Two tribes united in common cause on cup final day
SOMETHING QUITE extraordinary occurred in the immediate aftermath of the final whistle in the old Wembley at the FA Cup final of 1986. Liverpool had overcome the concession of the opening goal to defeat arch-rivals Everton 3-1 in the first-ever all-Merseyside decider, becoming only the third club in the history of football in England to complete a league and cup double in the process.
Supporters of the Blues would have been forgiven for heading back to their buses and trains long before the final whistle.
After all, it’s one thing to lose a final of any description, but it has to hurt that bit more when the nail in the coffin is driven home by one’s nearest neighbour, especially in a game of such historical significance and before an enthralled worldwide audience.
In those circumstances, the scenes that unfolded were all the more remarkable. The vast majority of the Everton fans stayed to witness the contrasting scenes of joy and despair on the field, joining the ecstatic Liverpool supporters in a prolonged chant of ‘Merseyside, Merseyside, Merseyside’.
They had done the same before the game, and this unprecedented show of solidarity was seen as the city of Liverpool’s collective defiant response at the end of a year when Scousers had taken a real hammering.
‘Two Tribes’ by Tony Evans traces the ups and downs of a tumultuous twelve months, taking the 1985 European Cup final as a starting point.
Liverpool fans had been involved in the
Heysel disaster on that black night, when
39 people died in a decaying stadium in
Brussels prior to their defeat to Juventus.
All English clubs were banned from continental competition as a result, and top of that list were Everton who had followed up FA Cup success in 1984 with the league title at the end of the following season.
The neighbours on either side of Stanley Park were both at the peak of their powers at the time, and it was no exaggeration to suggest that they had the two best teams bar none in Europe.
Therefore, when they qualified for that winner-takes-all clash in Wembley, it was a defining moment in the history of football.
Adding spice to the occasion, not that it was needed, was the fact that Liverpool had snatched the league title from under the noses of long-time pace-setters Everton.
Kenny Dalglish was their inspiring player-manager, while Howard Kendall was in charge of Everton and had transformed them into a super side, powered by the likes of Gary Lineker, Graeme Sharp and Kevin Ratcliffe.
The author, a Liverpool fan, was front and centre for the duration of this compelling season, but this book isn’t restricted to football matters.
He was also the trombone player with The Farm; if I mention their stand-out hit, ‘All Together Now’, I reckon anyone of my vintage will spend the rest of the day with the chorus firmly embedded in their brain!
That song hadn’t been recorded in 1986, though, a year marred by social and political turmoil all over England as Margaret Thatcher’s policies led to widespread unrest among working class communities.
The anger was particularly intense in Liverpool, a city that went against the grain by having a Labour-controlled council in an era of Tory supremacy. The combination of sport, music and politics makes for a compelling account of a year when reds and blues united for once in a show of communal spirit and defiance.
ALAN AHERNE
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