coming from Phil Neal, Craig Johnston and Graeme Souness. The Scottish forward reached 300 senior club goals that day as future Blue Paul Bracewell struck the Potters’ most recent League goal at Anfield.

 

Steve Heighway bagged the only goal of our season opener in August 1973, as Ian Callaghan played his 600th reds game. Bill Shankly was presented with Bell’s Manager of the Year trophy for the previous season, also parading the recently-retired Gordon Banks around Anfield before the match. Emlyn Hughes struck in his hundredth League game for the reds as we won 3-1 in September 1969. Roger Hunt and Ian Callaghan also struck in our tenth consecutive League defeat of Stoke.

 

Red goalscoring blitzes

Inside-left Andy McGuigan became the first red to score five goals in a League game in January 1902, as we trounced Stoke 7-0 with Sam Raybould adding a brace. To be fair to the Potters their side was reportedly ravaged by food poisoning caused by eating dodgy fish. They could field only nine players and at one stage during the match they were down to just seven!

 

Roger Hunt netted four on Boxing Day in 1963 as we triumphed 6-1 to give Bill Shankly his hundredth victory as reds boss, in his 188th game in charge, with John Ritchie netting the first of his five goals past us. Ian St. John and Alf Arrowsmith also scored in one of eight meetings with the Potters on this festive day of the year. The scores were level at 1-1 at half-time, with five of our goals coming at the Anfield Road end in the second period. We won 5-3 in April 1976. Phil Neal equalised from the spot after we had fallen behind, with our other goals coming from John Toshack, Ray Kennedy, Emlyn Hughes and David Fairclough. Terry Conroy nabbed the last of his four strikes against the reds, with Ian Moores and Alan Bloor also scoring.

 

Debutants galore

New record signing Emlyn Hughes made his reds debut in March 1967 in a 2-1 win, when Chris Lawler and Roger Hunt netted as Peter Dobing struck one of his eight goals against us. Hunt in fact struck eleven times for the reds against the Potters, a club record. ‘Crazy Horse’ went on to make 665 reds appearances in total. Half-back Johnny Wheeler made his reds bow in September 1956 as we lost 2-0 in our Second Division fixture, with Johnny King netting one of his five goals past the reds and George Kelly also on target. Centre-half Jack Heydon debuted in our goalless draw in October 1950. Forward Jack Balmer played his 200th reds game as we were held to another scoreless draw in January 1948, while Scottish left-winger Doug McAvoy made the first of just two senior reds appearances. The players were presented with their medals from the previous season’s League title-winning campaign before the match by the President of the Football League, William Cuff.

 

Keeper Alf Hobson made his reds bow in August 1936, as goals from Alf Hanson and Berry Nieuwenhuys secured a 2-1 victory in our opening fixture of the season. This was Manager George Kay’s first game in charge of the reds. George Patterson debuted in a 1-0 win in December 1938, with Willie Fagan on target. Right-half Bobby Robinson played the first of his 271 reds games as we were held to a goalless draw in February 1904. Forward Joe Hewitt also debuted in this game, the first of his 164 appearances.

 

Farewell strikes

Billy Liddell scored his 228th and final reds goal in March 1960, becoming our oldest post-war goalscorer, aged 38 years and 55 days. We won this Second Division meeting 5-1, with Jimmy Harrower adding a brace, and Roger Hunt and Dave Hickson also netting. We won a Second Division fixture 3-0 in April 1961 when Dave Hickson bagging his 38th and last goal for the club, with Roger Hunt and Kevin Lewis also on target.

 

Phil Boersma netted his thirtieth and final goal for the reds in September 1974 in our 3-0 victory. Steve Heighway rounded off the scoring, with the ball having been set rolling by a John Ritchie own goal. Forward Bobby Murdoch bagged his seventh and last reds goal as we won 3-0 in a Second Division game in April 1958. He only played five more times before joining Barrow in September 1959. Billy Liddell scored the other goals, one of them from the spot.

