ROME 1984. We had always expected Rome in 1984 to be different from our last visit.
For a start we were playing the home team on their own ground. Such was the desire of the Italian fans to see Roma face Liverpool that there were riots when the tickets went on sale in Rome.
Not as many Liverpool fans travelled as in 1977. This was for the die-hards.
This time we travelled by coach. Looking back it was madness but we left Liverpool at about 10 o'clock on the Monday evening before the game on the Wednesday. As it was, we only actually arrived in Rome about five o'clock on the day of the game! Some journey.
The coach company did not want to take their precious coach to the stadium so we were left to find our own way from the hotel to the ground. A situation that would have consequences later in the evening.
There was a decent atmosphere outside the stadium and we gathered with the rest of the Liverpool fans singing and enjoying the day. The atmosphere in the ground itself was more hostile and we were obviously outnumbered to say the least.
Although we went ahead, Roma equalised and in the second half especially, it looked ominous for the Reds. Liverpool rallied and put together a long sequence of possession football and that seemed to push Roma back.
We know that the game went to penalties and, with the help of Bruce's wobbly legs, we did it. When we went outside, I then saw the worst violence I've ever seen at a football match. As we were trying to get back to our hotel we were repeat-edly attacked and eventually we were put in a bus and given a police escort.
Very few people on the coach escaped injury. One was serious but people back home were never told of what happened in Rome that night.
We celebrated our fourth European Cup back at the hotel but the victory had been marred.
