1996–97 Liverpool F.C. season

The 1996–97 Liverpool F.C. season was the 105th season in the club's existence, and their 35th consecutive year in the top-flight of English football. In addition to the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons), the club competed in the FA Cup, League Cup, and the Cup Winners' Cup.

Liverpool
1996–97 season
ChairmanDavid Moores
ManagerRoy Evans
Premier League4th
FA CupFourth round
League CupFifth round
Cup Winners' CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague:
Robbie Fowler (18)

All:
Robbie Fowler (31)
Average home league attendance38,436

Season overview edit

Liverpool led the Premiership for much of the season, and established a five-point lead at the top before New Year's Day 1997. However, the team were overtaken by Manchester United in the latter stages of the season, and it was United who ultimately won the league, though Liverpool squandered several more chances to reclaim the top position.[1] The side were marred both by the rise of the "Spice Boys" culture, as well as by defensive aberrations; dropping points at their previously impregnable Anfield home. A 2–1 home defeat against bottom of the table Coventry City denied Liverpool the chance to return to top spot with six games to go, United having lost at home to Derby the previous day.[2] Indeed, a win over United at Anfield in April would have put Liverpool top with just three matches to go, but United won 3–1 to effectively clinch the title.[3] The title lost, Liverpool still went into the final match of the season in second place with a two-point lead over Newcastle and Arsenal, but a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday meant they ended up finishing 4th on goal difference, thus missing out on a place in the newly expanded UEFA Champions League[4] and leaving Roy Evans and his team with a UEFA Cup place as scant consolation for a season which had promised much and giving rise to the phrase "finishing fourth in a two horse race".

In the cups there was more disappointment. Liverpool's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup campaign ended in the semi-finals with a 3–2 aggregate defeat to Paris St Germain. In the FA Cup they lost 4–2 to eventual winners Chelsea in the fourth round, having led 2–0 at half-time and squandered chances to extend their lead. Liverpool were knocked out in the Coca-Cola Cup quarter-finals by eventual finalists Middlesbrough.

The side were nevertheless praised for their attractive attacking style of football. Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler continued to excel for the club, and Fowler continued his prolific strike partnership with Stan Collymore, scoring 47 goals between them. Fowler's suspension for the final four games was a big blow and effectively ended any lingering hopes of title glory. Fowler also received a UEFA Fair Play award, for protesting that he had not been fouled by Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman when the referee awarded a penalty kick. The season also saw the debut of teenage prodigy Michael Owen.

Former defender Mark Wright stated in an interview that this was the season in the 1990s that the Liverpool team truly had the talent and opportunity to win the title but threw it away:[5] "We did come close to winning the league a few times and we finished fourth one season when we were the best team. We were better than Manchester United, better than everyone, and we finished joint second but ended up fourth because of goal difference. That was the season we should have won the title and we all know that. I remember some of the games we lost and the way we dropped points against certain sides. David James dropped a few clangers and I remember them because in certain games he didn't have anything to do, then all of a sudden he thinks he's got to be involved in the game. He would come rushing out and all of a sudden you would be 1–0 down", he said.

First-team squad edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG David James
2 DF   ENG Rob Jones
3 DF   ENG John Scales
3 DF   NOR Bjørn Tore Kvarme
4 DF   IRL Jason McAteer[notes 1]
5 DF   ENG Mark Wright
6 DF   IRL Phil Babb[notes 2]
7 MF   ENG Steve McManaman
8 FW   ENG Stan Collymore
9 FW   ENG Robbie Fowler
10 MF   ENG John Barnes[notes 3]
11 MF   ENG Jamie Redknapp
12 DF   ENG Steve Harkness
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK   ENG Tony Warner[notes 4]
14 DF   ENG Neil Ruddock
15 MF   CZE Patrik Berger
16 MF   ENG Michael Thomas
18 FW   ENG Michael Owen
19 MF   IRL Mark Kennedy
20 DF   NOR Stig Inge Bjørnebye
21 DF   ENG Dominic Matteo[notes 5]
22 MF   ENG Jamie Cassidy
23 DF   ENG Jamie Carragher
24 FW   WAL Lee Jones
25 MF   ENG David Thompson
26 GK   DEN Jørgen Nielsen

Transfers edit

In edit

# Pos Player From Fee Date
15 MF   Patrik Berger   Borussia Dortmund £3,250,000 15 August 1996
28 MF   Nick Rizzo   Sydney Olympic Free 1 September 1996
3 DF   Bjørn Tore Kvarme   Rosenborg Free 10 January 1997

Out edit

# Pos Player To Fee Date
27 GK   Stephen Pears   Hartlepool United Free 1 June 1996
18 MF   Phil Charnock   Crewe Alexandra Free 6 December 1996
3 DF   John Scales   Tottenham Hotspur £2,600,000 11 December 1996

Competitions edit

Premier League edit

League table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Newcastle United 38 19 11 8 73 40 +33 68 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Arsenal 38 19 11 8 62 32 +30 68 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
4 Liverpool 38 19 11 8 62 37 +25 68
5 Aston Villa 38 17 10 11 47 34 +13 61
6 Chelsea 38 16 11 11 58 55 +3 59 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
  2. ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.

