20 Questions: Liverpool

We’re launching a brand new series on The Scarf My Father Wore today, taking a closer look at different clubs from across the country, starting with the team currently at the very top of the pyramid

Thursday 8 February 2024

NEXT HOME GAME: Crewe – Tuesday 13 February, 7.45pm

NEXT AWAY GAME: Grimsby – Saturday 10 February, 3pm

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Liverpool supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Thursday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

I absolutely love the football pyramid in this country. Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League; New Mills are bottom of the North West Counties League. Technically, the two sides could meet each other in the league before the end of this decade. I mean, I wouldn’t recommend putting any money on that scenario at William Hill, but the beauty of the pyramid is that anything is possible.

Oldham Athletic were one of the founding members of the Premier League, beating Everton, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man United during the 1992-93 campaign. This season, they’ve lost at Bromley and AFC Fylde in the National League.

At the end of the 90s, Fleetwood Town were playing in front of one man and his dog in the ninth tier of English football. They’re currently six levels higher, regularly facing former Premier League teams such as Portsmouth, Derby County and Bolton Wanderers.

I’m going to be speaking to fans from clubs at all levels of the English pyramid (plus the rest of the UK and maybe even further afield too) and asking them for their best and worst memories following their team, whilst also giving us a flavour of what their club’s really like. As Liverpool are currently at the very top of the pyramid, that felt like a natural place to start, so we’re joined today by John Pearman, editor of Red All Over The Land.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Not Just Travel, joining The Scarf My Father Wore family for the first time. A huge thank you to (the very smiley) Paul and Tracy Franklin for coming on board, and they’ve kindly sponsored the website for a full year, so we’ll have some nice travel stuff for you each month.

Also, a big thank you to Liverpool Famous Walking Tours, who sponsor our Liverpool content on the website. If you’re planning a trip to Merseyside in the next few months, and you’d like a guided tour around the famous city, you can enjoy a 20% discount. See below for further details.

Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.

Total distance so far: 83.07 miles

Total steps so far: 142,594

Total raised so far: £1,302

Total completed streets so far: 123 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)

Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.

Des Junior

---

Liverpool currently play in the Premier League, which is the top tier of English football. What’s that like as a division?

It’s overrated. Too many poor to average teams. Everyone is entitled to be in it, of course. But there are some poor teams.

Describe a typical matchday for yourself in Liverpool.

Well, I spend it selling the fanzine Red All Over The Land. I catch the Merseyrail from Chester and get there maybe four hours before kick-off to sort the fanzine out.

Who are your club’s biggest rivals?

Everton by a mile. Followed by Manchester United as that’s historical and not just about football. Phoney rivalries as championed by Sky don’t count. Manchester Citeh are not rivals.

What’s your best memory following Liverpool?

Winning cups, starting with the FA Cup in 1965. Every cup is a new memory to savour.

What’s your worst memory following Liverpool?

Roy Hodgson.

If Liverpool was a TV show, which one would it be?

The Champions.

What’s your ground called, and how would you describe it for someone who’s never visited before?

Anfield. The Holy Ground. Visitors need to understand and embrace the Liverpool culture. It’s like a republic.

What’s your thoughts on Stockport County?

I went there back in the 90s to see them play Torquay on a Friday night as the referee was a friend of mine. Prefer them to the other Greater Manchester teams.

Have you ever visited the town of Stockport before? If yes, what were you doing the last time?

Many moons ago we used to travel through Stockport to games and we always called in at a café called The Black Cat. I’ve never forgotten it.

What colours do you play in, and what’s the best ever kit Liverpool have had?

All red. Don’t care what kit they have, it’s who’s playing in it that matters. I’ve never bought a replica shirt.

If Liverpool were playing in the next FA Cup final, who’d be at Wembley as your celebrity fan?

Someone I’ve never heard of probably.

What’s the most interesting fact about Liverpool we might not know?

The Kop once featured on BBC’s Panorama in 1964.

Who’s your all time Liverpool hero?

Sorry, I don’t do ‘hero’ but my favourite player was Alf Arrowsmith who was only around in 1964 before suffering an injury that ended his top career. It was his name Alf; not many footballers were called Alf.

What sort of attendances do you get, and how would you describe Liverpool’s fanbase?

Full house every game. A global fanbase that includes a lot of hangers-on.

What’s your manager like?

Do you really need to ask? We’ll miss him.

What’s your owner like?

Better than most.

What’s it like for a night out in Liverpool?

The best place in this country.

What’s the best thing about being a Liverpool fan?

Watching the team.

What’s the worst thing about being a Liverpool fan?

It costs a lot. All those finals and European trips.

What are your hopes for the rest of this season?

Win more cups.

---

Forget about the snow and book a holiday in the sun!

One of the top stories on BBC News this morning was an update on which schools had closed due to the weather. As I write this now, I’m on my way from Chester to Stockport to do another stand-up comedy night. There’s no snow on the ground, but it is bloody freezing! It’s certainly the time of year when you start thinking about your summer holiday. If you’re dreaming of jetting off to sunnier climes later this year, get in touch with Not Just Travel.

As a team, Paul and Tracy Franklin are dedicated to delivering for their customers. They recognise that holidays are often the biggest outlay for people and so their top priority is finding them the perfect getaway. Whether you know exactly what you want or are looking for some ideas and inspiration, they can help!

