Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy
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| Liverpool Reserves | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Liverpool FC Reserves | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Reds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1892 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Halliwell Jones Stadium Warrington (Capacity 13,024) |
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| Manager |  Gary Ablett (Reserves) Hughie McAuley (Academy) |
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| League | Premier Reserve League Premier Academy League |
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| 2007-08 2007-08 |
Premier Reserve League National Champions Premier Academy League Under-18 Group C, 5th |
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[edit] Reserve team
Liverpool Reserves play in the Barclays Premiership Reserve League North. In their division, the reserves became Champions in 2000. They competed in the Lancashire Combination from 1896 to 1911, with the exception of the 1898-99 season, in which they joined The Combination. From 1911 on they took part in the Central League until becoming inaugural members of the Premier Reserve League North in 1999. They also participate in the Liverpool Senior Cup, although in recent years the teams entered in this competition have featured an increasing number of youth players.
The current Reserve team manager is Gary Ablett, who was appointed in the summer of 2006. His assistant will be Hughie McAuley. Liverpool Reserves play their home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, the home ground of Warrington Wolves RFC. In previous seasons the team has also played at Haig Avenue, the home of Southport F.C., Knowsley Road, the home of St. Helens RFC and Wrexham A.F.C.'s Racecourse Ground.
The team was the subject of a famous quote from legendary Liverpool F.C. manager Bill Shankly, who while telling a joke at the expense of local rivals Everton, declared In my time at Anfield we always said we had the two best teams on Merseyside, Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves. Another version of the quote has Shankly saying There's only two teams in Liverpool: Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.
The most successful Liverpool Reserves coach has been Roy Evans. Evans spent most of his playing career as a reserve team player, making only 11 appearances for the first team. After an injury ended his career in 1974, he was appointed coach of the reserves by Bob Paisley. Evans subsequently led the reserves to victory in a series of Central League championships, including three in his first three seasons, a four in a row sequence from 1978 and two more in the early 1980s. Throughout the history of Liverpool F.C. many of the club's best known players have progressed through the reserve team. These include current first team squad members Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher as well as the likes of Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Steve McManaman.
[edit] The Academy
In 1998, a new state-of-the-art Youth Academy was opened in Kirkby, to the north of Liverpool. It replaced the older, more informal youth system, and enables the club to focus their youth development and scouting, employing new techniques and FA standards.
It is overseen by former Liverpool FC player Hughie McAuley , who had been the Director of Youth development at the club. The Academy now allows the main training ground at Melwood to be kept solely for the first team squad and allows all the areas there to be kept in tip-top condition. It also provides is a stepping stone for youngsters to progress to the highest levels of football at Liverpool.
Scouts attend many local youth matches looking for talented boys. A boy will then be invited to attend training sessions at the Academy. They are taken in as young as the age of eight. Former England International player Jamie Carragher started at Liverpool when he was aged just nine, with Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard joining at the age of eleven. At this age, the boys start by simply attending after-school training sessions, but as they reach their middle-teens, their academic needs will be taken over by the Academy if they are deemed athletically-talented enough. As such, the Academy has a lecture theatre and a computer-equipped classroom.
The Academy can handle up to twenty boys in each year group, though more usually the figure is around eighteen. Between the ages of eight and twelve the boys play in eight-a-side games of three twenty-minute periods. It allows the boys to play as defenders or as attackers in small groups within a system and is not as physically-demanding as playing eleven-a-side matches.
There are four full-size grass pitches and one with a Polytan surface. There are also a further seven smaller pitches and an indoor arena. The grounds cover an area of 56 acres.
On the walls of the indoor centre hang the words 'Technique', 'Attitude', 'Balance' and 'Speed'. 'TABS' is the key word preached at The Academy.[1]
[edit] Players
[edit] Reserves
The following players are expected to play for the reserves in the Premier Reserve League. In addition, all members of the first team squad are eligible to play for the reserves, as are players from the Academy. Additionally, some of the younger players in the reserves may still feature for the academy side:
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- Squad Numbers refer to players' first team squad number (for season 2008-09), where applicable. Reserve and youth games are 1-11.
[edit] Academy (Under-18s)
The following players are expected to play for the team in the Premier Academy League during the 2008/ 09 season.
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[edit] Out on loan
Many of Liverpool's reserves and youth players are on loan at other clubs. See Liverpool F.C. Players Out On Loan.
[edit] Staff
- Reserve team manager: Gary Ablett
- Reserve team coach:
Angel Vales - Academy technical manager:
Piet Hamberg - Academy manager:
John Owens - Under-18s manager: Hughie McAuley
- Under-16s coach: Dave Shannon
- Academy goalkeeper coach: Billy Stewart
- Academy head of recruitment: Malcolm Elias
- Academy recruitment manager: Paul Johnson
- Academy coach: Ian Brunskill
- Academy fitness coach: Julian Monk
In addition, the reserves and academy employ staff from the first-team.
[edit] Reserve team manager history
- Joe Fagan
- Ronnie Moran
- Roy Evans
- Joe Corrigan (?-2004)
- Paco Herrera (2004-06)
- Gary Ablett (2006-)
[edit] Honours
[edit] Reserves
[edit] League
- Premier Reserve League Northern Champions: 2
- 1999-00, 2007-08
- Central League Champions (Reserves League Level 1): 15
- 1956-57, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1989-90
- Lancashire Combination Champions: 2
- 1896-97, 1899-00
[edit] Cups
- Liverpool Senior Cup: 38
- 1893, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1910 (shared), 1912 (shared), 1913, 1915, 1920, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1934 (shared), 1936 (shared), 1937, 1939, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1962, 1964 (shared), 1968, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982 (shared), 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004
- Lancashire Senior Cup: 10
- 1919, 1920 (shared), 1924, 1931, 1933, 1944, 1947, 1956, 1959, 1973
- Liverpool Challenge Cup: 4[3]
- 1954, 1959, 1960, 1961
[edit] Youth Team
[edit] League
[edit] Cups
- FA Youth Cup: 3
- 1996, 2006, 2007
- Liverpool Youth Cup: 3[5]
- 1954, 1956, 1958
[edit] Noted graduates
Liverpool's youth system has been successful over the years, many players who have come through it have gone on to make an impact in the first-team.
[edit] Pre-WW2
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[edit] 1940s |
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[edit] 1950s
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[edit] 1960s
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[edit] 1970s
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[edit] 1980s |
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[edit] 1990s |
[edit] 2000s |
[edit] And those that made it elsewhere
Several former Liverpool youth and reserve team players have found success with other clubs. None of these players became established members of the Liverpool first team.
[edit] Notes
- ^ First Team Players And Staff. Liverpoolfc.tv. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
- ^ Liverpool FC Youth Squad - 2008 -09. Liverpoolfc.tv. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
- ^ L.C.F.A. Saturday Challenge Cup Honours List. Liverpool County FA. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
- ^ a b Liverpool Honours Listing. liverweb.org.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ L.C.F.A. Youth (Under 18) Cup Honours List. Liverpool County FA. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
[edit] Sources
- Who’s Who Of Liverpool (2006): Tony Matthews
- LFCHistory.net
[edit] External links
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Liverpool Football Club
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Premier Reserve League seasons
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Premier Academy League seasons
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2007–08 • 2008–09 |
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