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44 Years With The Same Bird: A Liverpudlian Love Affair
Fusing the blind passion of a lifelong supporter with the cold eye of an award-winning journalist, this is an up-close and personal view of the entire modern era of Britain's most successful football club. From their first ever FA Cup win in 1965 to the Champions League defeat in Athens in 2007, this overview takes on the extraordinary stories behind the 48 trophies Liverpool has won. Highlighting the memorable nights that propelled the club to five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, 12 titles, and countless domestic cup triumphs, this account also discusses their bitter failures, the tragic disasters in Sheffield and Brussels, and the barren years of the late 60s and the 90s.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 4, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 28, 2011
A great read for LFC fans and for its insights into Heysel and Hillsborough a must read for every football fan. This is a passionate, committed book from a lifelong Liverpool fan who also happens became a journalist.....so he can write. This is his story, and he tells it very well. It felt like 5 star book early on and it only dipped slightly near the end when I felt that Reade the journalist with the inside track overtook Reade the Liverpool fan to too great a degree. I also felt that his analysis of the behaviour of ticketless fans in Athens 2007 was somewhat blinkered, but these are very minor quibbles.
The early parts of the book took me back to my early days of being a Liverpool fan. I had the same infatuations with the star players as the author as we are roughly the same age. In fact we followed a similar path - born and brought up in Liverpool, Uni in the Midlands and then off to London, before being drawn back to Liverpool for family reasons. I too graduated from the Annie Road end into the Kop and attended many of the matches he describes at home and abroad. Great memories of life as defined by football.
In the middle to end chapters, he moves onto the emotionally gutting subjects of the disasters at Heysel and Hillsborough. If you want to know what really happened at Heysel in 1985 and at Hillsborough in 1989.........then read this book. I personally was at neither game as I had attended the European Cup final in Rome in 1984. The thuggery that Reade describes from both Italian fans and the carabinieri after that event had put me off going abroad with the club ever again. Whilst the mindless violence and resulting deaths that then occured at Heysel can never be excused, Reade manages to put it some form of context. I was not there, but his account reads true and his associated guilt and shame were shared by me and many thousands of other scousers.
I find it hard to write about Hillsborough as the sadness and anger remains to this day....please read this book to understand why the Kop still calls for justice for the 96, more than 20 years on.
The early parts of the book took me back to my early days of being a Liverpool fan. I had the same infatuations with the star players as the author as we are roughly the same age. In fact we followed a similar path - born and brought up in Liverpool, Uni in the Midlands and then off to London, before being drawn back to Liverpool for family reasons. I too graduated from the Annie Road end into the Kop and attended many of the matches he describes at home and abroad. Great memories of life as defined by football.
In the middle to end chapters, he moves onto the emotionally gutting subjects of the disasters at Heysel and Hillsborough. If you want to know what really happened at Heysel in 1985 and at Hillsborough in 1989.........then read this book. I personally was at neither game as I had attended the European Cup final in Rome in 1984. The thuggery that Reade describes from both Italian fans and the carabinieri after that event had put me off going abroad with the club ever again. Whilst the mindless violence and resulting deaths that then occured at Heysel can never be excused, Reade manages to put it some form of context. I was not there, but his account reads true and his associated guilt and shame were shared by me and many thousands of other scousers.
I find it hard to write about Hillsborough as the sadness and anger remains to this day....please read this book to understand why the Kop still calls for justice for the 96, more than 20 years on.
March 31, 2018
Excellent read, excellently written. Although it was written by a journalist, he writes like a passionate and ardent football supporter. When you follow a club as long as he has, I’m sure he’s got some great stories to tell.
It’s a rollercoaster ride, full of good things and bad things. He deals with the Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies with professionalism and decency. I have already read a harrowing book about Hillsborough so I knew most of what he was talking about, but Heysel was an interesting read and an eye opener. It’s interesting when people have already made up their minds without knowing the facts but then again we have papers like the Scum to set the record straight.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, its actually funny in places. The Scouse wit surfaces every now and then
It’s a rollercoaster ride, full of good things and bad things. He deals with the Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies with professionalism and decency. I have already read a harrowing book about Hillsborough so I knew most of what he was talking about, but Heysel was an interesting read and an eye opener. It’s interesting when people have already made up their minds without knowing the facts but then again we have papers like the Scum to set the record straight.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, its actually funny in places. The Scouse wit surfaces every now and then
July 30, 2017
A true emotional journey. Reade takes you along with him through the years from the late '60s and through the silver-laden highs of the '70s and '80s, before bringing you up through the American purchase in the late 2000s.
Not just a fan, Reade is a journalist who covered the Reds and the sport. He's got and insider's and outsider's view which brings people and events to life.
Reade goes deep into the Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies. He goes beyond the 'facts' and into the emotional responses of the families, the fans, there club and the city. Having been there personally for each event, Reade's account has to be one of the truest and rawest in existence.
I found this much more engaging in the interweaving of personal and club history than FEVER PITCH. Sad that it had to end.
Not just a fan, Reade is a journalist who covered the Reds and the sport. He's got and insider's and outsider's view which brings people and events to life.
Reade goes deep into the Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies. He goes beyond the 'facts' and into the emotional responses of the families, the fans, there club and the city. Having been there personally for each event, Reade's account has to be one of the truest and rawest in existence.
I found this much more engaging in the interweaving of personal and club history than FEVER PITCH. Sad that it had to end.
February 5, 2024
What a ride. Definitely recommend to any Liverpool fan. Funny, heartwarming, crushing, all in one book. Never forget the 97
June 30, 2012
Aresenal fans have Nick Horby and Fever pitch.
Liverpopol fans have Brian Reade's love affair story with his football club. The book tells of Reade's history with the club from boyhood to slightly more grown up. There is some humour and tragedy as his story documents some of the events in the club history over this time.
A must read for anyone who calls themselves a Liverpool fan.
May 17, 2012
Brilliant book about the life and times of one of my favourite football writers. All the highs and lows that you'd expect from any football book and all the highs and lows you'd expect from any life story. I loved it.
January 1, 2013
I loved every second of reading this book, devouring each page with a hunger to read more. As the book finished I found I had a cold shiver, and the hairs all over my body where stood to attention.
You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone
May 14, 2023
I became a Liverpool fan in May of 2005 when I watched, from my Mom's basement just after returning from a semester in Egypt, the Champions League final in Istanbul that Liverpool won in unforgettable fashion against one of the greatest football teams ever assembled. Steven Gerrard will always remain my favorite player. Since that time, I have not only followed the team closely, but become more and more acquainted with the team's history and entire ethos. You may scoff, but a part of me feels a bit Scouse. There is something that gets into your blood about this team and the city that it represents. This book is probably the best encapsulation of all of that that I know of, so do yourself a favor and pick this one up if you have any interest in Liverpool Football Club whatsoever.
Since the author is a journalist, you get a professional perspective and inside details. But this book is also definitely a personal memoir. The author, only somewhat facetiously, speaks about Liverpool as the closest thing to his religion. It really is. That gives you an idea of how much this team means to legions of supporters like myself around the world, although far-flung fans like myself know we can never be quite the same as Brian Reade and those who grew up in the city and experienced all of its highs and lows right along with all the highs and lows of the club.
This book made me quite emotional at times, particularly when reading about Heysel and Hillsborough. Reade does a good job of calling out some dark moments in Liverpool's history and taking full responsibility for them (particularly Heysel, but also other hooliganism and racism by Liverpool fans) as well as defending vociferously Liverpool who has been blamed (particularly at Hillsborough) for crimes it never committed. And what an American like me gains from this book is a knowledge of how intricately all that is wrapped up with class and political issues in England that I can only ever partially understand being American.
All the faults of rabid football fans are clearly there for all to see, particularly the drinking culture, betting culture, and how supporting your team can mean absentee husbands/fathers. Reade is not a paragon of a Liverpool fan, but certainly is an honest one. But all the joys of being a football fan are also there for all to see. So reading this book in a real down year for a team that has done so, so well in recent times was important to help bolster any flagging faith I would have had in my beloved team.
Liverpool, I love you and always will. And to all my Liverpool mates, You'll Never Walk Alone.
Since the author is a journalist, you get a professional perspective and inside details. But this book is also definitely a personal memoir. The author, only somewhat facetiously, speaks about Liverpool as the closest thing to his religion. It really is. That gives you an idea of how much this team means to legions of supporters like myself around the world, although far-flung fans like myself know we can never be quite the same as Brian Reade and those who grew up in the city and experienced all of its highs and lows right along with all the highs and lows of the club.
This book made me quite emotional at times, particularly when reading about Heysel and Hillsborough. Reade does a good job of calling out some dark moments in Liverpool's history and taking full responsibility for them (particularly Heysel, but also other hooliganism and racism by Liverpool fans) as well as defending vociferously Liverpool who has been blamed (particularly at Hillsborough) for crimes it never committed. And what an American like me gains from this book is a knowledge of how intricately all that is wrapped up with class and political issues in England that I can only ever partially understand being American.
All the faults of rabid football fans are clearly there for all to see, particularly the drinking culture, betting culture, and how supporting your team can mean absentee husbands/fathers. Reade is not a paragon of a Liverpool fan, but certainly is an honest one. But all the joys of being a football fan are also there for all to see. So reading this book in a real down year for a team that has done so, so well in recent times was important to help bolster any flagging faith I would have had in my beloved team.
