Five years ago today

[skowser]

Spent the first half driving back from JFK after dropping me Mum off for her flight home. Remember driving about 120mph to make it back to Connecticut for the 2nd half. Walked into the pub just as Gerrard put his header away. Immediatley had a double vodka as the adrenaline was pumping through me and i needed to calm down. Spent the rest of the night drinking and singing. ****ing immense night

[Fernandinho]

wish i was old enough to have been a fan then, these memories sound so ****ing fun lol

[lickedlollipop]

Istambul YNWA

[Roboklopp]

Quite possibly the best night of my life, aye.

Watched it in a dirty pub in Machester with a fair few mates. I was absolutely hammered & I've no shame in admitting I sobbed me eyes out from half time right through the next day (alternating with near-hysterical laughter). There's only 2 occassions I can remember drinking so much in one night & not feeling poorly or getting a hangover (other one was my blackbelt celebration).

Special mention goes to the Manc who wandered into the pub at half time to take the piss.

I remember thinking that I just wanted those penalties to go in & I'd have taken a bullet if it meant they did & died a happy man. Truly, truly magical even where I was- cannot believe what it'd have been like being there.

How I wish we could go back to those innocent days. We were a mess, but the club still had that unity to it, we've missed so acutely & painfullly post-sale.

[the rev leeroy brown]

i was in the house having the entire family running around mental getting my older sister ready for her wedding the next day. they were calling me all sorts for not helping out..........how dare they! tried to explain that to me, the lfc game was a bigger occasion than a wedding.......didnt go down too well.

[vlahka]

Garcia and Alonso, both my favourite players still at the club, now gone. How sad I feel when I watch.

[Roboklopp]

Aye, should watch the match tonight really, but not sure I can cope with another epic after last Lost last night...

[lucas]

I watched it at home with my mates and their girlfriends. One of my manc mates came in at the start of the second half gloating about we were going to get our arse kicked even more in the second half. One of my mates girlfriends, who never watched football, turned around at the end and said " Oh, I might start watching it now, I didn't know all games were like that"

[SERVO1]

I am out in Liverpool to watch 'One Night In Istanbul' at the Empire theatre and it is promised that there will be a carnival atmosphere and some surprises with it being the 5th anniversary.

I am looking forward to it immensely. A friend of mine went to the opening night show and they brought Fowler on stage. Would be nice if Rafa showed his face tonight.

[zimbo]

Also, for the arl gets like me, 33 years to the day since:

[Tee]

Awesome memories!

An amazingly emotional day for me, May 25th - I just got back to England in the afternoon having been abroad as my Grandmother passed away a week earlier , then when I got home received a call saying my nephew was born and then that evening there was Istanbul.

[Craig_H]

I was out in Malaga and watched it in a Scouse run bar. Awesome night, being in Istanbul would've been perfect but as an alternative, the warm sunny Spanish coast was a great experience.

Probably the best night ever (Carlsberg TM)

[Molby]

I am out in Liverpool to watch 'One Night In Istanbul' at the Empire theatre and it is promised that there will be a carnival atmosphere and some surprises with it being the 5th anniversary.

I am looking forward to it immensely. A friend of mine went to the opening night show and they brought Fowler on stage. Would be nice if Rafa showed his face tonight.

Lucky Man Servo -----

i'd love to be there for that, let us know how it goes...

[draize]

Missus was 5 months pregnant with our first and decided that me and the brother-in-law stressed her out too much so she watched the game upstairs instead of downstairs with us. She came down at half time expecting a stress free 2nd half! I screamed like a little girl when Jerzy saved Shev's pen. In fairness to my neighbour (blues season ticket holder) she knocked on the door 5 mins later to come in and celebrate with us. If ever the bitters won the CL, I don't think I could be so gracious.

[powerpack]

Lucky Man Servo -----

i'd love to be there for that, let us know how it goes...

I was lucky enough to be at the game. Travelled up from the south of turkey on an overnight coach, we had no where to stay so booked a coach back at 6am the next morning. Istanbul is a beautiful city with the mosques but that's where all the AC fans were so we left swiftly. Taksim square was a sea of red, that's where the pre match party began. The ground was in the middle of no where and when we got there, there was only one beer tent, the queue was massive. I saw some lads at the front throw their beers away so I went up to them and asked them what was wrong, they were only selling Alcohol free amstel. We got on the phone to the lads in still in town and they ensured supplies were brought down. Loads of songs were sang and before we knew it we had to go in to the ground (with seconds to spare). I'll never forget the Champions league music and the enourmous pride to see my team in the final. But within seconds realitiy hit home. 1-0, 2-0, 3-0. I didn't think we were that bad, they were just very good.

At half time I was shell shocked, but didn't even think about leaving. My phone was going off, texts from utd fans and blue noses 'ha ha ha', chelsea fan's 'should have been us in the final'. I remeber say god, don't let it be 6-0. I looked down at the Milan fans and they were going mad. My initial hatred for them subsided as I realised I'd be doing the same if we were 3-0 up. It was like a morgue and then one lad shouted 'f*ck this, we're gonna win 4-3', and the whole crowd started singing 4-3 we're gonna win 4-3 (not believing it for a second but that's why we're the best fans in the world, we have a laugh and sing song, even when we're 3-0 down in the final of the biggest club competition). That was followed but YNWA

The rest is history....


After the game we got on the free buses back to the centre of Istanbul. It was no party bus, it were so quiet, I think everyone was emotionally drained. Then the phones started going off and reality was hitting home, we were champions of europe again. A Ford Ka with Champions League on the side pulled up next to the bus. One lad shouted it's Maradona. Everyone laughed and said yer right. But it actually was, he waved the 'hand of god' at us (a chubby one at that). We found an Irish pub in Instanbul, partied till 5.30 in the morning, grabbed a Kebab and passed out on the coach back to the south of turkey. Best night of my life.