For Liverpool fans of a certain vintage 22 February 1991 counts as one of the darkest days of their lives as football supporters. And with good reason. It is the day on which Kenny Dalglish seemed to have ended a glorious association with the club.
Just over a decade spent as a player - he officially hung up his boots on the eve of the 1990-91 campaign by allowing his registration to lapse rather than make an announcement - then a four and a half year spell as player/manager was brought to a close at a hastily arranged press conference.
There had been largely unfounded murmurings of discontent in the dressing room and letters had recently appeared in the local media about some team selections. However, there was no question of the manager’s position coming under pressure.
A few signings had been made over the previous month. It was expected journalists had been gathered to have another new recruit unveiled.
During a ring around newsdesks only a guarded comment from club secretary, Peter Robinson, to those who said they would pick up wire copy and photos that they may want to be there hinted at the gravity of matters.
Even then the opening statement by chairman Noel White rocked even seasoned hackss to the core.
His words were quickly relayed across Merseyside, the rest of the country and then the world. The impact was so big it could be likened to the day Bill Shankly retired in 1974.
There was a refusal to believe it from most fans when told.
Not even having reached his 40th birthday there was still an expectation of a long and successful reign. Twenty years as a minimum. Ideally more. But what no one appreciated at that time nor for many years later is that when King Kenny walked out the door his crown may have stayed in place but the Reds effectively lost their place at football’s top table.
Questions as to why Anfield has continued to wait since 1990 for a 19th league title have been posed almost since the trophy was not retained a few months after Dalglish's departure.
All roads lead back to that fateful day 20 years ago.
In terms of league position it’s irrefutable that a descent from the summit began when the Glaswegian left.
On the morning of his resignation the Reds were three points clear of Arsenal. Between that and the appointment of Graeme Souness in mid-April Ronnie Moran’s nine game tenure at the helm yielded just four wins and as many defeats.
Three of those reverses were suffered in the first trio of games under the caretaker and a 4-0 hammering of Crystal Palace on the same day as that short reign began allowed Arsenal to go top on goal difference. They beat Liverpool at Anfield to stretch further away and extended their advantage by maintaining that run as the defending champions floundered.
Liverpool enjoyed three wins while Arsenal could only gain a couple of stalemates, and, though a 7-1 rout at Derby County got the Reds back on top after the Gunners could only muster a goalless draw at Norwich the Easter period proved pivotal.
Defeat by a Les Ferdinand inspired Queens Park Rangers at Anfield and then Southampton finding the only goal of the game down at The Dell gave Arsenal a vital edge. A home draw with Coventry City yielded the ground made up.
Even after a topsy-turvy 5-4 win at Elland Road - Liverpool led 4-0 into the final quarter - Arsenal held a five point advantage and with George Graham’s side back in a confident stride there was little prospect of the lead being hauled back.
The penultimate game ended mathematical hopes. The champions had abdicated and their successors kicking off later in the day before the TV cameras celebrated with a 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Highbury. When the 38th and final fixture was played the gap had grown to seven points.
Souness, a former club captain, had an outstanding record during his five years with Rangers having not only arrested a slump at Ibrox but concluded his first term at the helm by ending a championship famine. He had since claimed a couple more and The Gers were well on their way to another triumph.
The sole battle of note Souness lost in Scotland was with St. Johnstone tea-lady Aggie Moffat over the state of the away dressing room at McDiramid Park after a Rangers visit.
They had already claimed the last of four Scottish League Cups won by the manager who had lifted the Old Firm side out of the doldrums and whose friendship with the club’s majority shareholder, David Murray, plus a rumoured financial stake in the club suggested he would be unlikely to leave.
That was until the Liverpool job unexpectedly came up for grabs and was offered to him. It was possibly the only post which could have tempted him away.
There was every expectation of normal service being resumed at Anfield following the appointment and albeit with a penalty shoot out against Division Two Portsmouth at the semi-final stage, then a win against more second tier opposition at Wembley the FA Cup had been lifted at the end of his first full season.
However, that masked a poor league campaign. Leeds United had taken Arsenal’s mantel with the Reds trailing sixth.
Liverpool fans could only experience vicarious joy with a defeat of runners-up Manchester United ensuring Old Trafford remained waiting for title glory under a manager who had bought time by winning a cup but couldn‘t quite seem to get things right in the league.
The title had not been absent from the Anfield trophy cabinet for more than two seasons since the early 1970s and despite a low finish Liverpool were expected to be would be challengers for the inaugural Premiership campaign.
Aside from the cup win there was no small measure of controversy about the Souness era’s beginnings.
His dealings with a newspaper reviled on Merseyside lowered his esteem for many and as had been the case north of the border there was plenty of discord between the man at the helm and his players.
Some who had been the bedrock of the championship winning sides of the late 1980s were deemed past their prime and sold. Others came close to leaving at various times over the immediate future. Fees were agreed with clubs and in at least one instance personal terms had also been established. Only a last minute change of heart by the long serving player in question scuppered a deal.
Since the 1960s Liverpool had slotted players into their system. It restricted the amount of major surgery required to teams and kept things ticking over nicely as well as maintaining a dynasty of supremacy which endured. Shankly was forced to take an axe rather than a scalpel to his squad on one occasion which contributed to seven trophyless campaigns.
It was a harsh lesson but far from being maintained under someone who prospered under the tradition it was scrapped. Souness decided that different times called for different methods and highly influenced by his time in Italy the new brush decided to sweep clean establishing a more continental approach to fitness and regimes away from the pitch or training. He maintained professional athletes could no longer thrive in the culture he had played in.
Though the lieutenants trusted since the ‘Bootroom Tradition’ was established remained the institution itself withered. The most symbolic feature - the actual Bootroom - demolished to improve facilities for members of the press.
Though planned by the directors before Souness took over many felt an aloof nature to the wise counsel that would have gathered in there and desire to make his own decisions was a weakness rather than strength.
Despite the talent still available following the cull too much mediocrity signed for inflated fees and players who saw pulling on a Liverpool jersey plus banking the cheque which came with it were signed.
There were only one or two success stories.
Silverware wasn’t the measure this new breed of professional gauged success against. It came down to more material matters as a game which was doing well for itself in any case prospered further due to a commercial independence from the traditional authorities of the Football League - which shared its pie 92 ways even if that was in very unequal slices - but also the Football Association which distributed amounts down to the grassroots.
A change was not only clamoured for by a growing number it was required but David Moores couldn’t bring himself to act standing by the manager until results descended so low that Souness’s position became untenable.
The decline was hastened by Manchester United’s ascendancy who suffered only a year’s delay on their quarter of a century wait for that seemingly elusive title. By luck and some degree of business acumen the Old Trafford club found itself with a model of operation suited the new order while in some regards the Liverpool Way stood in the Reds’ way of halting a very obvious not to say alarming decline.
At that time only three years had passed since Liverpool ended the season top dogs but events meant that spell as a sleeping giant may as well have been doubled if not trebled as the club, playing squad and the increasing profitability Premiership football brought were not fully capitalised on.
League placings were so low that European football a staple of Anfield diets from the mid-1960s until the ban which followed Heysel were missed out on. The 1993-94 season during which Souness resigned was a strictly domestic one.
Roy Evans attempting to fight back from a severely retrenched position though backed with funds which would have turned many of his peers green didn’t have sufficient to bridge the gap quickly enough. There was one opportunity to land the top prize in 1996-97 season which even then was taking on the lustre of a holy grail.
Liverpool led at New Year but were reeled back by a Manchester United side who not only believed they were on a roll but knew they had the experience of closing out a season from that point.
There were still lingering hopes in the first flushes of April but a vital home game against Coventry was lost in the closing minutes which gave Manchester United who surprisingly lost to Derby County a reprieve.
It could have all been so different but the next home match - against the Red Devils - also ended in defeat.
Going top may have seen Liverpool gain confidence about staying there which could have helped find the win against their challengers. Any tenuous hopes which remained buoyed by a win in the final home game against Spurs were finally killed off on the road by defeat to Wimbledon. A 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday capped it all as Liverpool finished fourth in what seemed a two horsed race due to the slump.
Evans too eventually paid with his job initially with the always ill-fated joint managerial endeavour with Gerard Houllier. By that time the best part of a decade had passed.
Boards tend to lurch from one extreme to the next in a quest to find the right man.
The autocratic Souness was replaced by the more avuncular Evans. In turn he was deemed too player friendly and not the man to control young professionals under his charge who if not already millionaires were likely to achieve that status soon.
