Liverpool in Europe, Part 7

Between Heysel and Istanbul

The years after Heysel (Liverpool in Europe, Part 6) were an extended period of introspection for the club and its supporters. As we waited for the official outcomes of trials, examinations and verdicts, everyone was unanimous - Liverpool would not be playing in Europe again for a long time.

There were two distinctly different viewpoints in play. The pessimistic one was that many fans would now stop going to the match at all. And Liverpool FC would be denied its lifeblood, its special connection with European football. The club would be deprived of income from that and the loss of supporters, and of its source of inspiration. This in turn would encourage players to jump ship to clubs who were playing in Europe - we didn’t yet know that all English clubs were to be banned. We were headed on an inexorable downward spiral. Gloom pervaded all to do with the club.

There was an optimistic counterview. With poor old Joe Fagan broken by Heysel, we now had a club legend as player-manager - the first in our history - in Kenny Dalglish. Surely he and the club needed our support like never before?

As it happened, we followed the optimistic route. The season after Heysel, attendances at Anfield showed a modest increase on the previous season, and Liverpool won the league and FA Cup double for the first time. By 1988 Dalglish had assembled the most exciting, thrilling team even we had witnessed to date, with Barnes and Beardsley providing the magic and Aldridge the goals. We still to this day can only imagine what that team might have achieved in Europe.

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