 

Off the mark

Right-back Glen Johnson struck for the first time as we triumphed 4-0 in August 2009. Jamie Carragher played his 400th League game as we became the first club to reach 5,000 points in the top flight. Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and David N’Gog all also netted. Ronnie Whelan got his reds career off to a flying start by scoring on his debut in April 1981, with Terry McDermott adding a brace in a 3-0 win.

 

South African forward Lance Carr struck for the reds for the first time in April 1935 as we thumped the Potters 5-0, with Vic Wright nabbing a brace and Fred Howe and Berry Nieuwenhuys also on the scoresheet. Forward Sam English scored his first reds goal in our 1-1 draw in August 1933, the first time we had faced them since their name change from the simpler Stoke. Tommy Sale nabbed the first of his five goals past us that day. Forward Daniel Cunliffe bagged a brace as we won 4-0 in October 1897, his first reds goals, with Frank Becton and Harry Bradshaw also on target.

 

Other big wins

Phil Thompson, Kevin Keegan and David Johnson added to a Phil Neal spot-kick as we won 4-0 in December 1976. Albert Stubbins netted twice as we won by the same score in March 1949, with Cyril Done and Jack Balmer also on target.

 

First victory

We secured our first ever victory in the First Division after nine previous games without a win when we faced Stoke for the first ever time in our history in October 1894. Jimmy Ross bagged a brace in our 2-0 defeat of the Potters.

 

Other home defeats

A Johnny Evans brace was not enough as we lost a Second Division encounter 4-2 in March 1955, our first home defeat to the Potters after nineteen previous wins and seven draws in all competitions. Johnny King struck the first two of his five goals against us, with Harry Oscroft bagging one of his six and Jack Malkin also on target. Four years later, Jimmy Melia struck twice with Louis Bimpson also netting as we lost 4-3. Dick White headed into his own net as Dennis Wilshaw scored the last two of his seven strikes past us, with Bill Asprey also scoring.

[Will]

Double Agents

In advance of our first meeting of the season, YNWA looks at the careers of some of those players have represented both Stoke City and the mighty reds over the years.

 

Current double agents

Winger Victor Moses signed from Chelsea on loan in September 2013, scoring on his reds bow at Swansea City, but only once more in 22 outings in total. He joined the Potters from the Blues last August, so far netting once in twelve games. Oussama Assaidi is spending a second season on loan with the Potters. He signed from Dutch side SC Heerenveen for £2.4m in August 2012, so far failing to score in twelve reds games. He has managed to notch five times in 31 Stoke outings to date.

 

Peter Crouch left White Hart Lane the Britannia Stadium for £10m on transfer deadline day in August 2011, and has so far bagged 35 goals in 129 outings and being voted their Player of the Year for 2011/12. He arrived at Anfield for £7m in July 2005 after a successful season with Southampton, when he had bagged sixteen goals in 33 games as the Saints were relegated. He struck 42 times in 134 reds games, despite not notching in his first nineteen outings, helping us to claim the FA Cup and FA Community Shield, but was sold to Portsmouth for a fee of up to £11m in July 2008.

 

Jermaine Pennant moved to the Britannia Stadium on loan from Real Zaragoza in August 2010 before signing on permanently for an initial £1.725m the following January. He appeared 88 times for the Potters, scoring four goals before his contract was terminated last January. He arrived at Anfield in July 2006 for £6.7m after Birmingham City were relegated, and hit the target just three times in 81 reds games, helping us to reach the Champions League Final in his first season, moving to Spain in July 2009 after a five-month loan spell with Portsmouth. He is now playing in India for Pune City.

 

Charlie Adam signed from Blackpool for an initial £6.75m in August 2011. He notched twice in 35 outings, helping us to claim the Carling Cup, but was sold to Stoke for a reported £4m in August 2012. So far he has so far netted thirteen goals in 76 games. Liverpool-born forward Mike Sheron joined Stoke from Norwich City in October 1995 in a swap deal for Keith Scott, bagging 39 goals in 77 games before moving to Queens Park Rangers in July 1997 for £2.5m. He is now coaching the Under-13’s at the Academy.

