johnnydawg68
Chairperson, People's Front of Saint Domingo
Article from ESPN this morning...
LIVERPOOL -- As a city, Liverpool is home to two of the most successful football clubs in the country. It may have been some time since Everton and Liverpool reigned supreme in England, but their history is long lasting. Some three decades on, both sides are now looking to create new legacies.
For Liverpool, it is a case of getting over the hump and lifting their first league title since 1990 under the guidance of their charismatic manager Jurgen Klopp, while becoming a European powerhouse again.
Everton, meanwhile, have been plunged into the modern era thanks to Farhad Moshiri's riches after he purchased a 49.9 percent stake in the club back in February 2016 and spent almost £100 million this summer.
In recent years, the city of Liverpool has been overtaken in terms of success -- particularity by both clubs in rival Manchester. Liverpool have won just one major trophy -- the League Cup back in 2012 -- in the last 11 years, while Everton are still awaiting their first honour since 1995.
But both clubs seem to be on an upward trajectory, on the pitch and off it. Liverpool managed to lure one of the most sought-after coaches in the world, despite their recent struggles. Klopp has already guided Liverpool to two cup finals and a top-four finish for only the second time in the past eight seasons.
Last season, too, saw the completion of the new Main Stand at Anfield, which has added an extra 8,500 seats to the stadium's overall capacity and boosted revenue streams to close the financial gap on rivals. The club are also exploring options to expand the ground even further with the potential redevelopment of the Anfield Road End.
Stadium upgrades are not solely restricted to the red half of the city, either. Everton have started the process that will see them leave Goodison Park after 125 years as they plan to build a new £300m-plus ground at Liverpool's Bramley Moore Dock.
Everton's chequebook is well and truly open -- their business in the summer transfer window is proof of that. Ronald Koeman has welcomed seven new faces to his team, bringing in Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane for club-record fees that could rise to £30m for each player.
There is no offseason on Merseyside and no time to switch off from football. So even when the season has finished, supporters invest the same level of attention on the dealings of their clubs while the action on the pitch is on hiatus.
The interest from the city in football is like nowhere else in the country. It leads daily discussion, dominates weekends and can divide families.
"The world stops for 90 minutes in a city," Klopp said ahead of his third Merseyside derby. "Football is not the most important thing in the world but in a few moments we love to think it is."
The spotlight can, however, be a bit too glaring, especially on its own people. Steven Gerrard, a local lad and regarded as one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, continually spoke about the "pressure cooker of life in Liverpool."
It is a reason why Ross Barkley's current contract impasse at Everton is so high-profile around the city. If it were any other 23-year-old who had failed to fulfil his potential then the interest would be less, but as it is a player who grew up supporting the club and represented them since the age of 11, the uncertain future of one of their own is afforded plenty of column inches by the local newspaper, the Liverpool Echo.
This has also been a year of returns for two of the city's most successful sons.
Gerrard left Liverpool at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, heading to LA Galaxy in the United States, and he enjoyed his 18-month stint in California away from the spotlight, making the most of an environment where he could go pretty much anywhere in Los Angeles and not be noticed.
But his time away from Liverpool was always temporary. "As soon as I'm done here, I'm going to be heading back home because that's where I belong," he said during his time in MLS. At the first opportunity, he came home -- rejoining Liverpool as an academy coach -- and is now in charge of the under-18s on the pathway to becoming first-team manager.
On the blue half of the city, Wayne Rooney rejoined Everton earlier this summer after 13 years away.
Rooney left his boyhood Everton at 18 for Manchester United, going on to become their all-time leading goal scorer. While breaking records and winning five Premier League titles, a Champions League and FA Cup at Old Trafford, the forward still kept his Everton extremely close to his heart.
"I've kept it quiet for the last 13 years, but I've actually been wearing Everton pyjamas at home with my kids," he said after his return was confirmed. "I had to keep that a bit quiet. [Wearing the Everton shirt] feels as special as it did 13 years ago and I'm just looking forward now to getting out on the pitch with it on."
Yet while continuing to make positive strides, Liverpool and Everton are still behind others and some way off the top.
Manchester United came in with £75m to swoop for Everton's best player, Romelu Lukaku, who merely saw the Blues as a stepping stone to greater pastures during his three his seasons. Meanwhile, Barcelona are circling around Philippe Coutinho, who could go on to follow Luis Suarez's successful journey from Anfield to the Camp Nou.
It would be fair to suggest that the Merseyside teams are currently seen by some players as checkpoints rather than final destinations, but both now have the foundations in place to change that. The city's love for sport is -- and will continue to be -- hugely attractive.