Results by round edit

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHAHAHAAHAAHHAHHHAHAAHHAHHAHAAHAAHHAA
ResultDWDWWWWWLWLWDDWLWWDDWLDWWWDLWDWLWDLWLD
Position94743111332323232222123322344444344324
Source: Competitive Matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches edit

17 August 1996 1 Middlesbrough 3–3 Liverpool Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
15:00 Ravanelli   26' (pen.), 36', 81' Report Bjørnebye   4'
Barnes   29'
Fowler   65'
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 30,039
19 August 1996 2 Liverpool 2–0 Arsenal Liverpool, Merseyside
20:00 BST McManaman   68', 74' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,103
Referee: Gary Willard
24 August 1996 3 Liverpool 0–0 Sunderland Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,503
4 September 1996 4 Coventry City 0–1 Liverpool Coventry, West Midlands
19:45 Babb   68' Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 23,021
7 September 1996 5 Liverpool 2–1 Southampton Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Collymore   39'
McManaman   89'
Magilton   68' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,189
15 September 1996 6 Leicester City 0–3 Liverpool Leicester, Leicestershire
15:00 Berger   58', 77'
Thomas   61'
Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 20,987
21 September 1996 7 Liverpool 5–1 Chelsea Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Fowler   15'
Berger   42', 49'
Myers   45' (o.g.)
Barnes   57'
Leboeuf   85' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,739
29 September 1996 8 West Ham United 1–2 Liverpool Newham, London
15:00 Bilić   15' Collymore   3'
Thomas   55'
Attendance: 25,064
12 October 1996 9 Manchester United 1–0 Liverpool Trafford, Greater Manchester
11:15 Beckham   23' Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 55,128
27 October 1996 10 Liverpool 2–1 Derby County Liverpool, Merseyside
16:00 Fowler   47', 51' A. Ward   89' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,515
3 November 1996 11 Blackburn Rovers 3–0 Liverpool Blackburn, Lancashire
15:00 Sutton   3' (pen.), 56'
Wilcox   24'
Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 29,598
16 November 1996 12 Leeds United 0–2 Liverpool Leeds, West Yorkshire
15:00 Ruddock   13'
McManaman   90'
Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 39,981
20 November 1996 13 Liverpool 1–1 Everton Liverpool, Merseyside
19:45 Fowler   30' Speed   82' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,751
23 November 1996 14 Liverpool 1–1 Wimbledon Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Collymore   1' Leonhardsen   67' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,027
2 December 1996 15 Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 Liverpool Haringey, London
20:00 Thomas   45'
McManaman   49'
Stadium: White Hart Lane
7 December 1996 16 Liverpool 0–1 Sheffield Wednesday Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Whittingham   21' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,507
14 December 1996 17 Liverpool 5–1 Middlesbrough Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Fowler   1', 28', 77', 85'
Bjørnebye   45'
Fjørtoft   75' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,491
17 December 1996 18 Liverpool 4–2 Nottingham Forest Liverpool, Merseyside
19:45 Collymore   6', 63'
Fowler   27'
Lyttle   53' (o.g.)
Campbell   34'
Pearce   60'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 36,126
23 December 1996 19 Newcastle United 1–1 Liverpool Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear
20:00 Shearer   28' Fowler   45' Stadium: St. James' Park
Attendance: 36,570
26 December 1996 20 Liverpool 1–1 Leicester City Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Collymore   80' Claridge   76' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,786
29 December 1996 21 Southampton 0–1 Liverpool Southampton, Hampshire
16:00 Barnes   76' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,222
1 January 1997 22 Chelsea 1–0 Liverpool Fulham, London
15:00 Di Matteo   43' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 28,329
11 January 1997 23 Liverpool 0–0 West Ham United Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,102
18 January 1997 24 Liverpool 3–0 Aston Villa Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Carragher   50'
Collymore   58'
Fowler   63'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,489
1 February 1997 25 Derby County 0–1 Liverpool Derby, Derbyshire
15:00 Collymore   75' Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 18,102
19 February 1997 26 Liverpool 4–0 Leeds United Liverpool, Merseyside
19:45 Fowler   21'
Collymore   36', 37'
Redknapp   87'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,957
22 February 1997 27 Liverpool 0–0 Blackburn Rovers Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,747
2 March 1997 28 Aston Villa 1–0 Liverpool Birmingham, West Midlands
16:00 Taylor   83' Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 39,339
10 March 1997 29 Liverpool 4–3 Newcastle United Liverpool, Merseyside
20:00 McManaman   29'
Berger   30'
Fowler   42', 90'
Gillespie   71'
Asprilla   87'
Barton   88'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,751
15 March 1997 30 Nottingham Forest 1–1 Liverpool Nottingham
15:00 Woan   30' Fowler   4' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 29,181
24 March 1997 31 Arsenal 1–2 Liverpool Islington, London
20:00 GMT Wright   78' Collymore   50'
McAteer   65'
Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,068
Referee: Gerald Ashby
6 April 1997 32 Liverpool 1–2 Coventry City Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 Fowler   52' Whelan   65'
Dublin   90'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,079
13 April 1997 33 Sunderland 1–2 Liverpool Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
15:00 Stewart   53' Fowler   33'
McManaman   47'
Stadium: Roker Park
Attendance: 21,938
16 April 1997 34 Everton 1–1 Liverpool Liverpool, Merseyside
19:45 Ferguson   65' Redknapp   26' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 40,177
19 April 1997 35 Liverpool 1–3 Manchester United Liverpool, Merseyside
11:15 Barnes   19' Pallister   13', 42'
Cole   63'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,892
6 May 1997 37 Wimbledon 2–1 Liverpool Croydon, London
19:45 Euell   43'
Holdsworth   55'
Owen   74' Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 20,016
11 May 1997 38 Sheffield Wednesday 1–1 Liverpool Sheffield
16:00 Donaldson   75' Redknapp   83' Stadium: Hillsborough
Attendance: 38,943