Alex Ferguson’s famed hairdryer treatment kept his players the right side of the line. Houllier whose reputation as a technically minded coach came as a result of leading Paris St Germain to a title and being technical director of the 1998 French World Cup winning side marked another huge departure.
He had dropped mercurial and popular David Ginola from the national side when manager after an error stopped France reaching the World Cup finals in 1994 and wielded the axe at PSG and RC Lens.
Other than a spell spent watching Liverpool during the 1969-70 season while on a placement at a city comprehensive school during his degree course he was an outsider to the club. The first appointed since Bill Shankly arrived.
Liverpool followed a treble cup winning season with a sustained charge for the Premiership crown in 2001-02. They only denied by the excellence of Arsenal. The points tally of 80 was relatively low for a title win but had been enough on many occasions during the 1990s. A whisker away from reaching the Champions League semi-finals there seemed grounds for optimism and the achievement was made in spite of the manager being admitted to hospital for heart surgery in October and spending almost half the season away from the dugout.
After a dozen matches unbeaten and a run featuring nine wins in the season which followed it seemed the Houllier era may reach its zenith. The 13th game - a defeat at Middlesbrough - proved if not the nadir then certainly its start.
Another three points could not be found for nine weeks. This type of run had not been seen since Liverpool were relegated from the top flight in the early 1950s and encompassed 11 games. With 33 points up for grabs the field pulled away while the Reds limped along.
Signings made the previous summer amidst a fanfare which seemed justified in one particular case by the 2002 World Cup not only failed to deliver they looked less than ordinary. And the football on show was not just occasionally but regularly dire.
Due to limitations behind the top three - Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle - there was still a chance of Champions League qualification in the final league game but defeat at Stamford Bridge in a head to head for a seat on the gravy train yielded only a place in the UEFA Cup.
That competition may have proved a useful springboard three years previously but the landscape and expectation was totally different now. It took another lurch when it became clear Chelsea‘s win not only saved them from certain administration but was the factor which brought Roman Abramovich‘s riches to Stamford Bridge and skewed the balance of spending power.
A year later stumbling into the fourth and final qualifying berth for the Champions League proved insufficient.
More players bought for significant amounts failed to make the impact expected of them. Failings on the field and in the transfer market convinced even David Moores, who had stood stoically by every manager employed during his chairmanship always giving more time than was necessary, it was time to pull the trigger.
In football all empires eventually crumble. Just how long a team spends in the doldrums depends in no small measure on outside factors but mostly on decisions made and reactions to them.
Kenny Dalglish’s resignation came during a hard fought and ultimately unsuccessful FA Cup encounter with Everton. Liverpool were challenging for a 19th title at the time and had all but seen a useful lead disappear.
Like statistics circumstances can be used to prove points or even hide a number of sins.
One undeniable statement is that Kenny Dalglish had roughly the same amount of time at the helm as Rafael Benitez had enjoyed as manager of Liverpool as the 2008-09 campaign fizzled towards a gripping yet ultimately unsuccessful climax.
The club was still trying to catch up for some errors made two decades ago which were compounded by a lack of decision in the 1990s as others took advantage of the new era.
There were some more contemporary mistakes. Selling the family silver to George Gillett and Tom Hicks was supposed to equip Liverpool in a Premier League arms race which had changed complexion due Chelsea's quickly found wealth and that accumulated by Manchester United over more than a decade and a half prior to the Glazer family taking root at Old Trafford.
Getting back to the point where Liverpool are regarded as genuine hopefuls was a hard slog and one more about being competitive enough to provide a title challenge worthy of the name.
For varyaing reasons Roy Evans, Gerard Houllier and Rafael Benitez made noises but their best efforts were isolated high points.
Each had teams which appeared useful works in progress but which for various reasons never reached the status of finished article. Consequently matters regressed on all fronts. The Reds' championship charges have proved an exception rather than an expectation.
Even if the game and Liverpool Football Club are different to their early 1990s contemporaries Kenny Dalglish has so far suggested he has no problem rehabilitating to life as a top flight manager over ten years since he last held the reigns at that level.
Though categorised as a man from a old era who perhaps wouldn't respond let alone contrast favourably in the modern era Dalglish has done more than bring matters back to a very basic level that sufficed during his first stint at the helm. Nor does he just survive on the vapours of sentiment plus good wishes.
He may not have been in a managerial hotseat for some time but his instinct and ability to analyse a game not to mention players has not waned over his time away.
Vitally Kenny has continued to watch football and maintain an involvement rather than turn his back on the game.
An unsurpassed knowledge of the reserve and increasingly impressive youth ranks is another powerful tool in his armoury. Pass and move is still as effective as it was almost half a century ago. Goals - including key ones - have come from crafting moves from defencsive positions. Attacking with options to the man in possession continues to demonstrate its potency.
But these old fashioned values are mixed with very modern views on tactics and systems.
That in itself may suggest Dalglish's 'second coming' will last longer than the May deadline previously set.
No matter how long this reign lasts it may not bring another league title. Progress to that goal is expected to remain slow but built on firm foundations that will allow any success acheived to be lasting rather than fleeting.
As both a player and manager in his first reign Dalglish profited from that diligent approach. It seems fitting that he should be given the chance to at least begin rebuilding work.
Showing posts with label Bill Shankly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Shankly. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Monday, 3 January 2011
Liverpool FC's unlikley heroes
Four men who unwittingly played a huge role in Liverpool Football Club's history from 1893 onwards.
Herbie Arthur
Neither Anfield nor Goodison Park hosted the first Merseyside derby. That honour went to Bootle FC’s Hawthorne Road ground which staged the 1893 Liverpool Senior Cup final.
Strong sides would usually be fielded but Everton arranged a friendly with Dumbartonshire outfit Renton on the same day. Many reckoned the Blues, who had just finished third in the Football League, didn’t fancy risking their reputation so opted for a scratch XI while their first team took on the two-times Scottish Cup winners.
As befitted the antagonistic circumstances of the split which provided the city with two clubs events on the field were not without controversy. Liverpool triumphed courtesy of a Tom Wyllie strike though had a goal disallowed while Everton were denied a seemingly clear penalty in the final throws of the game.
Well before they had those calls waived away Everton had vehemently protested against a number of decisions by referee Herbie Arthur.
Winners medals minted by Bovril were the reward for each player. However, in order to ensure there would be no unrest the ceremonies were abandoned and the trophy only handed over at the beginning of the following season. Everton issued letters of complaint about the referee which the county FA rejected instead issuing the Goodison side with a warning about their conduct.
Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda
As those Everton players discovered arguing with an official is often pointless. They rarely change their minds. However, it didn’t take outraged Liverpool players crowding Spanish referee Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda to alter his apparent decision to give Roma a penalty when Markus Babbel clearly handled inside the area ten minutes from time in a UEFA Cup tie during February 2001.
The Reds held a 2-0 advantage from the opening leg in Italy. But with Michael Owen having missed a penalty and Urugyan Gianni Guigou curling the ball in from 25 yards were clinging to the aggregate lead.
Liverpool were under huge pressure with extra-time promising more of the same had the visitors not grabbed a third before the whistle. Even the Kop seemed to play no part in the subsequent signalling a corner. Senor Garcia-Arnanda later said he had never given a penalty. Liverpool defended the flag kick, clung to their advantage and went on to lift the trophy after a thrilling golden goal win over CD Alaves.
Les Massie
Scotsmen have played pivotal roles in Liverpool’s history but perhaps the most crucial, Bill Shankly, had a little help from an Aberdeen born forward under his charge. Though not one who turned out in a red shirt.
In late November 1959 less than a fortnight after Phil Taylor decided managing the club was an anxiety he could no longer sustain Liverpool travelled to Huddersfield Town. The game was decided by a single goal scored after Roger Hunt, covering at right-half while Dick White had a head wound stitched, failed to clear a cross. Les Massie was on hand to beat Bert Slater.
It was Shankly’s last game at the Terrier’s helm. Having already identified him as the prime target for the Anfield post Liverpool’s board saw fit to redouble their efforts. Shanks’ services were secured 72 hours later.
Don Revie
During the mid-1960s and early 1970s Don Revie guided possibly the most gifted but also sometimes niggling and brutal group of players any club had assembled. One match at Goodison Park had to be temporarily suspended when Everton skipper Derek Temple was laid out and a brawl threatened to ensue.
‘Dirty Leeds’ was a hackneyed but often appropriate epithet to carry. Yet at the same time Revie turned under performers into high achievers, talent spotted potential in the lower leagues and nurtured some exceptional youngsters.
He had taken a club close to bankruptcy and teetering on relegation to the third tier to one holding genuine hopes of winning the European Cup. His techniques were revolutionary. Though domestically Leeds won just two league titles, one League Cup and a sole FA Cup.
In Europe they lifted the Fairs Cup twice. But they could have achieved so much more had a belief that skill and flair would have been enough. Five times they finished runners-up in the title race and were beaten cup finalists on three occasions. Liverpool were principal, though far from sole, beneficiaries of that desire to win at all costs including an historic debut cup win in 1965.
Herbie Arthur
Neither Anfield nor Goodison Park hosted the first Merseyside derby. That honour went to Bootle FC’s Hawthorne Road ground which staged the 1893 Liverpool Senior Cup final.
Strong sides would usually be fielded but Everton arranged a friendly with Dumbartonshire outfit Renton on the same day. Many reckoned the Blues, who had just finished third in the Football League, didn’t fancy risking their reputation so opted for a scratch XI while their first team took on the two-times Scottish Cup winners.
As befitted the antagonistic circumstances of the split which provided the city with two clubs events on the field were not without controversy. Liverpool triumphed courtesy of a Tom Wyllie strike though had a goal disallowed while Everton were denied a seemingly clear penalty in the final throws of the game.
Well before they had those calls waived away Everton had vehemently protested against a number of decisions by referee Herbie Arthur.
Winners medals minted by Bovril were the reward for each player. However, in order to ensure there would be no unrest the ceremonies were abandoned and the trophy only handed over at the beginning of the following season. Everton issued letters of complaint about the referee which the county FA rejected instead issuing the Goodison side with a warning about their conduct.
Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda
As those Everton players discovered arguing with an official is often pointless. They rarely change their minds. However, it didn’t take outraged Liverpool players crowding Spanish referee Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda to alter his apparent decision to give Roma a penalty when Markus Babbel clearly handled inside the area ten minutes from time in a UEFA Cup tie during February 2001.
The Reds held a 2-0 advantage from the opening leg in Italy. But with Michael Owen having missed a penalty and Urugyan Gianni Guigou curling the ball in from 25 yards were clinging to the aggregate lead.
Liverpool were under huge pressure with extra-time promising more of the same had the visitors not grabbed a third before the whistle. Even the Kop seemed to play no part in the subsequent signalling a corner. Senor Garcia-Arnanda later said he had never given a penalty. Liverpool defended the flag kick, clung to their advantage and went on to lift the trophy after a thrilling golden goal win over CD Alaves.
Les Massie
Scotsmen have played pivotal roles in Liverpool’s history but perhaps the most crucial, Bill Shankly, had a little help from an Aberdeen born forward under his charge. Though not one who turned out in a red shirt.
In late November 1959 less than a fortnight after Phil Taylor decided managing the club was an anxiety he could no longer sustain Liverpool travelled to Huddersfield Town. The game was decided by a single goal scored after Roger Hunt, covering at right-half while Dick White had a head wound stitched, failed to clear a cross. Les Massie was on hand to beat Bert Slater.
It was Shankly’s last game at the Terrier’s helm. Having already identified him as the prime target for the Anfield post Liverpool’s board saw fit to redouble their efforts. Shanks’ services were secured 72 hours later.
Don Revie
During the mid-1960s and early 1970s Don Revie guided possibly the most gifted but also sometimes niggling and brutal group of players any club had assembled. One match at Goodison Park had to be temporarily suspended when Everton skipper Derek Temple was laid out and a brawl threatened to ensue.
‘Dirty Leeds’ was a hackneyed but often appropriate epithet to carry. Yet at the same time Revie turned under performers into high achievers, talent spotted potential in the lower leagues and nurtured some exceptional youngsters.
He had taken a club close to bankruptcy and teetering on relegation to the third tier to one holding genuine hopes of winning the European Cup. His techniques were revolutionary. Though domestically Leeds won just two league titles, one League Cup and a sole FA Cup.
In Europe they lifted the Fairs Cup twice. But they could have achieved so much more had a belief that skill and flair would have been enough. Five times they finished runners-up in the title race and were beaten cup finalists on three occasions. Liverpool were principal, though far from sole, beneficiaries of that desire to win at all costs including an historic debut cup win in 1965.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
A team that Shankly bred
With one worthy exception a team constructed of players Bill Shankly either gave Football League debuts to or brought through the youth system during his tenure.
An interesting quirk is that the XI is almost exclusively made up of either local products and Scots. The latter category underpinning the manager’s belief in the junior system in his homeland.
1 Tommy Lawrence
Five years as understudy to Tommy Younger, Bert Slater and Jimmy Furnell proved an excellent learning curve for this young keeper. From making his debut in October 1962 he was the first choice for duty between the sticks until Ray Clemence's emergence in 1970. As many a good judge has said his great strength was doing the simple things well. That included shot stopping. A telling feature of his game which enabled the Reds to construct a resilient defence and a establish a solid base upon which the team as a whole could build.
Although born in Dailly, Ayrshire he was recruited as an amateur from his local non-league outfit Warrington Town after impressing manager Phil Taylor in a trial game during October 1957. Unless his heritage was known very few people would have been able to pick out the country he would eventually represent at international level as he spoke with a decidedly English accent after his family left Scotland for Cheshire when young Tommy was 11 years of age.
Taylor's successor as Reds boss Bill Shankly was born not too far away from Lawrence's hometown but there could be no question of geographical favouritism as despite good form in the reserve and 'A' teams it took Shanks just under three years to promote his junior keeper.
The consistency that had hall marked Liverpool custodians for a number of years was also present in the youngster who missed just three games over his first four seasons and, until Ray Clemence and his defence began to dominate attacks during the 1970s, Tommy and his backline set a league record for the fewest goals conceded over a 42 game campaign. At the close of the 1968-69 season Lawrence kept 21 clean sheets restricting the best top flight strikers to a mere 24 strikes.
An amazing statistic being that 14 of those came on The Reds' travels. Just three teams managed to score more than once against Liverpool and that record was only ever equalled then surpassed by Ray Clemence.
He became known as the sweeper keeper due to his willingness to back up his defenders when stretched and almost without fail would win the ball outside his area. Liverpool's flat playing style made this possible.
When in defence everyone on duty would remain committed to their roles but with the ball upfield a number pushed up to support the move. Lawrence was actually once quoted as saying that he's played some big matches as a virtual extra back. Good concentration even when virtually redundant for most of a game by the quality of his teammates was a key attribute in this ability. Tommy was also a courageous keeper more than willing to dive in at the feet of an attacker if it was the only way to thwart danger.
2 Chris Lawler
Joining the Reds from youth team football baby faced Chris Lawler advanced through the ranks making his senior debut two years after accepting professional terms. Although at home in a central role he was deployed as a right back and proved to be one of the most prolific defenders in the history of British football let alone that of Liverpool Football club. It is worth noting that his tally of 61 goals from 546 career games at Anfield was not supplemented by one penalty or a free-kick, merely his ability to come up from the back virtually unnoticed and get on the end of well crafted moves.
He became a first team regular in the mid 60's after half a dozen appearances in each of his first two seasons.
His emergence was instrumental in the eventual retirement of veteran Ronnie Moran. Lawler didn't lose his berth in the side until late November 1973 when injury cost him precious opportunities to challenge Phil Neal and others for a place. Prior to this he missed just three of the 336 league games he could have played in over the course of eight seasons. Though an irregular feature in the side Chris made the 1974 FA Cup final as a non-playing substitute.
The Silent Knight as he became known due to the quiet way in which he got on with his job and persona off the pitch made him a dream for any manager including former team-mate Ian St John at Portsmouth who enticed him to leave Merseyside in 1975.
3 Gerry Byrne
A talented youngster who despite making the Liverpool schoolboys squad was nothing more than a fringe player at Anfield for many years. He was initially rejected by the Reds so worked in a lead factory until he finally made the grade and signed for the club at 17. Ronnie Moran kept him out of the first team squad and was the club captain as well as first choice at left-back when Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield in December 1959.
By contrast Byrne was transfer listed. He had only been given the one chance and unfortunately that came in a 5-1 defeat at Charlton Athletic. To make matters worse Gerry had scored an own-goal. Shank's gave him a further opportunity towards the end of his first season at the helm. Although asked to turn out in an alien role - right back - he must have acquitted himself well as the 1960-61 saw him become not just a first team regular but establish himself as the first choice option. He played in every game in the promotion season of 1961-62.
After that time he became as firmly established a left back as he was in the hearts of the fans who decided the defender epitomised their own iron will, concrete spirit and love for Liverpool. The 1965 FA Cup Final showed his heroic qualities as he played almost the entire 120 minutes with not only a gashed shin but a broken collarbone. Many players would have been inhibited by this but not Gerry. With his arm tucked carefully beneath his jersey so as not to prove opponents Leeds with an inkling of the pain experienced he played a blinder staving off the threat of Johnny Giles and even sending in the cross which set up Liverpool's first goal.
An interesting point of debate is whether he would have been able to play this role had the incident happened just a year later. The 1964-65 season was the last before substitutes were allowed to be named. Given the importance of the match and the seriousness of the injury there seems little doubt that Shankly would have replaced Byrne. How that would have impacted on the game is another question. Gerry proved vital in the win and had he not played would the course of Liverpool's cup history also have changed?
A few days later a home game against Inter Milan in the European Cup semi-final first leg took place. Always looking for the psychological edge Shanks sent Byrne out, sling draped around his neck along with another injury victim Gordon Milne. The two paraded the FA Cup in front of The Kop. The noise level shoot through the roof and played no small part in Liverpool's infamous 3-1 win. The FA Cup final heroics proved to be no one off. A year later in a Cup Winners' Cup tie against Celtic Byrne dislocated an elbow. The club doctor twisted it back into position and he simply carried on.
Little wonder that Shanks described him as the toughest player he had ever seen.
He wasn't the fastest player in the world but was a good reader of the game which allowed him to send in well timed challenges and interceptions most players could never have dreamed of making. In the tackle he was certainly tough and exulted in the well earned nickname of ‘Gerry the Crunch‘.
At Melwood he was one of the most avid trainers most of the coaching staff had ever seen and such was his competitive nature that he was often taken out of 5 a-side games in order to ensure that his teammates didn‘t risk getting injured before forthcoming matches. Not that he was a dirty player. Far from it. He was only booked once during his Liverpool career and that was for querying a throw-in.
As the 1966-67 season kicked off Gerry had more reason than most to finally accept that the course of his football career had finally worked out all the bugs that had bedevilled it over his early years as a professional. He'd finished the previous season with a second championship medal. His third domestic honour in as many seasons and although he had not played in the final or any of the group matches during the World Cup finals he was a member of the England squad which managed to win the Jules Rimmet trophy. Despite the presence of Everton's left back Ray Cohen as first choice pick there seemed no reason to believe that he could not go on to make the berth his own very soon. But a cruciate ligament injury suffered during the first league game of the next season effectively ended those ambitions and started the countdown towards the end of his playing days. At home to Leicester City on a soft surface his studs managed to get caught in the turf badly twisting his knee.
He managed to get back into the starting XI for the return game at Filbert Street but made just eight more outings over the remaining four months of the campaign. Just five months had elapsed from Byrne suffering the injury until his next first team outing but while the problem could be easily corrected by surgery in the modern age four decades earlier medical science was nowhere near as advanced and the fact that he returned at all let alone played 26 games from the start of the 1967-68 term was another testament to the steely nature he personified.
Although just the other side of thirty he would still have had plenty to offer the team had his fitness permitted but his retirement in May 1969 was announced once the battle against constant pain got too much to wage. His final season with the Reds had been reduced to a last couple of appearances in the number three jersey plus a call up from the bench sandwiched between those two starts. Keen to make use of the assets Gerry displayed as a player Bill Shankly saw him as a perfect addition to his backroom staff but despite a briefly held coaching role he resisted the temptation to get actively involved with the game.
4 Phil Thompson
The Kirkby born defender's career at Anfield is the stuff dreams are made of. Phil lead the club he worshipped to glory both home and abroad as well as playing for then captaining his country. For Bill Shankly this story wasn't a possibility it was a reality which he confidently predicted. His Liverpool career began under Shanks in February 1971 when he made his debut as a late substitute in a 3-0 away win over Manchester United. He was in and out and the starting line up until Larry Lloyd left for Coventry City in 1974.
In his 12 seasons at the club Thommo won seven League titles, three European Cups, four League Cup winners medals plus one FA Cup and a UEFA Cup winners medal. His proudest moment was being made captain of Liverpool in 1979. A role in whish he lifted a host of major trophies. He skippered England and was a key member of Ron Greenwood’s squad for the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain where he played in all five matches.
The defensive partnership cultivated between Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson began to limit his first team opportunities and he was eventually transferred to Sheffield United in March 1985. Kenny Dalglish brought him back to Anfield a year later to become his reserve team coach. He guided the Reds' second string to a Central/Pontins League title during his six seasons in charge. Graeme Souness replaced him with Sammy Lee for the start of the 1992-93 season but he was recalled to the Anfield coaching staff to act as Gerard Houllier's assistant when Roy Evans relinquished his joint managerial role with the Frenchman.
5 Tommy Smith
Although the 1976-77 campaign was supposed to mark Tommy Smith's last season for Liverpool he decided to play on for another year and extend his association with the club to 17 seasons. He made his debut in May 1963 in a 5-1 home win over Birmingham City. Although he gave a good account of himself it was his only game of the season. He remained in the reserves for the next campaign and didn't get back into the first team picture until November 1964 in the first leg of the European Cup 1st round tie with Anderlecht.
Tommy started off as an inside right. Then moved to centre back before making the left back role his own. He went on to play 40 times in that first full season which ended with a FA Cup winners medal after the 2-1 victory over Leeds United in May 1965. All this at the tender age of 20. He never looked back and became a rock at the heart of Liverpool's defence for the next decade.
A medal haul of four league championships, two FA Cups, two UEFA Cups and two European Cups was no bad return. The most remarkable feature of his career was that he only made one international appearance - against Wales in 1971.
Tommy was Liverpool through and through. A total of 633 games for his boyhood favourites and the club he joined straight from school only tells half the story. He made a no less telling contribution in terms of his sheer presence and reputation. The Anfield Iron as he became known was a fearsome competitor and tough defender to beat. Even when not captaining the side he always led by example.
He came back into the Liverpool first team during the 1976-77 campaign as a result of Phil Thompson's injury. From there on in it was a fairy tale which included the vital second goal in the European Cup final. He may well have been selected in the side to play Bruges the following year had he not dropped an axe on his foot. Despite being offered another extension to his contract Smithy eventually left Anfield during the 1978 close season to join his former colleague John Toshack at Swansea City. Upon retiring he took up a post coaching the Welsh club's youth team and made a brief return to Anfield in a similar capacity.
6 Ian Ross
A childhood friend of Kenny Dalglish who saw his career take a different direction to his fellow Glaswegian. Possibly due to his versatility Ross was always a bit part player who despite playing just over 60 times including ten games as a substitute over six seasons could never manage to cement a place in the side. Filling in at various positions earned him respect from the management and many compliments from Bill Shankly who pitched him across the entire backline and in a number of forward positions. Judging by the roles he played on the pitch Shanks' assessment was that he could play at any level of the game in any country.
However, had he not made 20 appearances during the 1971-72 term in all competitions he could have left Anfield with a relatively paltry number of appearances. This highlighted just how haphazard his contribution was over the other campaigns.
He left to join Aston Villa at the end of that term but a season earlier had made possibly his most vital contribution to the Liverpool cause. He was seen as one of the most potent man markers in England and had been chosen by Bill Shankly to patrol some great names including the legendary Franz Beckenbauer - one of the most creative players in Europe.
Playing The Kaiser out of the game when the Reds met Bayern Munich away in the second leg of a quarter-final European Fairs Cup tie. The opener had finished goalless leaving the team with a tough task but Ross was exceptional and left Beckenbauer alone just once so he could nip in to score the only goal of the game to see Liverpool through to the last four.
7 Bobby Graham
A sensational Liverpool debut saw Motherwell born forward Bobby Graham earn the rare distinction of scoring a hat trick on his debut. He had joined the club as a youngster with no league experience in his native Scotland.
Injury to fellow Scot Gordon Wallace opened up a place in the side for the treble which was hit against Aston Villa at Anfield in September 1964 and kept him a virtual first choice for just over a month with seven appearances from the next eight games. Graham scored another in the second leg of Liverpool's first European Cup tie with KR Reykjavik of Iceland.
He featured irregularly over the remainder of the season but made just 10 more appearances including two as a substitute over the next three seasons. The 1968-69 campaign saw him come to the fore again. With Tony Hateley injured Bill Shankly was looking to find another partner for Roger Hunt but just three games into the campaign Bobby had to contend with the injury curse ensuring just a few more outings came his way. Hateley came back into the picture but was forced out by Alan Evans who by virtue of his form kept Graham out too. However, impressive displays over the last handful of games saw him return the subsequent term when despite featuring in a number of forward going roles and shirt numbers he was an ever present.
It seemed he could only go on from that position to finally establish himself but a new wave of strikers in the shape of Kevin Keegan and John Toshack came to the fore in the early part of the 1970s pushing him on to the sidelines once more. A move to Coventry City saw him attempt to relaunch his career having made over 100 appearances in a red shirt despite the ad hoc nature of his Liverpool days.
8 Roger Hunt
Before Fernando Torres. Before Owen and Fowler. Before Rush and Dalglish. Even before Keegan and Toshack there was Roger Hunt. Immediately before joining Liverpool in the late 50's he had earned rave reviews while appearing for The British Army. Even though the Reds were his first professional club his strengths and ability to crack it at the highest level were obvious. He was tremendously athletic, strong and held such a high level of stamina allowing him to cover ground with consummate ease over 90 minutes.
His goal scoring record was second to none. Even when compared to the greats of both his day and the years which have followed. The fact that it took almost 30 years for some of those achievements to be surpassed by a forward of Ian Rush’s calibre is proof of that. A debut goal in a home win over Scunthorpe United showed the shape of things to come. He netted a further 20 times during that first season and was virtually the first choice striker from then on spearheading the push for promotion and ultimately the quest to become England's best.
The opening goal of the 1965 Cup Final was one of the greatest moments of his club career and was Liverpool's first in the showpiece occasion.
The 245 league goals and 285 times he scored for Liverpool in total have only been surpassed by Rush. Away from the domestic game he earned the distinction of a World Cup Winners Medal with England in 1966. In recognition of his achievement The Kop christened him Sir Roger.
9 Alf Arrowsmith
The forward made just one appearance during the 1961-62 promotion season in one of the few games Liverpool lost and failed to score in. He had been signed from Ashton United at the beginning of the previous campaign and had to wait for a second chance which came late in the following season when Ian St John was forced out of the first Merseyside derby Anfield had hosted in nine seasons. Once more he failed to get on the scoresheet in this game along with the other two he was selected for.
However, the 1963-64 season saw him explode onto the scene when he deputised for Jimmy Melia for all but two of the final 20 games of the league season. 15 goals was some dividend and only bettered by Roger Hunt and St John who had missed just three games between them. He had been afforded an earlier opportunity due to another absence from St John early in the campaign and took just a minute to get himself off the mark as Wolves left Anfield on the end of a 6-0 thrashing.
With that sort of firepower it was no shock that Liverpool ended the season as Champions and the winners medal was just reward for many season's patient service from the Manchester born striker. However, despite further fitness setbacks for St John Bill Shankly decided to look at others only calling on Arrowsmith towards the end of the season and then for short periods of time.
He played in the final game of the 1964-65 league season as Shanks, knowing nothing more than a top seven finish could be achieved, decided to rest the majority of his Wembley side. Alf's only contribution to the FA Cup triumph was a single outing in the 5th Round of the competition. As Liverpool won a second title in three years Arrowsmith’s celebrations were somewhat muted as his contribution was limited to three starts and two introductions from the newly conceived substitutes bench.
The presence of St John and Hunt was enough to thwart the ambitions of the best strikers in the game and although clearly talented and with plenty to offer the striker decided he had to leave Anfield in order to show it. He joined Bury in 1968 for £25,000 and served a number of other North West based clubs before hanging up his boots in the early 1970s.
10 Gordon Wallace
An inside left recruited directly from junior football in Scotland but who ultimately and somewhat frustratingly given his talent failed to make the grade at Anfield. His first team debut came midway through the 1962-63 season but was only followed up by one more outing before the season's conclusion. Though Wallace did manage to notch his first of five goals for the Reds during that latter run.
His contribution to the following term when Liverpool won the league title was restricted to one game. Not long after he made the breakthrough Bill Shankly likened him to one of his former teammates at Preston North End - Tom Finney. Considering Finney was one of the most skilful wingers in English football history and a man Shank's genuinely respected it was far from faint praise and not the typical piece of Shankly psychology. However, it was a comparison Gordon found it hard to live up to.
Wallace started the 1964-65 campaign as first choice in the number 10 shirt keeping the jersey for the next seven games after scoring twice in the season's opener at home to Arsenal. The match was the first highlights package ever shown on BBC Television's Match of the Day and viewers were treated to an exciting 3-2 win for the home side after Gordon notched the winner a few minutes from time. Though he scored in the Charity Shield seven days earlier those black and white images record the only goals he scored that season. Those few outings were followed up by three sporadic games.
As Liverpool claimed the title for a second time in three years only 14 players were used throughout the entire campaign with two of that number making just four appearances between them. Gordon Wallace was not one of those called upon and remained out of favour through bad injuries and the form that usually brings until joining Crewe Alexandra in 1967.
11 Ian Callaghan
Just two months into his professional career Ian Callaghan was replacing his boyhood hero, Billy Liddell, on the right wing. The Liverpool legend was injured and his stand-in, just six days past his eighteenth birthday, would go on to replace the great man on a permanent basis and become a legend in his won right. That debut against Bristol Rovers in April 1960 was a huge personal triumph. Liverpool ran out 4-0 winners and Cally was clapped off the field by his colleagues.
The only player from Liverpool's Second Division days to survive until the 1977 European Cup winning team created many records for appearances. In April 1974 he overtook Billy Liddell's record of League outings. The record which still belongs to Cally stands at 640 and is unlikely to be broken in the near future if at all. Even Jamie Carragher has just under 130 games to play in order to draw level.
Callaghan finished his Anfield career when the 1977-78 season closed following 848 career appearances and 69 goals. Despite his length of service his honours, at least by modern Liverpool standards, may appear fairly modest. Five championships and one Second Division title were followed up by two FA Cups, a couple of European Cups and a UEFA Cup medal. This may be more than a lot of players can even hope to collect but it’s a total which could have been doubled or even trebled had Cally's career coincided with the club's most successful era.
He received his first England cap in 1966 when Alf Ramsey selected him to play against Finland and was retained for the World Cup finals but played just one game in the group stages of the competition. He was recalled to the international stage at the tender age of 35 when Don Revie selected him to line up against Switzerland and Luxembourg in the qualifying rounds on the 1978 World Cup.
Further acknowledgement of his services to the game came with an OBE in 1976. Another personal accolade was his Football Writers' Player of the year Award in 1974.
Swansea City snapped up his services when he became available on a free transfer to help their push for promotions through the divisions. From South Wales he moved to Irish League side Cork United and then to Soudifjord of Norway. He returned to England to see out his playing days with Crewe Alexandra.
A model professional who gave The Reds good value for the money paid out for him - the princely sum of £10 made to all professionals when they joined a club.
An interesting quirk is that the XI is almost exclusively made up of either local products and Scots. The latter category underpinning the manager’s belief in the junior system in his homeland.
1 Tommy Lawrence
Five years as understudy to Tommy Younger, Bert Slater and Jimmy Furnell proved an excellent learning curve for this young keeper. From making his debut in October 1962 he was the first choice for duty between the sticks until Ray Clemence's emergence in 1970. As many a good judge has said his great strength was doing the simple things well. That included shot stopping. A telling feature of his game which enabled the Reds to construct a resilient defence and a establish a solid base upon which the team as a whole could build.
Although born in Dailly, Ayrshire he was recruited as an amateur from his local non-league outfit Warrington Town after impressing manager Phil Taylor in a trial game during October 1957. Unless his heritage was known very few people would have been able to pick out the country he would eventually represent at international level as he spoke with a decidedly English accent after his family left Scotland for Cheshire when young Tommy was 11 years of age.
Taylor's successor as Reds boss Bill Shankly was born not too far away from Lawrence's hometown but there could be no question of geographical favouritism as despite good form in the reserve and 'A' teams it took Shanks just under three years to promote his junior keeper.
The consistency that had hall marked Liverpool custodians for a number of years was also present in the youngster who missed just three games over his first four seasons and, until Ray Clemence and his defence began to dominate attacks during the 1970s, Tommy and his backline set a league record for the fewest goals conceded over a 42 game campaign. At the close of the 1968-69 season Lawrence kept 21 clean sheets restricting the best top flight strikers to a mere 24 strikes.
An amazing statistic being that 14 of those came on The Reds' travels. Just three teams managed to score more than once against Liverpool and that record was only ever equalled then surpassed by Ray Clemence.
He became known as the sweeper keeper due to his willingness to back up his defenders when stretched and almost without fail would win the ball outside his area. Liverpool's flat playing style made this possible.
When in defence everyone on duty would remain committed to their roles but with the ball upfield a number pushed up to support the move. Lawrence was actually once quoted as saying that he's played some big matches as a virtual extra back. Good concentration even when virtually redundant for most of a game by the quality of his teammates was a key attribute in this ability. Tommy was also a courageous keeper more than willing to dive in at the feet of an attacker if it was the only way to thwart danger.
