There’ll be a little bit of Shanks leading the fans in Athens ...

May 14 2007 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL fans can expect an extra special welcome when they arrive in Athens – from a descendant of the man who pledged to build their club “into a bastion of invincibility”.

Karen Gill, the grand-daughter of the late, great Bill Shankly has lived in the Greek capital for 18 years and she says the whole city can’t wait for the arrival of the Red Army for the Champions League final on May 23.

“It’s really exciting here at the moment,” she says. “Everyone is looking forward to the final, but, most of all, they are looking forward to seeing Liverpool.

“English football is very big in Greece and there are a lot of people here who support Liverpool so it is a very special occasion for the Greek people.”

Ever since Liverpool got through to the final, Karen has been inundated with requests for tickets from Reds fans desperate to see their team take on AC Milan.

“It’s been a bit mad,” she admits. “People have been ringing me in the hope that I can get hold of tickets at this end, but there are none about over here either.

“To be honest, I’d love to be going to the final myself but I haven’t got a ticket either so I suppose I’ll just watch the game on TV like a lot of other people.

“But the good thing is I can see the Olympic Stadium, where the game will be played, from the terrace of my home so I’ll be able to take in some of the spectacle from there and, hopefully, I’ll be able to hear the noise the Liverpool fans make when they score.

“And on the day of the game I’ll be heading down to town beforehand to take in the atmosphere because it should be really good.”

Karen, 42, first moved to Athens, in 1989 when she took a job teaching English at a Greek primary school.

Little did she know at the time that she would end up settling down, spending the next 18 years of her life there and raising a family there.

She says: “I came here to teach English and I’ve been here ever since.

“I met a wonderful man called Angelos and we married and we now have two children, Panayiotas, who is 11, and Rhianna, who is eight.

“We live in the suburbs of Athens but I’ve definitely brought a bit of Liverpool to my family. Angelos is now a Liverpool supporter – although, to be fair, I don’t think he had a choice in that with the way I am!

“And both the kids support Liverpool as well. They will be cheering them on in the final and they both have Liverpool shirts with Shankly on the back.

“Obviously, I live out here and I am very settled but there is a big part of me that will always be Liverpool and it’s great that the kids are the same.”

Karen’s one warning to the Liverpool fans making their way out to Greece is the country is currently experiencing a mini-heatwave.

But she insists that no matter what the weather they will love their time in Athens.

“It a great city,” she says. “I don’t know if many of the fans will be interested in the cultural stuff while they’re on a football trip but if they are there is so much for them to see and do.

“Obviously, there is the Acropolis, where I’d imagine quite a lot of people will head to, if only to get their picture taken by it.

“But there are also places like Plaka, which is in the old area at the foot of the Acropolis.

“There is Lycavitos, where you go up in a cable car into the inside of a mountain and there is a tiny little church on top.

“The one word of warning is it is very hot here at the moment – it was 31 degrees the other day – so I’d advise everyone who is coming over to pack their shorts and their sun cream.”

With the big match now just over a week away, Karen is growing increasingly excited at seeing her grandad’s club in her adopted home town.

But what does she think the great man would be thinking if he were alive today?

“I think he would be delighted that Liverpool were in the European Cup final,” she says.

“It was always one of his big dreams to do it so he would just be made up for the club and the fans.

“And he would obviously be hoping that they win and that they play the kind of football for which they are known all over the world.”

In the land of Greek Gods, Karen Gill is hoping a very special Scouse God will be smiling down on Liverpool.

And, should five European Cups become six for her beloved Reds, no-one will be happier than the Kop’s very own representative in Greece.

“I’d love it if we could win it again,” she says. “It’s even more special to me because the final is taking place in my home town.

“So, fingers crossed, we will see Steven Gerrard lift the trophy again.”