Liverpool, I love you and always will. And to all my Liverpool mates, You'll Never Walk Alone.
April 23, 2018
Reading through the recent history of Liverpool FC would have been somewhat interesting to me, but what I liked about this book was that I could relate to the author's journey as a fan. As a kid you watch the sports you're playing every day, idolize the players, and dream of one day being in their position. Then life and reality eventually hit you and you lose that naivety. You realize there are other things in life that are much more important and your fandom becomes less of a priority. You still follow the teams but at times it can almost feel like another obligation.
But then a team (like LFC in recent weeks) catches a bit of magic and reminds you of why you remain a fan. Not only the team's performances but the way the LFC community around the world can rally behind them is inspiring and entertaining. Going on the Liverpool subreddit in the hours and days after a great performance and watching videos of a room full of hundreds of guys in Iraq or Egypt celebrating the same Mohamed Salah goal that got me to jump out of bed and yell at 7 am on a Saturday in the states will always bring a smile to my face.
I also liked the author's stories about how the team helped him bond with his son. If I had to explain to someone who didn't care to watch sports what I enjoy most about being a sports fan it would be that ability to bond with so many others over that shared interest in a way you only can over a hobby you're passionate about. It's so easy to fall into a half hour long conversation with an uncle you haven't talked to in a year or even someone you just met that you both truly enjoy.
But then a team (like LFC in recent weeks) catches a bit of magic and reminds you of why you remain a fan. Not only the team's performances but the way the LFC community around the world can rally behind them is inspiring and entertaining. Going on the Liverpool subreddit in the hours and days after a great performance and watching videos of a room full of hundreds of guys in Iraq or Egypt celebrating the same Mohamed Salah goal that got me to jump out of bed and yell at 7 am on a Saturday in the states will always bring a smile to my face.
I also liked the author's stories about how the team helped him bond with his son. If I had to explain to someone who didn't care to watch sports what I enjoy most about being a sports fan it would be that ability to bond with so many others over that shared interest in a way you only can over a hobby you're passionate about. It's so easy to fall into a half hour long conversation with an uncle you haven't talked to in a year or even someone you just met that you both truly enjoy.
September 16, 2021
Sportsbooks are probably one of the most subjective areas of all literature. It is in its nature. Ive been a Koppite all my life. My dad took me to my first game, I saw the Kop, I saw my hero Ray Clemence. I was in love. Both Ray and my dad are gone now, as are so many in the story, too. That isn't what is important though. Because they are connected to the club they are with me. they are with me in every minute of the game, in every chant and song, in the famous all-red kits. Being part of something bigger than yourself amplifies you. It gives your voice more reach and your pain and joy are shared- and remembered forever. The exquisite moments of glory, the humour, the flair of a gifted player are all etched into your soul...and alongside them the despair and heartbreak of tragedy, sporting and personal. To be part of the Army with harmony that is Spion Kop (itself a name borne back from scouse suffering in South Africa- as much at the hands of its own ruling elite as the enemy) is to have an identity forged in years of experience. players I never saw fill me with pride. Championships I never saw played are remembered and celebrated. At half-time in Istanbul the moment came for the fans to remind a defeated team what this all means to the fans- why we are with them and who we all are. the rest is history. Being a Liverpool fan is the best part of my life. Brian Reade feels the same way. As former player John Aldridge said, for both of us and all of us, "To me, Anfield is more beautiful than Heaven".
July 3, 2022
Again, ugg. This one should be in capitals, UGG! I thought this book was going to be an Among the Thugs for Liverpool fans, and I wanted to hear the history from a journalist's perspective who also was a fan. But, early on, two passages sealed it for me.
"...I was Brando on heat...(and I) thought of an ingenious way of getting around the team-picking farce which always left me eating my bogies next to girls with skipping ropes."
"On a good day your bum was tighter than Ken Dodd; on a bad day, it was looser than Linda Lovelace."
Not mentioning the lack of punctuation or that Linda Lovelace wasn't known for anal sex, I couldn't bear the thought of 400 more pages of the author trying to be, what, cool? Edgy? It just fell flat.
I had high expectations and I guess I'm glad they were shot down within the first hour of reading.
"...I was Brando on heat...(and I) thought of an ingenious way of getting around the team-picking farce which always left me eating my bogies next to girls with skipping ropes."
"On a good day your bum was tighter than Ken Dodd; on a bad day, it was looser than Linda Lovelace."
Not mentioning the lack of punctuation or that Linda Lovelace wasn't known for anal sex, I couldn't bear the thought of 400 more pages of the author trying to be, what, cool? Edgy? It just fell flat.
I had high expectations and I guess I'm glad they were shot down within the first hour of reading.