 

Recent double agents

Michael Owen joined the Potters in September 2012 after his contract with Manchester United had expired. He only scored once in nine outings, all bar one of which were from off the bench. He struck 158 times in 297 reds games, and moved on to Real Madrid in August 2004 for £8m, having helped us to claim the UEFA Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, League Cup and FA Charity Shield.

 

Dominic Matteo notched twice in 155 reds games in defence before leaving for Leeds United in a £4m deal in August 2000. He joined Stoke City on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers in January 2007, and struck once in 25 outings for the Potters, often operating as a midfielder. Patrik Berger netted 35 goals in 196 reds games after his £3.25m capture from Borussia Dortmund following a successful Euro ‘96 with the Czech Republic. However, he was later dogged by persistent knee trouble, and allowed to join Premiership new-boys Portsmouth on a free transfer in June 2003. He later moved to Stoke City on loan from Aston Villa in November 2006 and played seven times in the Potteries, returning to re-join the first-team picture at Villa Park.

 

Frode Kippe joined City on loan in December 1999. He played twenty times in four months at the Britannia Stadium, and returned the following October for a further loan spell, this time making 24 appearances across the rest of the season as the Potters narrowly missed out on promotion to the First Division. He had made just two first-team appearances while at Anfield, both from off the bench in the Worthington Cup, leaving Anfield to return to his native Norway to sign for Lillestrøm on a free transfer in February 2002.

 

Defender Stephen Wright made 21 reds appearances, netting once before moving to Sunderland for £3m in August 2002. He joined Stoke on loan from there five years later, playing seventeen times as they made a belated return to the top flight, moving on to Coventry City in August 2008. Young reserves forward John Miles left for Stoke City on a free transfer in April 2002 having failed to make our first team. He only made one senior appearance for the Potters before moving on to Crewe Alexandra in August 2002.

 

Salif Diao signed from Sedan for £4.7m in August 2002. He made 61 reds appearances, scoring three times, and moved to Stoke City in January 2007 after a successful loan spell there, having already been sent out to both Birmingham City and Portsmouth on a temporary basis. He played 106 times, scoring just once. Kevin Keen joined Stoke from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £300,000 in October 1994. He struck twelve times in 201 outings before moving to Macclesfield Town on a free transfer in September 2000. He joined as one of Kenny Dalglish’s First Team Coaches in July 2011, moving on the following June to join Steve Clarke at West Bromwich Albion.

 

Between the sticks

Bruce Grobbelaar moved to the Victoria Ground on loan in March 1993. He played four games for the Potters, who were on their way to the Second Division title, before briefly returning to our first team at the expense of David James. He played 628 times for the reds since his £250,000 capture from Vancouver Whitecaps in March 1981, helping us to six League titles, one European Cup, three FA Cups, three League Cups and three FA Charity Shields before joining Southampton on a free transfer in August 1994.

 

Tommy Younger arrived from Hibernian in June 1956 for £9,000 and made 127 reds appearances, as well as winning 24 caps for Scotland. He returned north of the border after three years at Anfield to join Falkirk. He came back to England in 1960 to play ten times for Stoke, and also spent time as Assistant Manager at the Victoria Ground after retiring from playing.

 

Scot Ken Campbell signed from Cambuslang Rovers in May 1911 and took over from Sam Hardy in the reds goal, playing 142 times including the 1914 FA Cup Final, before being replaced after the war by the great Elisha Scott. He left for Partick Thistle in April 1920, then joining New Brighton as an amateur and opening a sports shop in nearby Wallasey, before signing for Stoke in March 1923. Mark Prudhoe left Darlington for £210,000 to join the Potters in June 1993. He played 101 times before moving to Bradford City for £70,000 in August 1997. He had joined the reds on loan from Stoke in November 1994, sitting on our bench on eight occasions.

 

Anfield flops

England international midfielder Paul Stewart was one of Graeme Souness’s failed buys, arriving from Tottenham Hotspur for £2.3m in July 1992, making 42 uninspiring appearances before joining Sunderland for free after four seasons at Anfield, netting just three times. He signed for Stoke City on a free transfer from the Mackems in July 1997, going on to notch three goals in 24 outings as they were relegated to the Second Division before retiring the following summer.

