Anfield Until The End 16/17

Happy Birthday, LFC

"What do you mean, you can't pay the rent?"

"I mean we can't pay! You'd know since you were the oyne that drove up the price!"

"Drive up? The price is fair, and you know it!"

"Houlding, I've half a mind to get on you know and let you know what your doing. But I'm not. I'm just going to get up and go."

The old man grinned a little, because he was pretty sure he knew where this would go.

"Alright, then. See you when you've got the money, eh?"

"No."

The grin was instantly swept away.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I mean, we've already found a new place to play at. A place that won't force us to change our name or the rent every year."

"And what's the name of this 'great place', Mahon? You know it won't compare to the beauty of Anfield."

"Goodison. It's called Goodison Park. And it will, since we've got a football team full of men ready to play . . . and it seems that right now . . . you don't."

John Houlding thought to himself for a moment. He was a part of Everton, chairman and the owner of Anfield. He was possibly the only reason Everton were still around, getting the big attraction they were getting.

But he couldn't go out that easy, he was John bloody Houlding. He had his own football grounds, for God's sake. He was bigger than this.

"You're mistaken, George, I do have a football team. I've a team of strong, football ready men, bigger than the ones at Everton. You should worry about us, because we will be the next big thing, I'll bet my money on that. Rising star of England, you heard it here, Mahon!"

And he just turned around and left.

Another good thing about owning a football stadium across from your home, you can create the perfect storming out scene and slam your back door for extra effect.

🔴

The first team meeting was at the local bar, quite the way to start humble.

William Barclay, the used to be Everton manager, stood at the head of the room and looked around at the men there. All of them were hoping to be a part of the first ever Liverpool side, the name suggested by the FA. It looked like everyone he talked to told their friends, their brothers, their friend's brothers and so on. Good enough, Houlding wanted a big team, he'll get exactly that.

"Okay, let's start this off with the presumptive captain . . . Andrew Hannah?"

It took a lot of talking to even get the man to consider coming, so it was a big hope that he'd be there.

"Here and ready to impress!" a voice cut into the light murmur. Hannah himself stood up from one of the stools at the bar, capturing the attention of quite a few amateurs.

"What's the definition of impress for you?" Barclay asked and the room quickly got quiet. Many people now looked over the tall defender, even professional players.

"I won't let in more than twenty goals for you."

"In a match? That's expected--"

"This season."

The people around Hannah laughed, clapped him on the back and the rest. They seemed to believe he could do it, so Barclay took a leap of faith in that moment and believed in the central defender as well. Captain it is.

"John Miller?"

"Goal scoring machine at your service, Mr. Barclay!" the young man yelled. He seemed to be  beer or two in already and already made friends with everyone in the room.

"Arthur Worgan?"

This one seemed to be one of the youngest in the room, but tall and lanky, ready to be a good later on. The kid looked nervous, but Barclay expected it from a new player coming to an incredibly new team.

He listed off the rest of the names he had on his list of people he called, names he got and the like. There was only one last thing to do and he was sure that'd it would impress the people that didn't stay after the split.

"Okay, follow me. We'll be playing at Anfield so I can you boys and find out who's good enough for this experience."

Everyone's eyes got wide.

A chance to play at Anfield? That wasn't something that just happened any ordinary day.

Barclay smiled and headed for the door. "Well, what are you waiting for? Follow me!"

🔴

Houlding, Barclay and John McKenna stood on the sidelines, watching on as the impromptu match went on. So far, it was honors even, two goals scored for both sides.

"The keepers have to stay, that's for certain," McKenna murmured to the other two. "They've been pelted by the ball all day and have only let two in . . . and there's only two of them, so there's that."

Barclay laughed, then pointed to John Miller, who was on the ball once again and took a quick shot. If it weren't for the opposing keeper, Billy McOwen, there wasn't a single doubt that it would go in. "That one said he'd be a goal scorer for us. He's definitely showing that, what do you think?"

"I think he's got the right skills for it. If he doesn't score another goal, I think we'll have to beg Hannah to stay more than this one season!" McKenna noted. They stood in silence for a while longer, only breaking it up to note something else about how well or bad someone's doing.

"If you let Mark Rooney on my pitch as a Liverpool player, I'd give this place to Everton for no charge. Are you sure he knows what sport we're playing?" Houlding asked, almost loud enough to here on the pitch. Barclay and McKenna had to stop themselves from laughing as much as they wanted to, because he did look a bid hopeless.

"I'd hope so, or we'll have to have a long talk about how to do it right! We should end this when the next goal's scored, don't you think?"

And in that moment, one of the Everton men who stayed behind, Tom Wyllie, scored the match ending goal. The side went wild, leaving the three men more time to think about what they had to do.

"That side needs to stay, that's obvious. But what about the other one?" McKenna asked, now serious as the two sides started to group together.

"John McCartney and Hugh McQueen need to stay, that's a must," Barclay quickly responded. "But you're the true manager, so it's your pick that counts."

McKenna frowned. He knew that, but didn't want to cut anyone that he felt could still just about make it. Another look of the men in front of him and he knew he had to do. He had a club to make.

Fin

That's the end of it! I was planning on having it out yesterday but half of it was wiped out for some weird reason and I wanted it up before the City match. Just a reminder this isn't totally accurate because I'm not from 1892 and there is very little on what happened around then.

Up the Reds!