FA Cup edit

4 January 1997 Third round Liverpool 1–0 Burnley Liverpool
Collymore   12' (Report) Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 33,252
26 January 1997 Fourth round Chelsea 4–2 Liverpool London
Hughes   50'
Zola   58'
Vialli   63', 76'
(Report) Fowler   10'
Collymore   21'
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 27,950

Football League Cup edit

23 October 1996 Third round Charlton Athletic 1–1 Liverpool London
Whyte   18' Report Fowler   21' Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 15,000
13 November 1996 Third round replay Liverpool 4–1 Charlton Athletic Liverpool
Wright   14'
Redknapp   18'
Fowler   48', 73'
Report Newton   21' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 20,714
27 November 1996 Fourth round Liverpool 4–2 Arsenal Liverpool
McManaman   26'
Fowler   39' (pen.), 52'
Berger   72'
Report Wright   13' (pen.), 68' (pen.) Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 32,814
8 January 1997 Quarter-final Middlesbrough 2–1 Liverpool Middlesbrough
Hignett   14'
Vickers   21'
Report McManaman   65' Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 28,670

Cup Winners' Cup edit

12 September 1996 First round, first leg MyPa   0–1   Liverpool Anjalankoski
Report Bjørnebye   61' Stadium: Kymenlaakson Sähkö Stadion
Attendance: 4,767
26 September 1996 First round, second leg Liverpool   3–1
(4–1 agg.)
  MyPa Liverpool
Berger   16'
Collymore   59'
Barnes   77'
Report Keskitalo   64' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,013
17 October 1996 Second round, first leg Sion   1–2   Liverpool Sion
Bonvin   10' Report Fowler   28'
Barnes   80'
Stadium: Stade Tourbillon
Attendance: 15,500
31 October 1996 Second round, second leg Liverpool   6–3
(8–4 agg.)
  Sion Liverpool
McManaman   27'
Bjørnebye   55'
Barnes   66'
Fowler   70', 79'
Berger   89'
Report Chassot   20', 65'
Bonvin   23'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,514
6 March 1997 Quarter-final, first leg Brann   1–1   Liverpool Bergen
Hasund   48' Report Fowler   10' Stadium: Brann Stadion
Attendance: 12,700
20 March 1997 Quarter-final, second leg Liverpool   3–0
(4–1 agg.)
  Brann Liverpool
Fowler   25' (pen.), 77'
Collymore   61'
Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,326
10 April 1997 Semi-final, first leg Paris Saint-Germain   3–0   Liverpool Paris
Leonardo   11'
Cauet   43'
Leroy   83'
Report Stadium: Parc des Princes
Attendance: 35,142
24 April 1997 Semi-final, second leg Liverpool   2–0
(2–3 agg.)
  Paris Saint-Germain Liverpool
Fowler   12'
Wright   79'
Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,000