 

Mark Walters signed from Rangers for a £1.25m fee in August 1991, going on to score nineteen times in 124 reds appearances. He had been a big success in Scotland, but could not reproduce that at Anfield, and eventually moved to Southampton in January 1996, after a loan spell in the Potteries at the end of the 1993/94 season in which he netted twice in nine games. His most famous of 124 games in a red shirt came when he inspired a UEFA Cup comeback against Auxerre in 1991. He also scored the crucial second goal in our defeat of Manchester United that handed the title to Leeds United earlier the following year.

 

Also up front

Northern Irish forward Sammy Smyth bagged twenty goals in 44 reds games after signing from Stoke City for £12,000 in December 1952, for whom he had struck seventeen times in forty League outings. Left-winger Alan A’Court scored 63 times in 381 reds games, helping us to the Second Division title in 1962, and representing England at the 1958 World Cup in his time at Anfield. He later became Assistant Manager at Stoke under George Eastham in 1969, eventually taking over the reins in January 1978 for a month as caretaker when Eastham departed.

 

Howard Gayle, the first black player to represent Liverpool in modern times, made only five first-team appearances before moving on to Birmingham City in January 1983. He joined Stoke from Sunderland, and struck twice in six League appearances during 1986/87 before joining Blackburn Rovers. Forward Colin Russell only ever tasted half an hour of first-team action for the reds, coming on for Gayle in a home League defeat to Sunderland in May 1981. He bagged two goals in eleven League appearances for Stoke while on loan from Huddersfield Town in 1983/84, whom he had joined from the reds in September 1982.

 

Dick Johnson joined the reds in January 1920, and struck thirty times in 82 outings, helping us to the League title in 1923 before leaving for Stoke in February 1925. Joseph Brough signed from Port Vale in August 1910 and struck three times in eleven senior outings before joining Stoke in January 1912.

 

Between the wars

Hanley-born forward Harold Taylor joined the reds from Stoke City in July 1932. He only made 72 appearances in his four years at Anfield, netting just six times. Left-back Jack Tennant arrived at Anfield from Torquay United in May 1933. He went on to appear 42 times for the reds without notching before joining Bolton Wanderers in January 1936. He had spells with Stoke either side of his time at Anfield. Albert Whitehurst signed from Rochdale in May 1928, netting twice in eight games before signing for Bradford City the following February. He had previously been with Stoke.

 

Other double agents

Centre-half Alex Raisbeck signed from Stoke City for £350 in May 1898. He netted nineteen times in 341 games in eleven years, becoming our first skipper to lift the League title in 1901. He won a further championship medal five years later, as well as a Second Division title. Left half-back Jim Bradley signed for the reds from Stoke in September 1905 after the club had resigned from the League, having played 199 League games for the Potters. He notched eight times in 186 reds games, helping us to claim the League title in his debut season.

 

Left-back Alec Lindsay netted eighteen times in 248 reds games, helping us to the League and UEFA Cup in 1973, and FA Cup and FA Charity Shield the following year, before leaving for Stoke City in September 1977. He bagged three goals in twenty League outings before crossing the Atlantic to sign for Oakland Stompers. Left-half Willie Stevenson missed just nine League games in his first four seasons, making a total of 241 appearances and scoring eighteen times, helping us to two League titles and our first FA Cup triumph in 1965. He moved on to Stoke City in December 1967 for whom he bagged five goals in 95 League games before signing for Tranmere Rovers in 1973.

 

Full-back Tom Robertson had two spells with Stoke, before moving to Anfield from the Victoria Ground in April 1900. He helped the reds to our first League title in his first campaign, failing to score in 47 games before moving into amateur football with Southampton in May 1902. Keeper Carl Muggleton signed on loan from Leicester City in 1990 but never even made the first-team bench. He also spent time on loan with the Potters, playing six times and then returning permanently in the summer of 1994 for a fee of £150,000. He played 149 games in this second spell, being released in the summer of 2001, moving on to Cheltenham Town. Bob Glassey signed from Horden Colliery Welfare in March 1934 and netted four goals in nine outings before moving to Stoke City in November 1936, where he struggled to hold down a regular place.