LIVERPOOL -- As a city, Liverpool is home to two of the most successful football clubs in the country. It may have been some time since Everton and Liverpool reigned supreme in England, but their history is long lasting. Some three decades on, both sides are now looking to create new legacies.
For Liverpool, it is a case of getting over the hump and lifting their first league title since 1990 under the guidance of their charismatic manager Jurgen Klopp, while becoming a European powerhouse again.
Everton, meanwhile, have been plunged into the modern era thanks to Farhad Moshiri's riches after he purchased a 49.9 percent stake in the club back in February 2016 and spent almost £100 million this summer.
In recent years, the city of Liverpool has been overtaken in terms of success -- particularity by both clubs in rival Manchester. Liverpool have won just one major trophy -- the League Cup back in 2012 -- in the last 11 years, while Everton are still awaiting their first honour since 1995.
But both clubs seem to be on an upward trajectory, on the pitch and off it. Liverpool managed to lure one of the most sought-after coaches in the world, despite their recent struggles. Klopp has already guided Liverpool to two cup finals and a top-four finish for only the second time in the past eight seasons.
Last season, too, saw the completion of the new Main Stand at Anfield, which has added an extra 8,500 seats to the stadium's overall capacity and boosted revenue streams to close the financial gap on rivals. The club are also exploring options to expand the ground even further with the potential redevelopment of the Anfield Road End.
Stadium upgrades are not solely restricted to the red half of the city, either. Everton have started the process that will see them leave Goodison Park after 125 years as they plan to build a new £300m-plus ground at Liverpool's Bramley Moore Dock.
Everton's chequebook is well and truly open -- their business in the summer transfer window is proof of that. Ronald Koeman has welcomed seven new faces to his team, bringing in Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane for club-record fees that could rise to £30m for each player.
There is no offseason on Merseyside and no time to switch off from football. So even when the season has finished, supporters invest the same level of attention on the dealings of their clubs while the action on the pitch is on hiatus.
The interest from the city in football is like nowhere else in the country. It leads daily discussion, dominates weekends and can divide families.
"The world stops for 90 minutes in a city," Klopp said ahead of his third Merseyside derby. "Football is not the most important thing in the world but in a few moments we love to think it is."
The spotlight can, however, be a bit too glaring, especially on its own people. Steven Gerrard, a local lad and regarded as one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, continually spoke about the "pressure cooker of life in Liverpool."
It is a reason why Ross Barkley's current contract impasse at Everton is so high-profile around the city. If it were any other 23-year-old who had failed to fulfil his potential then the interest would be less, but as it is a player who grew up supporting the club and represented them since the age of 11, the uncertain future of one of their own is afforded plenty of column inches by the local newspaper, the Liverpool Echo.
This has also been a year of returns for two of the city's most successful sons.
Gerrard left Liverpool at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, heading to LA Galaxy in the United States, and he enjoyed his 18-month stint in California away from the spotlight, making the most of an environment where he could go pretty much anywhere in Los Angeles and not be noticed.
But his time away from Liverpool was always temporary. "As soon as I'm done here, I'm going to be heading back home because that's where I belong," he said during his time in MLS. At the first opportunity, he came home -- rejoining Liverpool as an academy coach -- and is now in charge of the under-18s on the pathway to becoming first-team manager.
On the blue half of the city, Wayne Rooney rejoined Everton earlier this summer after 13 years away.
Rooney left his boyhood Everton at 18 for Manchester United, going on to become their all-time leading goal scorer. While breaking records and winning five Premier League titles, a Champions League and FA Cup at Old Trafford, the forward still kept his Everton extremely close to his heart.
"I've kept it quiet for the last 13 years, but I've actually been wearing Everton pyjamas at home with my kids," he said after his return was confirmed. "I had to keep that a bit quiet. [Wearing the Everton shirt] feels as special as it did 13 years ago and I'm just looking forward now to getting out on the pitch with it on."
Yet while continuing to make positive strides, Liverpool and Everton are still behind others and some way off the top.
Manchester United came in with £75m to swoop for Everton's best player, Romelu Lukaku, who merely saw the Blues as a stepping stone to greater pastures during his three his seasons. Meanwhile, Barcelona are circling around Philippe Coutinho, who could go on to follow Luis Suarez's successful journey from Anfield to the Camp Nou.
It would be fair to suggest that the Merseyside teams are currently seen by some players as checkpoints rather than final destinations, but both now have the foundations in place to change that. The city's love for sport is -- and will continue to be -- hugely attractive.