With in excess of 450 suppliers they can find your dream trip. They have a number of key trade partners which allow them to organise anything from city breaks and fly and flops to cruises, weddings, honeymoons and sporting events across every corner of the globe. From high street names such as TUI, Jet2 and Easyjet to bespoke travel arrangements they can meet your requirements. They pride themselves on exceptional, personable service and for peace of mind all bookings are ABTA and ATOL protected.

Using Paul and Tracy as your personal travel consultants means that they can take all the legwork of finding and planning your trips. They can also deal with any bumps in the road should there be any. There are so many variables to a trip and so many places to look most of their customers are so relieved to have someone do that for them! Others are just glad to be able to support a smaller business that delivers a personal touch, as opposed to some of the travel giants out there. Whatever an enquiry looks like they are always keen to get their teeth stuck in, adding value where they can and learning along the way – the world is a big place!

Visit paulandtracyfranklin.notjusttravel.com for further details.

---

Enjoy a 20% discount with Liverpool Famous Walking Tours!

Liverpool Famous Walking Tours offer fabulous, interesting and entertaining guided tours around Liverpool. Their experienced local guides are passionate about sharing their knowledge of this fantastic city and its surrounding area.

They’re offering a fantastic deal for The Scarf My Father Wore readers and subscribers, with a 20% discount off their guided tours. Simply enter the code FOOTBALL20 at checkout.

Click here to book your Liverpool tour.

Terms and conditions: To receive the discount, the minimum order is one adult ticket. The discount is valid to use until 31 December 2024, for any tour taking place between now and 31 December 2025.

---

Photo of the day

The Elizabethan, Heaton Moor

A lot of readers seem to be enjoying my soup photos which I’ve posted on the days I’ve been walking round Stockport this week. And I’ve had a great boost on the fundraising front in the last couple of days with almost £300 added to my JustGiving page. So if it’s soup that’s helping that figure to increase, I’ll keep reporting on my daily bowl!

I had a delicious red pepper and tomato soup at The Nursery Inn on Monday, and yesterday’s was just as tasty at The Elizabethan – sweet potato and butternut squash.

On a serious note, a huge thank you to everyone who’s donated this week. I really am so grateful, and it honestly gives me such a buzz of encouragement when I’m aching at the end of each day! I’ve now reached £1,302 raised for Mentell and the next big milestone of £2,000 is starting to feel achievable. If you’ve not yet donated, please chuck us a few quid.

Please click here to make a donation to Mentell through Des Junior’s JustGiving page.

---

Today in SK

🍺 Food and drink

If you’re in Stockport today, pop into The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a pint or two. Open till 11pm.

🎶 Free jukebox

Nelson Tavern (SK1). From 6.30pm.

🎤 Karaoke

Enigma (SK1). 8pm.

---

Random County fan of the day #39 – Andy Plant!

---

One final thing before you go… if you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day gift this month, how about a painting, or a cake, or a bottle of gin, or anything else from our fantastic sponsors!

🎨 Art & Gifts: Kate O’Brien Art

💈 Barber: STUDIO26 Haircare

🪟 Blinds & Shutters: Bauhaus Blinds & Shutters

📚 Bookkeeping: Eleven Accounts Services Ltd

🍰 Cake Maker: Claire Green Bespoke Cakes and Catering

🧽 Car Valeting: Rub A Dubz Detailing Ltd

🧼 Carpet Cleaning: Pro Clean Carpet Services

🏠 Carpets & Flooring: Kingsway Carpets & Rugs Ltd

🐈‍⬛ Cat Sitting: The Crazy Cat Ladies Cheshire

👶 Child Health: The Sleep Nanny

🤹‍♀️ Children’s Entertainment: Stockport Hero Hire

🧹 Cleaning: Beespoke Cleaning

🚙 Coatings: Colourtone Ltd

🦮 Dog Training: Paws High Peak Dog Training

🚘 Driving School: CFN School of Motoring

💷 Financial Services: The Mortgage Mill

🔥 Fire Protection: Radial Fire And Security Limited

🍸 Gin: Hatters Gin

🛁 Grout Refresh & Recolour: GroutGleam Stockport

💇‍♀️ Hairdressing: C West Hairstylist

🛠 Home Improvements: Menzies Develop & Build

💻 IT Services: Bridge Computer Services

🪚 Joinery: SAW Contracts Ltd

👨‍🍳 Kitchen Appliances: SW Appliances

🔑 Locksmith: APL Locksmiths Ltd

🚐 Minibus Hire: Westfield Minibuses

🧤 Oven Cleaning: That Oven Girl

🖌 Painter & Decorator: BGM Decorators

🧱 Plasterer: Tate Plastering Services

🚰 Plumber: GTG Gary the Gasman

📕 Publishing: Victor Publishing

🛖 Roofing: ADM Roofing Services Ltd

☀️ Solar Panels: Malbern Solar Ltd

⚽️ Sports Coaching: UK Sports Coaching Ltd

🖊 Tattooist: Heatons Tattoo Club

🪵 Timber Supplies: Portwood Timber Division of Illingworth Ingham (Manchester) Ltd

☀️ Travel Agent: PTF Travel Ltd

👨‍💻 Web Design: SITEZO

⚖️ Weight Loss: Slimming World Reddish & Bredbury with Shlean

🪟 Window Cleaner: R ‘N’ B Window Cleaning

🏋️‍♀️ Women’s Fitness: Sophie Pavey Fitness

🧘‍♀️ Yoga: Greenshoots Yoga