2 Chris Lawler
Joining the Reds from youth team football baby faced Chris Lawler advanced through the ranks making his senior debut two years after accepting professional terms. Although at home in a central role he was deployed as a right back and proved to be one of the most prolific defenders in the history of British football let alone that of Liverpool Football club. It is worth noting that his tally of 61 goals from 546 career games at Anfield was not supplemented by one penalty or a free-kick, merely his ability to come up from the back virtually unnoticed and get on the end of well crafted moves.
He became a first team regular in the mid 60's after half a dozen appearances in each of his first two seasons.
His emergence was instrumental in the eventual retirement of veteran Ronnie Moran. Lawler didn't lose his berth in the side until late November 1973 when injury cost him precious opportunities to challenge Phil Neal and others for a place. Prior to this he missed just three of the 336 league games he could have played in over the course of eight seasons. Though an irregular feature in the side Chris made the 1974 FA Cup final as a non-playing substitute.
The Silent Knight as he became known due to the quiet way in which he got on with his job and persona off the pitch made him a dream for any manager including former team-mate Ian St John at Portsmouth who enticed him to leave Merseyside in 1975.
3 Gerry Byrne
A talented youngster who despite making the Liverpool schoolboys squad was nothing more than a fringe player at Anfield for many years. He was initially rejected by the Reds so worked in a lead factory until he finally made the grade and signed for the club at 17. Ronnie Moran kept him out of the first team squad and was the club captain as well as first choice at left-back when Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield in December 1959.
By contrast Byrne was transfer listed. He had only been given the one chance and unfortunately that came in a 5-1 defeat at Charlton Athletic. To make matters worse Gerry had scored an own-goal. Shank's gave him a further opportunity towards the end of his first season at the helm. Although asked to turn out in an alien role - right back - he must have acquitted himself well as the 1960-61 saw him become not just a first team regular but establish himself as the first choice option. He played in every game in the promotion season of 1961-62.
After that time he became as firmly established a left back as he was in the hearts of the fans who decided the defender epitomised their own iron will, concrete spirit and love for Liverpool. The 1965 FA Cup Final showed his heroic qualities as he played almost the entire 120 minutes with not only a gashed shin but a broken collarbone. Many players would have been inhibited by this but not Gerry. With his arm tucked carefully beneath his jersey so as not to prove opponents Leeds with an inkling of the pain experienced he played a blinder staving off the threat of Johnny Giles and even sending in the cross which set up Liverpool's first goal.
An interesting point of debate is whether he would have been able to play this role had the incident happened just a year later. The 1964-65 season was the last before substitutes were allowed to be named. Given the importance of the match and the seriousness of the injury there seems little doubt that Shankly would have replaced Byrne. How that would have impacted on the game is another question. Gerry proved vital in the win and had he not played would the course of Liverpool's cup history also have changed?
A few days later a home game against Inter Milan in the European Cup semi-final first leg took place. Always looking for the psychological edge Shanks sent Byrne out, sling draped around his neck along with another injury victim Gordon Milne. The two paraded the FA Cup in front of The Kop. The noise level shoot through the roof and played no small part in Liverpool's infamous 3-1 win. The FA Cup final heroics proved to be no one off. A year later in a Cup Winners' Cup tie against Celtic Byrne dislocated an elbow. The club doctor twisted it back into position and he simply carried on.
Little wonder that Shanks described him as the toughest player he had ever seen.
He wasn't the fastest player in the world but was a good reader of the game which allowed him to send in well timed challenges and interceptions most players could never have dreamed of making. In the tackle he was certainly tough and exulted in the well earned nickname of ‘Gerry the Crunch‘.
At Melwood he was one of the most avid trainers most of the coaching staff had ever seen and such was his competitive nature that he was often taken out of 5 a-side games in order to ensure that his teammates didn‘t risk getting injured before forthcoming matches. Not that he was a dirty player. Far from it. He was only booked once during his Liverpool career and that was for querying a throw-in.
As the 1966-67 season kicked off Gerry had more reason than most to finally accept that the course of his football career had finally worked out all the bugs that had bedevilled it over his early years as a professional. He'd finished the previous season with a second championship medal. His third domestic honour in as many seasons and although he had not played in the final or any of the group matches during the World Cup finals he was a member of the England squad which managed to win the Jules Rimmet trophy. Despite the presence of Everton's left back Ray Cohen as first choice pick there seemed no reason to believe that he could not go on to make the berth his own very soon. But a cruciate ligament injury suffered during the first league game of the next season effectively ended those ambitions and started the countdown towards the end of his playing days. At home to Leicester City on a soft surface his studs managed to get caught in the turf badly twisting his knee.
He managed to get back into the starting XI for the return game at Filbert Street but made just eight more outings over the remaining four months of the campaign. Just five months had elapsed from Byrne suffering the injury until his next first team outing but while the problem could be easily corrected by surgery in the modern age four decades earlier medical science was nowhere near as advanced and the fact that he returned at all let alone played 26 games from the start of the 1967-68 term was another testament to the steely nature he personified.
Although just the other side of thirty he would still have had plenty to offer the team had his fitness permitted but his retirement in May 1969 was announced once the battle against constant pain got too much to wage. His final season with the Reds had been reduced to a last couple of appearances in the number three jersey plus a call up from the bench sandwiched between those two starts. Keen to make use of the assets Gerry displayed as a player Bill Shankly saw him as a perfect addition to his backroom staff but despite a briefly held coaching role he resisted the temptation to get actively involved with the game.
4 Phil Thompson
The Kirkby born defender's career at Anfield is the stuff dreams are made of. Phil lead the club he worshipped to glory both home and abroad as well as playing for then captaining his country. For Bill Shankly this story wasn't a possibility it was a reality which he confidently predicted. His Liverpool career began under Shanks in February 1971 when he made his debut as a late substitute in a 3-0 away win over Manchester United. He was in and out and the starting line up until Larry Lloyd left for Coventry City in 1974.
In his 12 seasons at the club Thommo won seven League titles, three European Cups, four League Cup winners medals plus one FA Cup and a UEFA Cup winners medal. His proudest moment was being made captain of Liverpool in 1979. A role in whish he lifted a host of major trophies. He skippered England and was a key member of Ron Greenwood’s squad for the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain where he played in all five matches.
The defensive partnership cultivated between Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson began to limit his first team opportunities and he was eventually transferred to Sheffield United in March 1985. Kenny Dalglish brought him back to Anfield a year later to become his reserve team coach. He guided the Reds' second string to a Central/Pontins League title during his six seasons in charge. Graeme Souness replaced him with Sammy Lee for the start of the 1992-93 season but he was recalled to the Anfield coaching staff to act as Gerard Houllier's assistant when Roy Evans relinquished his joint managerial role with the Frenchman.
5 Tommy Smith
Although the 1976-77 campaign was supposed to mark Tommy Smith's last season for Liverpool he decided to play on for another year and extend his association with the club to 17 seasons. He made his debut in May 1963 in a 5-1 home win over Birmingham City. Although he gave a good account of himself it was his only game of the season. He remained in the reserves for the next campaign and didn't get back into the first team picture until November 1964 in the first leg of the European Cup 1st round tie with Anderlecht.
Tommy started off as an inside right. Then moved to centre back before making the left back role his own. He went on to play 40 times in that first full season which ended with a FA Cup winners medal after the 2-1 victory over Leeds United in May 1965. All this at the tender age of 20. He never looked back and became a rock at the heart of Liverpool's defence for the next decade.
A medal haul of four league championships, two FA Cups, two UEFA Cups and two European Cups was no bad return. The most remarkable feature of his career was that he only made one international appearance - against Wales in 1971.
Tommy was Liverpool through and through. A total of 633 games for his boyhood favourites and the club he joined straight from school only tells half the story. He made a no less telling contribution in terms of his sheer presence and reputation. The Anfield Iron as he became known was a fearsome competitor and tough defender to beat. Even when not captaining the side he always led by example.
He came back into the Liverpool first team during the 1976-77 campaign as a result of Phil Thompson's injury. From there on in it was a fairy tale which included the vital second goal in the European Cup final. He may well have been selected in the side to play Bruges the following year had he not dropped an axe on his foot. Despite being offered another extension to his contract Smithy eventually left Anfield during the 1978 close season to join his former colleague John Toshack at Swansea City. Upon retiring he took up a post coaching the Welsh club's youth team and made a brief return to Anfield in a similar capacity.
