Today's hat is mainly red with some black bits in the bobble. This represents Liverpool who of course play in all red. The black bits in the bobble represent the relative 'dark times' that the club has been going through in recent years. I say 'relative' because I wish Pompey had such 'disappointing' seasons e.g. winning the Champions League and coming runners up in the same competition a few years ago.
There can be no doubt, in my mind anyway, that English football needs Liverpool to be challenging for titles, pushing Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all the way. If you grew up in the era of the great Liverpool teams of the 1970s and 1980s under Shankley and Paisley you'll know what I mean.
The Premier League has become too predictable - even with the injection of money at Manchester City and the star of Tottenham Hotspur currently on the ascendency.
Liverpool haven't won the League Title since the early 1990s, a football tragedy.
A strong Liverpool would add to the overall interest levels and make the Premier League more competitive at the top end. As it is by the time April comes round most of the excitement seems to focus on relegation, how crass is that?!
I really thought it was going to happen a couple of seasons ago for Liverpool when they pushed Manchester United all the way, but alas they fell short at the final hurdle.
My simple observation is that Liverpool have been caught up and in some cases (the aforementioned Citeh and Spurs) 'overtaken' by other clubs, certainly in the ability to be able to attract the biggest names in the game. There has been a squeezing of the middle in the Premier League and Liverpool are on the edge of that.
Here's hoping that changes soon, for the good of the whole game in this country.
Pompey have had some tremendous encounters with Liverpool over the years.
The Football League Cup 4th Round match at Anfield in 1980 is one that has gone down in Pompey folklore, not because of the result (Pompey lost 4-1) but because of the 12,000 fans Pompey took to the match! I've recently acquired a copy of the programme from that match, but that's one to share on another day.
The League Division One game in February 1988 at Fratton Park was another game remembered for the crowd - 26,000 packed in that day, including me! I stood on the packed North Terrace with a group of friends who had travelled down specifically for the game and my ticket cost 3 pounds 50 pence! Pompey lost 1-0 bringing to an end a pretty decent run of form. The programme that day was a 'celebratory special' and cost one pound! It's packed with some really good stuff.
There have been some good results for Pompey in recent times in both The Premier League (last season for example) as well as the FA Cup (both 2003 after a replay and 2004 saw Pompey victories).
In the 20008-09 Premier League season Liverpool won 3-2 at Fratton Park having been behind. Despite the defeat it was a fantastic game to watch.
The 1992 season though saw two of the most memorable matches between these clubs in the FA Cup Semi-Final. The first was drawn 1-1 AET at Highbury (which I went to) and the second was drawn 0-0 AET at Villa Park, Pompey losing on penalties (I couldn't get out of work that day and watched the game in my company's social club on a 'big screen' TV). Such a shame. Liverpool went on to win the FA Cup at Wembley against Sunderland. Pompey would have had a great chance to win it that season if they'd got to the Final as Sunderland like Pompey were in the second tier of English football. If only...oh well, we only had to wait another 16 years!
I hope you enjoy these pictures.
The cover of the matchday programme from the match at Highbury.
This is an article from that programme, which mentions the queues for tickets. See the pictures below which I took after I'd queued for mine!
These two pictures show the queues down Frogmore Road and along Goldsmith Avenue. I started queuing just after 7AM with Mrs PC (heavy with egg) and a mate from work. We joined the queue half-way down Goldsmith.
This is the cover of the programme for the FA Cup Semi-Final Replay at Villa Park.
This picture is from the first Semi-Final match at Highbury, showing John Barnes and Darren Anderton, it's the centrefold of the programme at the replay.
BlueThruAndThru