[The_Adder]

Gotta win this haven't we? Surely?

 

Would love to see a back four of:

 

Manquillo - Kolo - Sakho - Moreno

 

With Lucas keeping his place in front of them.

[stressederic]

Gotta win this haven't we? Surely?

 

Would love to see a back four of:

 

Manquillo - Kolo - Sakho - Moreno

 

With Lucas keeping his place in front of them.

 

Yep I can get onboard with the defense. We need a solid platform at the back and then we can accomodate more attacking options going forward. At the moment we're stuck in a weird halfway house where our formation and team selection doesn't seem quite stable enough to stop us conceding or attacking enough for us to dominate the opposition.

 

Last season attack really was our best form of defense and teams were scared of going toe to toe with us because we'd just outscore them. Now we're not threatening enough to get them to hold off on attacking us.

[Hassony]

Gotta win this haven't we? Surely?

 

Would love to see a back four of:

 

Manquillo - Kolo - Sakho - Moreno

 

With Lucas keeping his place in front of them.

 

Skrtel won't be dropped

[whitewidow]

 

Skrtel won't be dropped

He should be

[The_Adder]

 

Skrtel won't be dropped

 

You're right, neither with Johnson.

 

But in my opinion they both should be.

[Billy Dane]

Think Stevie should be playing at the front of the diamond/off Lambert again

[Metro]

Stoke are reported to have sent three players home (goalie and two fullbacks) because of a virus running through the club.

[Boca]

Stoke are reported to have sent three players home (goalie and two fullbacks) because of a virus running through the club.

 

Cue the obscure back up goalie having an absolute blinder.

[Metro]

you're assuming he's going to have some work to do. Big assumption!!

[PhilM]

 

Skrtel won't be dropped

 

Unless Mignolet is trying to catch him.

[mick]

 

Cue the obscure back up goalie having an absolute blinder.

That assumes we will get some shots on target!!

[Hassony]

0-0 written all over it

[CaptainXabi]

0-0 written all over it

Not with our back line...

[Buttles]

 

Cue the obscure back up goalie having an absolute blinder.

No. It will be the youth team goalie that comes on after their number 2 keeper goes off injured who has the match of his life

[_00_deathscar]

0-0 written all over it

 

We're keeping a clean sheet?

[David Hodgson]

So our team then . Could be/should be :

 

Brad Jones

 

Johnson

Moreno

 

Toure

Skrtel

 

Lucas

Can

Henderson

 

Gerrard

Sterling

Anyone

[dorgie]

So our team then . Could be/should be :

 

Brad Jones

 

Johnson

Moreno

 

Toure

Skrtel

 

Lucas

Can

Henderson

 

Gerrard

Sterling

Anyone

 

Is there some substance to the idea that Mignolet's being left out ?

[Case]

Lallana has to play,surely? I'd pick him at #10.

[Molby]

Lallana has to play,surely? I'd pick him at #10.

 

 

to do what?

[RedHarvest]

So our team then . Could be/should be :

 

Brad Jones

 

Johnson

Moreno

 

Toure

Skrtel

 

Lucas

Can

Henderson

 

Gerrard

Sterling

Anyone

Anyone? I'll do it. Just recovered from a bout of tonsillitis and I feel like a million dollars, I can save our season

[Boca]

From Rodgers presser - Balotelli still out

[Flanders]

Lallana has to play,surely? I'd pick him at #10.

Yep. Needs a run of games now because he is an extremely good player.

[Hassony]

Yep. Needs a run of games now because he is an extremely good player.

 

some of the team selection has been strange

 

Emre Can plays well again Real, and then against Chelsea, and then he's dropped form the next two games

Lallana/ coutinho in and out of the team for no reason or logic

Markovic has his best game for us away to real and then he gets no action at all

 

 

The team that I'd like to see on saturday

 

Mignolet

Manquello

Sakho

Skrtel

Moreno

Henderson

Lucas

Can

Lallana

Coutinho

Lambert