After 20 years off the major European football stage, Liverpool FC, under new Spanish manager Rafael Benitez, faced utter humiliation at half-time in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. Three goals down to the brutally efficient and talented AC Milan, the inexperienced new Liverpool - an uneasy mix of local heroes, young Spaniards and soon-to-be-outcasts - was staring down the barrel of a possible record European Cup final defeat in front of 40,000 of its own fans and a global TV audience of hundreds of millions. That is until six extraordinary minutes of second-half carnage, allied to Red courage and resolve, changed the very course of European football history and mapped a new direction for the future of a club with a magnificent European past.The Miracle of Istanbul offers an insight into the many foreign highs and domestic lows of the amazing 2004-05 Liverpool season, as well as mapping out key connections between the great Liverpool European legacy of the 1970s and '80s and the new Benitez era - via a detour of the ultimately doomed Gerard Houllier period of initial Continental Liverpool management. It also looks at some of the key players of the recent successful European campaign - Gerrard, Hamman, Carragher and the erratic Jerzy Dudek among them - and at the music and football cultures in the city that have uniquely shaped what is still known locally as the Liverpool Way. The book compares the new Liverpool manager with his key rivals: his Iberian 'cousin' Jose Mourhino at Chelsea and the fiercely competitive David Moyes at neighbours Everton. But it ends - as it must - on that glorious night of 25 May in Istanbul, with fans' recollections and memories. It also asks: exactly what does the 2005 European triumph mean for the city of Liverpool and for the future direction of Liverpool football club under its modest but impressive new Spanish leadership?
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Where John Williams and Stephen Hopkins score most freely, being profoundly committed fans as well as lucid writers, is in taking us back to Turkey to try to make sense of that ridiculous night on which Milan gave one of the finest performances in a European final for years. But you do not have to be a Liverpool fan to enjoy this book. Williams and Hopkins have produced an admirably thoughtful work in which every issue is considered. (The Sunday Telegraph 20050821)
The Miracle of Istanbul retraces all the action from that great night and also examines the performances that led up to the finale. Thorough and concise to the last, it's a book anyone with more than a passing interest in Liverpool FC has to own. (Scotland on Sunday 20050904)
'It has it all: the players, the manager, the fans. It's all here! (Sport First 20050909)
'Whether you are interested in Jack the Ripper or not, this is an excellent chronicle of life in Dundee during the late 1880s...The case of William Bury makes fascinating reading'. (Susan Bell Aberdeen Press & Journal 20050924)
'This is an abridged history of the club since Bill Shankly and the story of a whole topsy-turvy season, as well as the tale of one improbable victory'. (Observer Sport Monthly )
The Miracle of Istanbul retraces all the action from that great night and also examines the performances that led up to the finale. Thorough and concise to the last, it's a book anyone with more than a passing interest in Liverpool FC has to own. (Scotland on Sunday 20050904)
'It has it all: the players, the manager, the fans. It's all here! (Sport First 20050909)
'Whether you are interested in Jack the Ripper or not, this is an excellent chronicle of life in Dundee during the late 1880s...The case of William Bury makes fascinating reading'. (Susan Bell Aberdeen Press & Journal 20050924)
'This is an abridged history of the club since Bill Shankly and the story of a whole topsy-turvy season, as well as the tale of one improbable victory'. (Observer Sport Monthly )
About the Author
John Williams has written a number of books on football culture and is also the author of two books on Liverpool Football Club: Into the Red and The Liverpool Way.
Stephen Hopkins is a Kop season ticket holder and co-editor of Passing Rhythms: Liverpool FC and the Transformation of Football.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Thoroughly enjoyed this title.
It was wonderful reliving the glorious night (I have the match on DVD) in print. Well-written and a excellent tribute to Liverpool's worthy European Champions League success.
It was wonderful reliving the glorious night (I have the match on DVD) in print. Well-written and a excellent tribute to Liverpool's worthy European Champions League success.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Reccomended for liverpool fans, re-living instanbul and emotions felt by the author. He has goood opinions on previous managers and the players they bought rightly or wrongly. Fair comments on Benitez and his decisions throughout the season as he did some disjointed ones in earlier important games. We got some luck when it was needed....Five stars and for the book also...
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was there. I was there in Istanbul but, more than that, I was there for the whole season. I travelled to Greece, Spain, Monaco, Germany, Italy, London and Turkey. The experience will remain with me forever. The depression in Greece and Monaco, the elation of La Coruna, the fear in Turin and the truly amazing atmosphere at Anfield for the Olympiakos, Juventus and Chelsea games.
I was fortunate enough to take my 13 year old son to Istanbul. Superb atmosphere, unbelievable game, fantastic result.
A very special year for any Liverpool fan. This book assists me to relive the experience over and over again with insightful comment and observation bringing new dimensions to enjoy. The political backdrop is painted with the authors' usual skill making this book educational as well as entertaining.
A "must have" Christmas present for all Everton fans.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Miracle of Istanbul: Liverpool FC, from Paisley to Benitez
This book started out well as it was giving a fans perspective of the 2005 champions league final. However it lacked detail of the range of emotions that Liverpool fans felt during... Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2007 by Cathal Melia
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read for Liverpool fans!
I loved this book. The first and last chapter took me right back to that glorious night in Istanbul. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2005
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly written and badly researched
I bought this book expecting to read an inside account of Liverpool's resurgence under Rafa Benitez. It disappoints in every way. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2005 by "ravva"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic account of an extraordinary season
A really great read. A book that combines intellectual insight and terrific writing with real enthusiasm and passion for Liverpool - and for football. Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2005 by Michael Nally
Listmania!
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