A Football Day Out In Liverpool - 1st April 2016

A Day Trip To Liverpool.

Driving under the River Mersey.

Entering the Kingsway Tunnel,  a toll road tunnel linking Wallasey and Liverpool.

First a trip to Anfield, the home of Liverpool FC.

 A look around the museum, and the Steven Gerrard collection.

The Champions League Trophies.

Hillsborough memorial mosaic.

Now time for the stadium tour.

The Bill Shankly statue.  The man responsible for rebuilding the Liverpool team, getting promotion into the first division and winning many cups and  three first division championships  in the 1960-70s.

The Bob Paisley gates. He spent nearly fifty years at Liverpool as a player, coach and manager. He won twenty honours in nine seasons both in England and Europe. 

Under the famous sign.

First look at the pitch. 

Can you see the new stand being built behind me.  It will be finished in approx 6 months.

The small tunnel where the players come out.

The Kop end. It is much smaller than it looks on TV.

Anfield Road end.  Where the away fans sit.

The executive boxes.

You get a great view.

This is Daniel Sturridge's box.

Image how amazing the atmosphere of 25000 standing fans in the Kop would have been before it was made an all seater stand.

This is Steven Gerrard's executive box.

Adam Lallana.

Daniel Sturridge.

Joining the team.

The Kop, named after a small hill in South Africa. Where many soldiers during the Boer War  lost their lives, and a lot of these men had a connection to Liverpool.

The main stand expansion, behind me.  Adding  approximately 8,500 seats.  Taking the capacity to approx 54,000.

The crowd is very close to the pitch.

The Kop...Now a capacity of 13000.  Before the Hillsborough tragedy of 1989.  25000 people would be stood around me.

Our tour guide gave us some grass from the pitch, I have put mine in my ticket lanyard.

I have enjoyed learning about the history of Liverpool FC.
I was very surprised to be told that this was actually Everton FC's ground first, before they moved to Goodison.

Tribute to the 96 people who lost their lives at the FA cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium on 15th April 1989.

Now for some shopping.

My new team coach.

My programme for tomorrow's match against Tottenham Hotspurs.

My magnet of the famous sign.

My shopping bag.

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My souvenir ticket and lanyard.

I have vacuum sealed my Anfield grass to try and keep it fresh.

Across Stanley Park to the city's other famous football ground.

Goodison Park, the home of Everton football club.

One of the World's oldest purpose-built football grounds.

One of my favourite players Wayne Rooney started his career here.

The Everton shop.

Up the steps out onto the pitch.

After all that football touring.  We went into the city centre for my favourite 'Five Guys'.

 I still cannot decide if the city is Red or Blue!