Back to where
the Cup belongs - at Anfield. (Photo: AP)
MAY 26
Conquering heroes return to Liverpool
Sporting Life
Liverpool's conquering heroes brought the European
Cup back for keeps in an emotional return to the city on
Thursday night.
The main routes into the city were gridlocked as an
estimated quarter of a million fans brought Liverpool to
a standstill.
Delirious fans in red shirts frequently brought the team
bus to a halt on the route as champagne cascaded down
from its open top.
The five-times winners now get to keep this trophy for
good, having shattered AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out
in Istanbul 24 hours earlier.
The players had partied long into the night at their
Crown Plaza Hotel, and then were heading home on the
four-hour flight back to Merseyside.
There they were met by fans who had waited 21 years to
see the trophy return to the city, and the party
continued long into the night.
Manager Rafael Benitez joined his players at the front
of the bus, brandishing the trophy, and said: "Seeing
these smiling faces is the greatest pleasure.
"They have been magnificent all season, they have been
our 12th man and behaved perfectly in Istanbul.
"I have always said our fans are the best in England.
Now I know they are the best in Europe too."
Fans travelled to Turkey for the match and returned
without one single arrest, to the relief of the
Liverpool authorities.
The loudest cheers were for local players Jamie
Carragher and Steven Gerrard as the cavalcade crawled
along Queens Drive towards Anfield carrying the new
kings of Europe - the bus adorned by a banner now with
five European Cup trophies on it.
Gerrard said: "These fans have inspired us, so it is
great to bring the cup back for them. They were
fantastic in Turkey, and they really lifted us to
victory after that first half when we were 3-0 down."
Guests on the plane trip home were allowed to each hold
the trophy and have their photos taken as it was passed
down the plane.
Gerrard had slept with the trophy in his bed at the team
hotel the night before, and he has barely allowed it out
of his sight ever since.
He added: "I said we would bring the cup back for these
fans, and now we have done it."
It is two decades since Liverpool has witnessed such
scenes, and the five-mile trip from the end of the M62
to St George's Hall in the city centre took more than
two hours.
More than 100,000 fans were on the streets after the
match the night before in wild celebrations, but it was
nothing compared to these amazing scenes.
Fans danced on the top of petrol station roofs, they
hung from lampposts and clung precariously to the
rooftops of houses on the route.
Liverpool has been a city in footballing denial, a club
in slow decline from the days that they once ruled
Europe.
But not anymore if these scenes are anything to go by.
Their astonishing fans turned out in vast numbers
because they believe Rafa Benitez has brought the birth
of a new golden era - and a vast banner proclaiming:
"Viva Benitez" said everything about how people had
taken the Spaniard to their hearts.
The parade was halted constantly by sheer weight of
numbers, and there were even some Everton shirts to be
seen, with one banner in blue saying: "EFC congratulates
LFC for their triumph".
Chairman David Moores said after the Turkish triumph:
"Where else could you see fans like this? There must
have been 40,000 in the stadium."
Well, by the time he had returned to Merseyside, a whole
lot more were in the streets of Liverpool as delighted
and grateful fans stood in almost disbelief welcoming
their heroes home.
And by the time the team bus reached Anfield, they were
halted again by many thousands of fans, the coach
inching its way through the masses aided by dozens of
police horses and eventually stopping in front of the
Kop.
The scenes continued as the parade slowly crawled down
to the city centre, where many thousands more waited in
St George's Square.
MAY 26
Benitez: Stick
with us Steve
Sporting Life
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants Steven Gerrard
to stay at the club for life.
The inspirational England midfielder went to bed
clutching the Champions League trophy last night for
fear of mislaying it - just as the Liverpool boss had
similarly endured the prospect of losing his prize asset
amid a myriad of doubts over his captain's future all
season.
That is until now. With Gerrard poised to sign a deal
worth up to £100,000 a week, Benitez revealed his desire
for the midfielder, who turns 25 next week, to stay at
the club for the rest of his career.
For he is counting upon Gerrard to underpin Liverpool's
revival for many years to come, with the distractions of
doubts over his future finally set to be removed.
"One of the reasons we didn't play at our normal level
in the Premiership was that people were always talking
about Steven and his future," revealed the Liverpool
boss.
"But now I think he'll be happy and, for sure, he will
play well for us next season - and maybe 10 more seasons
after that.
"Steven said he wants to win more trophies and I'm sure
he will stay with us. We need good players with heart
and passion, and he's one of them."
Having come so close to joining Chelsea last summer,
Gerrard had been persuaded to test Liverpool's ambition
for just one more season. It was worth the wait.
"How can I leave after a night like this?" he admitted
shortly after their penalty success despite trailing 3-0
to AC Milan at half-time.
That was before the celebrations began and the cup
joined him in his hotel bed for what was left of the
night in Istanbul.
"I slept with the cup in my hotel room. I did not want
it out of my sight. When I woke up and someone took it
away, I felt I had lost a part of me," he admitted.
Chief executive Rick Parry smiled at Gerrard's next plan
- to take the cup to his local pub in Huyton, just as
Phil Thompson had done in 1984 - remarking "we'll have
to see about that!"
However, he is delighted at Gerrard's declaration that
he intends to sit down "really soon" to discuss his
future and that things are already "looking good".
Parry responded: "It's down to Steve how long he signs
for. I don't think it's down to money for him, it's
about his craving for success.
"He's made no secret of the fact that his ideal would be
to win trophies with Liverpool. That's our ambition too,
so the two go hand in hand.
"We always felt the key was that he could fulfil his
ambitions at Liverpool. From when we sat down with him
last year, he knows we're as ambitious as he is.
"There was a dilemma for him last summer which we can
understand but our message was 'stick with it and let's
see what happens'.
"Well, look what has happened. It shows he made the
right decision in terms of staying and now we want to
kick on together."
Gerrard put Liverpool back on the route to recovery in
Istanbul, but even Benitez admitted all had appeared
lost at half-time at 3-0 down.
"The players were sitting there with their heads down.
We knew it would be really difficult but we just talked
about scoring one goal" he revealed.
"Then maybe things could change - and they did. When our
players heard the supporters, they ran a little bit
more. By the end, Milan were really afraid.
"The fans were always with us. We said we needed to do
something for them and for us. When you start losing,
you have to change not only the tactics but the
mentality as well."
Benitez brought on Dietmar Hamann for the injured Steve
Finnan, made three defensive changes and, with Gerrard
released forward, Liverpool struck three times in just
six minutes.
The amazing recovery act could prove costly for Benitez,
having promised his wife some expensive jewellery if his
team prevailed, but it is a price he is more than
willing to pay.
He concluded: "My wife is delighted and I'm sure she
will be taking me shopping!
"She reminded that I had said many years ago that I
would be [European] champion before I was 45 and now
it's true."
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