Statistics edit

Appearances and goals edit

No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup CWC
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK   ENG David James 52 0 38 0 2 0 4 0 8 0
Defenders
2 DF   ENG Rob Jones 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
3 DF   NOR Bjørn Tore Kvarme 17 0 15 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
5 DF   ENG Mark Wright 43 2 33 0 2 0 3 1 5 1
6 DF   IRL Phil Babb 31 1 21+1 1 1 0 3 0 4+1 0
12 DF   ENG Steve Harkness 10 0 5+2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
14 DF   ENG Neil Ruddock 22 1 15+2 1 0 0 2 0 2+1 0
19 DF   IRL Mark Kennedy 8 0 0+5 0 0+1 0 0+1 0 0+1 0
20 DF   NOR Stig Inge Bjørnebye 52 4 38 2 2 0 4 0 8 2
21 DF   ENG Dominic Matteo 38 0 22+4 0 2 0 3 0 7 0
Midfielders
4 MF   IRL Jason McAteer 51 1 36+1 1 2 0 4 0 8 0
7 MF   ENG Steve McManaman 51 10 37 7 2 0 4 2 8 1
10 MF   ENG John Barnes 47 7 34+1 4 2 0 3 0 7 3
11 MF   ENG Jamie Redknapp 32 4 18+5 3 1 0 1 1 4+3 0
15 MF   CZE Patrik Berger 34 9 13+10 6 1+1 0 3 1 6 2
16 MF   ENG Michael Thomas 42 3 29+2 3 1 0 4 0 5+1 0
23 MF   ENG Jamie Carragher 3 1 1+1 1 0 0 0+1 0 0 0
25 MF   ENG David Thompson 2 0 0+2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Forwards
8 FW   ENG Stan Collymore 37 16 25+5 12 2 2 0 0 4+1 2
9 FW   ENG Robbie Fowler 44 31 32 18 1 1 4 5 7 7
18 FW   ENG Michael Owen 2 1 1+1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 FW   WAL Lee Jones 2 0 0+2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Players transferred out during the season
3 DF   ENG John Scales 7 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 2+1 0

Goal scorers edit

Rank No. Pos Nat Name Premier League FA Cup League Cup Cup Winners' Cup Total
1 9 FW   Robbie Fowler 18 1 5 7 31
2 8 FW   Stan Collymore 12 2 0 2 16
3 7 MF   Steve McManaman 7 0 2 1 10
4 15 MF   Patrick Berger 6 0 1 2 9
5 10 MF   John Barnes 4 0 0 3 7
6 11 MF   Jamie Redknapp 3 0 1 0 4
20 DF   Stig Inge Bjørnebye 2 0 0 2 4
8 16 MF   Michael Thomas 3 0 0 0 3
9 5 DF   Mark Wright 0 0 1 1 2
10 4 DF   Jason McAteer 1 0 0 0 1
6 DF   Phil Babb 1 0 0 0 1
14 DF   Neil Ruddock 1 0 0 0 1
18 FW   Michael Owen 1 0 0 0 1
23 DF   Jamie Carragher 1 0 0 0 1
Own goal 2 0 0 0 2
Totals 62 3 10 18 93

Competition top scorers edit

Competition Result Top scorer
Premier League 4th   Robbie Fowler, 18
UEFA CWC Semi-finals   Robbie Fowler, 7
FA Cup Fourth round   Stan Collymore, 2
League Cup Fifth round   Robbie Fowler, 5
Overall   Robbie Fowler, 31

Notes edit

  1. ^ McAteer was born in Tranmere, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in March 1994.
  2. ^ Babb was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1994.
  3. ^ Barnes was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but also qualified to represent any of the home nations internationally as he held a British passport and made his international debut for England in May 1983.
  4. ^ Warner was born in Liverpool, England, but also qualified to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally and would make his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in February 2006.
  5. ^ Matteo was born in Dumfries, Scotland, but was raised in England from the age of four and represented them at U-21 and B level before making his international debut for Scotland in November 2000.

References edit

  1. ^ Smyth, Rob (10 September 2008). "Football: The Joy of Six: bogey teams". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  2. ^ "Football: Liverpool fall foul of Dublin". The Independent. 7 April 1997. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. ^ Smyth, Rob (15 February 2007). "On second thoughts ... Roy Evans". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  4. ^ "English Premier League Table on Thursday 8th May 1997 - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Noticias.info".