July 31, 2022
I got this book a little too early on in my LFC fandom to appreciate it and. I just decided to give it a go again 10 years in where I've had brushes with more of the club's history and was hungry to learn more about the King Kennys and Ian Rushes and era of glory before my time. As an American Red, this gives a lot of vivid context to the journey from the 60s to the prem era with the socioeconomic and politics and media that is a part of the club's highest highs and lowest lows. Some of the humor is in poor taste and doesn't hold up 15 years later. Overall though, a really captivating journey through the clubs history that makes me feel closer to the triumphs and tragedies that came before my time.
July 5, 2020
This is a great book and this is the ideal time to read it. Reade's passionate and honest writing reflects the politics of the time as well as the record of games, seasons and managers. I found his passages on Bill Shankly, his brother Vic, Heysel and Hillsborough particularly moving. The book finishes in 2008 on the cusp of change. A sequel to update his love affair featuring recent triumphs, the recent achievements of the Hillsborough families, the knighting of King Kenny and the era of wonderful Jurgen Klopp is surely required.
May 24, 2019
I appreciate that this book has been available for a while, but it has already had a profound effect on what I think about Liverpool football club, being a Liverpool fan and Liverpool as a city. This book helped to explain some of those momentous events that have defined this football club. It is essential reading for any football fan whether they follow the reds or not.
September 2, 2023
At first I thought the prose was a bit purple, but as it went on it moderated to ... red.
Despite being an account of supporting England's most successful football club, the tone of this book is dominated not by euphoria or triumphalism, but depression, anger and disappointment, dealing extensively as it does with the cataclysmic events at Heysel and Hillsborough.
Despite being an account of supporting England's most successful football club, the tone of this book is dominated not by euphoria or triumphalism, but depression, anger and disappointment, dealing extensively as it does with the cataclysmic events at Heysel and Hillsborough.
September 22, 2024
I am a lifelong Liverpool fan and this brought back so many memories. Love it!
August 8, 2011
I came to this book having read Reade's other more recent book on Liverpool, title epic swindle. Whilst I didn't find this book as compelling as epic swindle I still read it quite quickly and found it to be an excellent potted history of the club since Reade became a fan in 1965.
The book also serves as a decent biography as Reade intersperses the football with many anecdotes about his own life and how the Reds impacted it. It is remarkable how many of the major events in the clubs history Reade has been present at, from Hillsborough to Heysel, Istanbul to Rome in 1984.
Reade's own stories of falling off his stool in the Anfield Road stand and his brothers untimely passing are examples of this book navigating between nostalgia and tragedy towards an excellent insight into one fan's love affair with his club, and one or two of the players along the way.
The book also serves as a decent biography as Reade intersperses the football with many anecdotes about his own life and how the Reds impacted it. It is remarkable how many of the major events in the clubs history Reade has been present at, from Hillsborough to Heysel, Istanbul to Rome in 1984.
Reade's own stories of falling off his stool in the Anfield Road stand and his brothers untimely passing are examples of this book navigating between nostalgia and tragedy towards an excellent insight into one fan's love affair with his club, and one or two of the players along the way.
April 16, 2009
This book changed my life. It's dramatic tales of love, death, illness, triumph, destiny lost, destiny fulfilled, Doug, football (soccer), politicians, religion, birth, rebirth, reincarnation, deception, an old-fashioned western-style shoot 'em up shootout.
I think everyone should read this book, but not just on the basis of this stellar, sterling, stupendous, snacktacular review.
I think everyone should read this book, but not just on the basis of this stellar, sterling, stupendous, snacktacular review.
March 15, 2012
This was an enjoyable read particularly if you're a Liverpool FC fan. This is the tale of the authors love of the football club and tells the tales of their glory days during his 40 odd years of supporting the team. He gives a breakdown of the history of the club, manager by manager during this time. It's definately worth a read.
June 4, 2012
Must read for any liverpool supporter or any sports fan. Get to know what life is like to be passionate about a team and how your life revolves around the highs and lows. A definite "good read". You'll Never Walk Alone!
December 7, 2012
One of the best football books out there. Good for any follower of the game, not just Liverpool fans. You will identify with the modern life of a football supporter, how the wins and the losses roll with the ups and downs of your personal life. Great writing.
January 13, 2013
Fascinating in terms of the history and occasionally quite funny, but it included enough homophobic jokes to leave me thinking the guy has a problem with himself. Otherwise, a good read for Liverpool fans.
August 31, 2009
I found this book fascinating and enjoyed it not just as a biography of a fan obsession, but also as a social chronicle. Brian Reade is a superb storyteller.
December 9, 2010
So far so good a different view on a football club
March 2, 2013
A largely enjoyable read from a fan's point of view, although if you know your club history you'll appreciate that there are also some harrowing tales too. Great on Shanks.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews