The Kop at Anfield dates back to 1905-06. At the end of that season which saw Liverpool lift the second of their league championships the directors at the club decided to reward the loyalty of the fans by building a new brick and cinder banking at the Walton Breck road end of the ground. It was christened as the Spion Kop by Ernest Jones in memory of the many scousers who died in battle over a hill in South Africa by the same name during the Boer War. In 1928 The Kop was altered to terracing and a massive roof added to protect the thousands of fans who gathered to watch their beloved team play. Other teams named their stands as the Kop but the one at Anfield was the original and the best." "Over One Hundred years ago, on the evening of Tuesday 23rd January, 1900, 1,700 British troops prepared to attack a hill in South Africa known as Spionkop. Spionkop means 'Spy Hill' and was coined by the Dutch settlers for the commanding views it afforded. The following days witnessed a bloody battle between the British Empire and a ragged collection of Boer farmers and the British Empire lost. However, that reckoned without a series of blunders by the British High Command, led by Sir Redvers Bullers, and the terrifying fighting qualities of the Boers. Reports at the end of the battle, which raged for two days stated 332 killed, 563 wounded and 163 prisoners taken, but these figures are still open to question with some claiming up to 340 killed and 1000 wounded. The Boers had beaten the mightiest army in the world and the reverberations were felt around the globe. To commemorate the their fallen, upon returning home the surviviors named stands at their local football grounds 'the Kop', the most famous of these being 'the Kop' at Anfield(Liverpool FC). The Kop remembers the Liverpool men who lay, frightened, at the foot of an obscure hill in Africa all those years ago. The Kop has proved equally daunting to visiting teams and has witnessed many great victories for Liverpool FC. Hopefully, it will continue to do so for another 100 years.
Jul 29, 2009
Anfield - The Kop
The Kop at Anfield dates back to 1905-06. At the end of that season which saw Liverpool lift the second of their league championships the directors at the club decided to reward the loyalty of the fans by building a new brick and cinder banking at the Walton Breck road end of the ground. It was christened as the Spion Kop by Ernest Jones in memory of the many scousers who died in battle over a hill in South Africa by the same name during the Boer War. In 1928 The Kop was altered to terracing and a massive roof added to protect the thousands of fans who gathered to watch their beloved team play. Other teams named their stands as the Kop but the one at Anfield was the original and the best." "Over One Hundred years ago, on the evening of Tuesday 23rd January, 1900, 1,700 British troops prepared to attack a hill in South Africa known as Spionkop. Spionkop means 'Spy Hill' and was coined by the Dutch settlers for the commanding views it afforded. The following days witnessed a bloody battle between the British Empire and a ragged collection of Boer farmers and the British Empire lost. However, that reckoned without a series of blunders by the British High Command, led by Sir Redvers Bullers, and the terrifying fighting qualities of the Boers. Reports at the end of the battle, which raged for two days stated 332 killed, 563 wounded and 163 prisoners taken, but these figures are still open to question with some claiming up to 340 killed and 1000 wounded. The Boers had beaten the mightiest army in the world and the reverberations were felt around the globe. To commemorate the their fallen, upon returning home the surviviors named stands at their local football grounds 'the Kop', the most famous of these being 'the Kop' at Anfield(Liverpool FC). The Kop remembers the Liverpool men who lay, frightened, at the foot of an obscure hill in Africa all those years ago. The Kop has proved equally daunting to visiting teams and has witnessed many great victories for Liverpool FC. Hopefully, it will continue to do so for another 100 years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment