I Don't Know What It Is But I Love It

Book excerpt: I Don't Know What It Is But I Love It by Tony Evans - Liverpool and the most unlikely success story in football Kenny Dalglish. Graeme Souness. Ian Rush. Alan Hansen. Bruce Grobelaar. They rank with the very greatest players ever. But the heroes of 1984 were an unlikely group to make history. Led by a 63-year old first-time manager and a captain show-off better known for his moves on the dancefloor, Liverpool's greatest season was a booze-fuelled journey to three trophies: the first division title, the League Cup and the European Cup, won on a remarkable night in Rome. The team's theme song was even the much-derided Chris Rea hit. Eye-watering, hilarious, and utterly unbelievable, this is the story of how they did it, and how their season was the last year of innocence in English football. This book is essential reading for fans of Red or Dead, 43 Years With The Same Bird: A Liverpudlian Love Affair and the memoirs of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Kenny Dalglish. Tony Evans has been football editor of The Times for five years and was born a Liverpool fan. He writes a weekly column for The Game, The Times' weekly football supplement. He came to journalism at the age of 29 and spent his 20s following Liverpool and playing in bands, including a stint in The Farm. In 1983-84, he saw all 42 league games and most of the matches in other competitions.