6 Ian Ross
A childhood friend of Kenny Dalglish who saw his career take a different direction to his fellow Glaswegian. Possibly due to his versatility Ross was always a bit part player who despite playing just over 60 times including ten games as a substitute over six seasons could never manage to cement a place in the side. Filling in at various positions earned him respect from the management and many compliments from Bill Shankly who pitched him across the entire backline and in a number of forward positions. Judging by the roles he played on the pitch Shanks' assessment was that he could play at any level of the game in any country.
However, had he not made 20 appearances during the 1971-72 term in all competitions he could have left Anfield with a relatively paltry number of appearances. This highlighted just how haphazard his contribution was over the other campaigns.
He left to join Aston Villa at the end of that term but a season earlier had made possibly his most vital contribution to the Liverpool cause. He was seen as one of the most potent man markers in England and had been chosen by Bill Shankly to patrol some great names including the legendary Franz Beckenbauer - one of the most creative players in Europe.
Playing The Kaiser out of the game when the Reds met Bayern Munich away in the second leg of a quarter-final European Fairs Cup tie. The opener had finished goalless leaving the team with a tough task but Ross was exceptional and left Beckenbauer alone just once so he could nip in to score the only goal of the game to see Liverpool through to the last four.
7 Bobby Graham
A sensational Liverpool debut saw Motherwell born forward Bobby Graham earn the rare distinction of scoring a hat trick on his debut. He had joined the club as a youngster with no league experience in his native Scotland.
Injury to fellow Scot Gordon Wallace opened up a place in the side for the treble which was hit against Aston Villa at Anfield in September 1964 and kept him a virtual first choice for just over a month with seven appearances from the next eight games. Graham scored another in the second leg of Liverpool's first European Cup tie with KR Reykjavik of Iceland.
He featured irregularly over the remainder of the season but made just 10 more appearances including two as a substitute over the next three seasons. The 1968-69 campaign saw him come to the fore again. With Tony Hateley injured Bill Shankly was looking to find another partner for Roger Hunt but just three games into the campaign Bobby had to contend with the injury curse ensuring just a few more outings came his way. Hateley came back into the picture but was forced out by Alan Evans who by virtue of his form kept Graham out too. However, impressive displays over the last handful of games saw him return the subsequent term when despite featuring in a number of forward going roles and shirt numbers he was an ever present.
It seemed he could only go on from that position to finally establish himself but a new wave of strikers in the shape of Kevin Keegan and John Toshack came to the fore in the early part of the 1970s pushing him on to the sidelines once more. A move to Coventry City saw him attempt to relaunch his career having made over 100 appearances in a red shirt despite the ad hoc nature of his Liverpool days.
8 Roger Hunt
Before Fernando Torres. Before Owen and Fowler. Before Rush and Dalglish. Even before Keegan and Toshack there was Roger Hunt. Immediately before joining Liverpool in the late 50's he had earned rave reviews while appearing for The British Army. Even though the Reds were his first professional club his strengths and ability to crack it at the highest level were obvious. He was tremendously athletic, strong and held such a high level of stamina allowing him to cover ground with consummate ease over 90 minutes.
His goal scoring record was second to none. Even when compared to the greats of both his day and the years which have followed. The fact that it took almost 30 years for some of those achievements to be surpassed by a forward of Ian Rush’s calibre is proof of that. A debut goal in a home win over Scunthorpe United showed the shape of things to come. He netted a further 20 times during that first season and was virtually the first choice striker from then on spearheading the push for promotion and ultimately the quest to become England's best.
The opening goal of the 1965 Cup Final was one of the greatest moments of his club career and was Liverpool's first in the showpiece occasion.
The 245 league goals and 285 times he scored for Liverpool in total have only been surpassed by Rush. Away from the domestic game he earned the distinction of a World Cup Winners Medal with England in 1966. In recognition of his achievement The Kop christened him Sir Roger.
9 Alf Arrowsmith
The forward made just one appearance during the 1961-62 promotion season in one of the few games Liverpool lost and failed to score in. He had been signed from Ashton United at the beginning of the previous campaign and had to wait for a second chance which came late in the following season when Ian St John was forced out of the first Merseyside derby Anfield had hosted in nine seasons. Once more he failed to get on the scoresheet in this game along with the other two he was selected for.
However, the 1963-64 season saw him explode onto the scene when he deputised for Jimmy Melia for all but two of the final 20 games of the league season. 15 goals was some dividend and only bettered by Roger Hunt and St John who had missed just three games between them. He had been afforded an earlier opportunity due to another absence from St John early in the campaign and took just a minute to get himself off the mark as Wolves left Anfield on the end of a 6-0 thrashing.
With that sort of firepower it was no shock that Liverpool ended the season as Champions and the winners medal was just reward for many season's patient service from the Manchester born striker. However, despite further fitness setbacks for St John Bill Shankly decided to look at others only calling on Arrowsmith towards the end of the season and then for short periods of time.
He played in the final game of the 1964-65 league season as Shanks, knowing nothing more than a top seven finish could be achieved, decided to rest the majority of his Wembley side. Alf's only contribution to the FA Cup triumph was a single outing in the 5th Round of the competition. As Liverpool won a second title in three years Arrowsmith’s celebrations were somewhat muted as his contribution was limited to three starts and two introductions from the newly conceived substitutes bench.
The presence of St John and Hunt was enough to thwart the ambitions of the best strikers in the game and although clearly talented and with plenty to offer the striker decided he had to leave Anfield in order to show it. He joined Bury in 1968 for £25,000 and served a number of other North West based clubs before hanging up his boots in the early 1970s.
10 Gordon Wallace
An inside left recruited directly from junior football in Scotland but who ultimately and somewhat frustratingly given his talent failed to make the grade at Anfield. His first team debut came midway through the 1962-63 season but was only followed up by one more outing before the season's conclusion. Though Wallace did manage to notch his first of five goals for the Reds during that latter run.
His contribution to the following term when Liverpool won the league title was restricted to one game. Not long after he made the breakthrough Bill Shankly likened him to one of his former teammates at Preston North End - Tom Finney. Considering Finney was one of the most skilful wingers in English football history and a man Shank's genuinely respected it was far from faint praise and not the typical piece of Shankly psychology. However, it was a comparison Gordon found it hard to live up to.
Wallace started the 1964-65 campaign as first choice in the number 10 shirt keeping the jersey for the next seven games after scoring twice in the season's opener at home to Arsenal. The match was the first highlights package ever shown on BBC Television's Match of the Day and viewers were treated to an exciting 3-2 win for the home side after Gordon notched the winner a few minutes from time. Though he scored in the Charity Shield seven days earlier those black and white images record the only goals he scored that season. Those few outings were followed up by three sporadic games.
As Liverpool claimed the title for a second time in three years only 14 players were used throughout the entire campaign with two of that number making just four appearances between them. Gordon Wallace was not one of those called upon and remained out of favour through bad injuries and the form that usually brings until joining Crewe Alexandra in 1967.
11 Ian Callaghan
Just two months into his professional career Ian Callaghan was replacing his boyhood hero, Billy Liddell, on the right wing. The Liverpool legend was injured and his stand-in, just six days past his eighteenth birthday, would go on to replace the great man on a permanent basis and become a legend in his won right. That debut against Bristol Rovers in April 1960 was a huge personal triumph. Liverpool ran out 4-0 winners and Cally was clapped off the field by his colleagues.
The only player from Liverpool's Second Division days to survive until the 1977 European Cup winning team created many records for appearances. In April 1974 he overtook Billy Liddell's record of League outings. The record which still belongs to Cally stands at 640 and is unlikely to be broken in the near future if at all. Even Jamie Carragher has just under 130 games to play in order to draw level.
Callaghan finished his Anfield career when the 1977-78 season closed following 848 career appearances and 69 goals. Despite his length of service his honours, at least by modern Liverpool standards, may appear fairly modest. Five championships and one Second Division title were followed up by two FA Cups, a couple of European Cups and a UEFA Cup medal. This may be more than a lot of players can even hope to collect but it’s a total which could have been doubled or even trebled had Cally's career coincided with the club's most successful era.
He received his first England cap in 1966 when Alf Ramsey selected him to play against Finland and was retained for the World Cup finals but played just one game in the group stages of the competition. He was recalled to the international stage at the tender age of 35 when Don Revie selected him to line up against Switzerland and Luxembourg in the qualifying rounds on the 1978 World Cup.
Further acknowledgement of his services to the game came with an OBE in 1976. Another personal accolade was his Football Writers' Player of the year Award in 1974.
Swansea City snapped up his services when he became available on a free transfer to help their push for promotions through the divisions. From South Wales he moved to Irish League side Cork United and then to Soudifjord of Norway. He returned to England to see out his playing days with Crewe Alexandra.
