Never before have I seen such fission for a European Cup match, well I say never before, what I actually mean is never before have I written a blog about a European quarter final.
Let me take you back 41 years to March 16th 1977. A little matter of a third round (quarter final) in what was then called “The European Champions Cup”. A fellow red who was 14 at the time will now take up the tail.
“Stood on the railway platform at 1pm with my cornflakes issue rail ticket looking around for any other Liverpool fan to hook up with, was not what my parents thought I’d be doing at this time of day. They thought I was going straight from school @4pm, but a couple of hours train journey & then a couple of buses would have not got this little red to Anfield and into the ground. I spotted a few lads who were a couple of years older than me, I’d been to a few games with, so I strolled over to chat, and hang with them. I don’t remember much about train journey except one lad had a party 7 (ask your dads) and was trying to open it with a 6 inch nail and a “brown airware” as a hammer, but I definitely remember getting to lime street and seeing nearly everyone wearing green and white scarves. (One of the lads I was with was wearing a Celtic scarf BTW, as was normal back in the day.. Celtic-Rangers was a well used chant on “The Kop” then) So we realized that these were St. Étienne fans. (Back then away fans didn’t just walk around singing & drinking without around 500 of the finest constabulary supervising every step, they were also there to stop them getting attacked). We quickly got out of dodge and up to Anfield. We were outside the ground around four o’clock and we sat on the floor waiting for the gates to open (around 5.45pm for midweeks). We agreed to take it in turns to go to the shop chippy etc. Around 5pm the St. Étienne fans rocked up the road making a tremendous noise. They walked around the ground asking to swap scarves and have a chat about the Beatles and everything Liverpool, they said how much they loved Kevin Keegan (back then fans would rob scarves off opponents as a war trophy, so the offer of trading one was totally alien to everyone of us). That little thing always sticks out in my mind about that game. Keegan broke my heart when he left us & we had to buy that bloke from Celtic, Dalglish I think he was called. The lad with us was relieved of his scarf and was handed it back, when the little scouse kid realized it was a Celtic scarf. Stood outside I witnessed for the first (and last) time the Koppites singing all the songs.
If I remember correctly the gates were opened early due to the numbers building up. I certainly remember standing inside waiting for the programme seller. To be honest I’d only gone to get the programme voucher so I could get ticket for game verses United at home in May, or to use for the semi final of FA Cup if we beat Middlesbrough in the Q/F the following Saturday. Anyway the ground filled up much quicker than usual. I think by around 7 it was solid no way was I going to see much of tonight’s game, I couldn’t get near a barrier. I don’t remember much of the game TBH, except for them scoring, the road end erupting & “The Kop” going silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then from nowhere came the chant “Allez les rouge, Allez les rouge, Allez les rouge” it was a cacophony of noise that echoed round Anfield (to this day I’ve not such noise inside Anfield), even the Kemlyn road was bouncing out the chant. From that moment the noise didn’t stop till the final whistle. Again I can’t tell you how I saw this, or saw that, because I didn’t, but I did know when we scored. That famous goal by super sub will forever live in the minds of the million Liverpool fans who were there (ask any red older than 45, & he/she was there). When the game finished, off I went pleased that I’d managed to get 2, yes 2 programmes (I found one on my way out, result). So on my long journey home with a lot more reds now I may add, the older ones talked about how this was best night ever they’d been to, or seen, it was even better than Wolves away. I still didn’t comprehend what I’d (sort of) witnessed. All I was looking forward to, was going Saturday v Borough in the fa cup. It was a game I saw as the biggest game, a chance of getting to see us play in the real big one. The FA Cup at Wembley.”
All you fans out there can you name the team Liverpool beat in the Semi final of the champions cup? I can’t remember (google it later) but I remember we beat Middlesborough on the Saturday & then played verses Everton in the semi final (drew 2-2 on the sat. Won replay on Wed 3-0 both played at Main Road. Manchester turned into mini Liverpool, but that’s another tail….)
Thanks again all the best.
Tippysr 👍😉
(Liverpool won Semi final v FC Zurich 6-1 on agg 3-1 A 3-0 H)
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