Here’s a crystal clear memory from a Manchester United fan. When the record equaling eighteenth championship was clinched in May 2009, the only response Liverpool fans were able to make was “What took you so long to catch up with us?” A fair enough question but another must now be just as reasonable. If title number 19 comes to Old Trafford in May – and it must be emphasised that while looking likely, it cannot yet be certain, “What has taken Liverpool so long to win it themselves?”
The self proclaimed ‘greatest club in English football’ has failed to win the title since 1990 – that’s twenty one long years and counting. It has never known what it’s like to win a Premier League and was even desperate enough to resurrect legend Kenny Dalglish in a desperate attempt to bring back the glory days.
The faces at Anfield must have therefore been as red as their famous shirts after relegation threatened West Brom, managed by a much maligned man they sacked just a few weeks ago, left them beaten, if not quite humiliated, at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
It can be said that this comment should have been left until May when a record breaking United title is hopefully confirmed but if truth can be told – I just could not wait!
If United can only win one trophy this season, which one do you want it to be?
A series of shit owners and a few bad managers.
Agree Toots, any manager apart from the Spanish waiter would have won the title two years ago DESPITE the shit owners!
haha those losers scousers will forever kept mum when we’ll win the 19th title!
there will be no doubt OFFICIALLY that who the best club in England!
man how i love being an ardent united fan! GGMU!!! 😀
No doubt how many European cups have utd won?
That’s a fair enough question No doubt because the record books cannot be argued against. Yes, United has only won three European Cups against Liverpools five but is it that simple when you analyse the facts objectively? That, in itself, may be another story for another day.
Four of those Liverpool triumphs were achieved during an era when only one club from each country was allowed to participate in the competition as against two, three and even four major clubs today. It needed the maximum of nine matches to win the trophy against clubs like Crusaders, Tabzonspor, St Etienne, FC Zurich, Oulo Palloseura, CSKA Sofia and Odense who neither now nor then can exactly be described as European ‘giants’.
That’s by no means an attempt to diminish Liverpool’s success. After all, you cannot do any more than beat the opponents placed in front of you but it does put into perspective how much easier it was to win the trophy in those days. In contrast, Liverpools 2005 triumph included defeats of Bayern Leverkuson, Juventus, Chelsea and AC Milan, a far more difficult task than the one which was faced 20 years earlier.
The bottom line is that Liverpool unquestionably dominated English football at a time when The European Cup was far easier to win when compared to Manchester United’s domination in the 90’s and beyond. There can be no dispute that the record books show Liverpool has a superior record in terms of winning Europes major trophy, a fact that Liverpool fans understandably bring up as a final defence of their clubs perceived dominance over their rivals. The question must remain however as to whether those statistics really tell the whole, correct story.
Frank, that’s the best reply to the often heard “we’ve won it 5 times” line I’ve ever heard! Brilliant knowledge!
@Brett McCarten – Rafa Benitez used to love giving his own version of ‘FACTS’ but as you can see, those same FACTS are not always what they seem to be upon close examination