page_title: History of Liverpool F.C. (1959–1985)
section_title: 1981–85: Triumph and tragedy
hierarchical_section_title: History of Liverpool F.C. (1959–1985) / 1981–85: Triumph and tragedy
caption_attribution_description: Graphic produced by Heynoun, 12th December 2006
context_page_description: The history of Liverpool Football Club from 1959 to 1985 covers the period from the appointment of Bill Shankly as manager of the then-Second Division club, to the Heysel Stadium disaster and its aftermath.
  Overhauling the team during his first year at Liverpool, Shankly released 24 players and converted a boot storage room into a meeting place where he and his coaches discussed strategy. The club won the Second Division title in 1961–62 and were promoted to the First Division. Two seasons later, Liverpool won their first League championship since 1946–47, thereby qualifying for participation in European competition for the first time. The following season, Liverpool won their first FA Cup. Further League championships followed in 1965–66 and 1972–73. 1973 saw them win their first European trophy—the UEFA Cup. The following season was Shankly's last, in which the club won the FA Cup once more.
  Shankly's assistant Bob Paisley took over in 1974; his first season in charge saw Liverpool finish second, before winning the League championship and UEFA Cup the following season.
context_section_description: Following their fifth-place League finish the previous season, Liverpool were eager to regain the League championship. Their goalkeeper, Clemence, had signed for Tottenham Hotspur, and was replaced by Bruce Grobbelaar. Liverpool did not perform well in their early games, losing their first match and drawing several others. Their poor form continued, and by the end of December 1981 they had won only 6 of 17 games, and were in the bottom half of the League. Their form in the second half of the season improved, and a run of 11 successive wins towards the end of the season meant they won the League with four points more than Ipswich Town. Liverpool retained the League championship in 1982–83, winning the title 11 points ahead of Watford. Liverpool were eliminated from the FA Cup and European Cup in the fifth round and quarter-final respectively, but were successful in the Football League Cup. A 2–1 victory over Manchester United in the final meant Liverpool won the competition for the third year in succession. Before the start of the season, Paisley had announced his intention to retire from management aged 64. Paisley had won six League championships, three European Cups and League Cups during his reign, making him the most successful manager in the club's history. He was replaced by his assistant Joe Fagan.
  Liverpool continued their success into 1983–84, as they won three competitions to secure a unique treble. The club began the campaign indifferently, but by November 1983 they were top of the table and stayed there to win the League three points ahead of Southampton. As a result, they equalled the record of three consecutive League championships held by Huddersfield Town and Arsenal. Key to their success was striker Ian Rush, who scored 32 goals over the league campaign, and a further 13 in other competitions. Liverpool again reached the final of the Football League Cup, where they faced Everton. A 0–0 draw in the first match at Wembley Stadium meant that the match was replayed at Maine Road the following week. A Graeme Souness goal secured a 1–0 victory and the club's fourth successive League Cup triumph. Liverpool performed well in Europe, reaching the final of the European Cup. They faced Italian team Roma at their home stadium, the Stadio Olimpico. A 1–1 draw after 90 minutes and extra time meant the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which Liverpool won. Alan Kennedy scored the winning penalty after Grobbelaar had distracted Roma player Francesco Graziani, causing him to miss his own penalty.
  Fagan's second season in charge was less successful, as Liverpool failed to win a trophy for the first time in nine years. The defence of their League championship was all but over in October 1984 when Liverpool were in the relegation places. The club's form picked up afterwards, but they were unable to catch Everton and finished 13 points behind in second place. Their defence of the Football League Cup ended in the third round and Fagan's team played no further part in the FA Cup, after defeat to Manchester United at the semi-final. Liverpool did fare better in Europe, reaching their fifth European Cup final. Before the match against Juventus at the Heysel Stadium commenced, Liverpool fans had breached a fence separating the two sets of supporters. As the Juventus fans fled to safety, the accumulation of people against a perimeter wall caused it to collapse, killing 39 fans, most of whom were Italians. The collapse of the wall led to rioting by Juventus fans at the other end of the ground. As a result, the match was delayed by two hours, but was played regardless, as it was feared its abandonment would lead to further violence. Juventus won the final 1–0.
  In the aftermath of the match, the blame for the Heysel Stadium disaster was laid on the Liverpool fans. UEFA official Günter Schneider stated, "Only the English fans were responsible. Of that, there is no doubt." As a result, The Football Association withdrew English clubs from European competition, and two days later UEFA banned English clubs for "an indeterminate period of
caption: Plan of the Heysel Stadium, showing the section of the stadium where the disaster occurred
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