A model professional who gave The Reds good value for the money paid out for him - the princely sum of £10 made to all professionals when they joined a club.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Shankly Signings XI
A team constructed purely of men Bill Shankly brought to Liverpool Football Club from elsewhere rather than those brought through the ranks.
1 Ray Clemence
Even with Liverpool's firmament of goalkeeping talent Ray Clemence achieved legendary status not just in his playing days but far beyond them by becoming one of the most respected custodians of Liverpool's proud goalkeeping history. He kept an amazing 335 clean sheets from the 656 career games for the Reds and the fact that his name is just as fondly remembered as those of Kenny Dalglish, Steve Heighway, John Toshack, Terry McDermott or even Kevin Keegan to name but a few is testament to that.
One of the country's best ever last lines of defence is said to have become a goalkeeper by accident. Like most stoppers he fancied himself as a forward and was by his own admission a prolific scorer in training ground five-a-sides but as a youngster he was told to play in goal or not to play at all. Strange to think that but for that the £18,000 recruit from Scunthorpe United in 1967 may never have made the professional grade.
His talent between the sticks was plain for all to see. So much so that Bill Shankly signed him after just 48 appearances. Despite the high regard Clem was held in he had to push Tommy Lawrence out of the picture first. A debut came the best part of a year after his arrival on Merseyside in a 3rd round FA Cup tie with Swansea City. It was a further year and a half before he could call the number one jersey his own. Upon becoming the first choice he missed a mere handful of games in his 11 seasons at the club. During his time at Anfield he collected five league championships, three European and two UEFA Cup winners medals. He also won each of the domestic cups - the FA Cup in 1974 and League Cup in 1981.
Throughout the entire 1978-79 campaign conceded a miserly 16 goals. A record in a 42 league game season.
In the summer of 1981 he took up a new challenge with Tottenham Hotspur. The £300,000 fee was a hefty one at the time. He finished his playing career at White Hart Lane collecting a couple more FA Cup medals. He was also in the Spurs team which lost 3-1 to Liverpool in the 1982 League Cup final.
His international career began in 1972 with a cap against Wales in Cardiff. He went on to make 56 appearances for England as a Liverpool player. Adding five more with Tottenham. Since retiring in 1988 he joined the coaching staff at Spurs and the manager of Barnet. He has or some years served as England's goalkeeping coach.
2 Geoff Strong
Despite having a decent career with Arsenal and playing quite regularly Geoff Strong decided to look for fresh pastures and berth in his preferred striking position. Bill Shankly made no promises about his role when brokering a £40,000 deal in November 1964 which was a quick fix to cover for Alf Arrowsmith who would be sidelined for some time but Shanks knew his proven utility could only benefit his squad. In fact the manager often asked him to perform duties all over the field yet the qualms that had seen him leave Highbury never seemed to bother the player on Merseyside. At the end of his first season he was an FA Cup winner coming into the side at the expense of Gordon Milne who had missed out through a injury and earned Strong the distinction of winning the trophy in his first FA Cup game for the club.
A year later he had a championship medal after 21 games in six different positions and one outing from the newly introduced substitute's bench. It was in that game at West Ham United that he became the first Liverpool player outside the starting XI to register on the scoresheet. His goal 14 minutes from time earned a share of the points and also marked the first time Liverpool had introduced a player from the bench. Shanks was a believer in not unsettling the side he put on the pitch for the first minute unless absolutely necessary. His five league goals that term included one in the first game shown on BBC Television's Match of the Day highlights show.
In Europe and the Cup Winners Cup Strong managed to find the scoresheet in the opening round against Juventus. His strike in the 2-0 win over the Italian giants wrapped up the scoring and saw the Reds turn around a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Turin. His next in the semi-final battle with Celtic saw a repeat of that feat and was remarkable in that it was a headed goal which saw the Northumbrian rise high despite a knee injury that would have seen many players head off the field. Injuries and tactical decisions were the only bar to his participation in the side though these lay offs were fortunately rare until his eventual departure for Coventry City in August 1970. He had played close on to 200 games for the Reds scoring 32 goals after sterling service and great displays in virtually every outfield position - right back included. Who knows. Had Liverpool not had some of the fittest goalkeepers of the era and enjoyed luck with injuries during games he may well have donned the gloves and added that to his expanding CV.
3 Alex Lindsay
Widely regarded as one of the best left backs Liverpool have ever had Alec Lindsay was recruited from Bury in March 1969 for a sizeable £67,000 fee. However, as far as Bill Shankly was concerned it was a snip for such a naturally gifted player who played at wing half and inside forward at Gigg Lane. 126 appearances for his hometown team prouduced a ceditable 14 goals.
His debut came half a year later in a European Fairs Cup 1st round tie with Dundalk when he scored the sixth in a 10-0 win over the Irish minnows. Although he was tried out in his more accustomed positions Shanks decided that he would be best employed in a deeper role from which he could use his phenomenal pace to overlap attacks. It proved to be a master stroke and a tactical switch which hallmarked the manager's place in the pantheon of true greats.
However, Lindsay still had to wait just over a season before he could be considered a regular in the side. When he was the Lancastrian formed a solid partnership with right back Chris Lawler. A league championship, UEFA and FA Cup winners medals were all garnered before his eventual departure to Stoke City in the summer of 1977 though he did add a European Cup Winner‘s medal albeit as a non-playing substitute months before he left for The Victoria Ground.
The arrival of Joey Jones, Phil Neal and the rejuvenation of Tommy Smith's career had limited his first team chances for a couple of years prior to that.
4 Emlyn Hughes
Liverpool paid £65,000 to Blackpool for the defender's services in March 1967. Although he had played a fairly small number of games for the Seasiders Shanks had no doubt about his worth and pitched the youngster into the cut and thrust of top flight football within a month of signing.
Hughes became an instant hit with the fans due to his infectious enthusiasm. They would eventually call him Crazy Horse in tribute to his running style and surges up front plus a rugby tackle he performed on Newcastle forward Albert Bennet early in his Anfield career.
His journeys up field brought their fair share of goals. As captain for the 1976-77 campaign it was his honour to lift the club's first European Cup aloft. The win in Rome was one of his two successive European Cup winners medals. These prizes sit neatly with four league championships, two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup winners medal and the 1976 PFA Player of the Year Award. He also earned 62 England caps 59 as a Liverpool player which included 40 as captain.
In the summer of 1979 he left for Wolverhampton Wanderers where he added a League Cup to his trophy cabinet. A two season spell at Molynuex ended with his decision to accept the player/manager position at Rotherham United. His record as a boss could never live up to his playing days. Even after leaving the South Yorkshire club he turned out for Hull City, Mansfield Town and Swansea City. His distinguished sporting career earned him an OBE. Apart from captaining teams on a Question of Sport and ITV's Sporting Triangles he had no further involvement with the game. He ran a promotions company but in 2003 was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Despite surgery he failed to beat the disease passing away in November 2004 at the age of 57.
5 Willie Stevenson
A left half with a cultured style brought in to replace the more fundamental Tommy Leishman. Bill Shankly's move for the former Glasgow Rangers man halted immediate plans to emigrate to Australia where he had been playing after finding himself surplus to requirements at Ibrox. £7,000 was a small price to pay for a player with flair and creativity. Shanks wanted to develop in the side following promotion to the top flight. A number of players had struggled to come to terms with the higher level they were now expected to perform. Stevenson himself found it hard to acclimatise at first but maybe that was to be expected from someone who had not played first class football for a number of months. Eventually he found his feet and looked good alongside Ron Yeats and Gordon Milne. Able to tackle well plus move forward easily with the ball Liverpool found there were new dimensions to their play.
If there was a criticism of Willie it had to be that he was often too keen to set up chances for others rather than seize initiatives for himself. An observation supported by a return of 17 goals from 237 career games at Anfield. That being so he was at the heart of league championship and FA Cup winning sides of the 1960s. He set up the move for the first Liverpool goal of the afternoon in the 1965 FA Cup final which Roger Hunt snapped up.
It was just as well the Reds enjoyed success as he proved to be a man who hated losing, especially at the last hurdle, as demonstrated by his discarding of his runners-up medal after the 1966 European Cup Winners Cup final. Angry at the manner of his side's last minute defeat and the fact that Liverpool had chances to seize the game he threw it out of the toilet window. To this day nobody has gone on record as finding it.
After five seasons as the regular choice in the number six shirt including four campaigns as a virtual ever present he fell victim to a team rebuilding exercise and the recruitment of Emlyn Hughes from Blackpool. The newcomer had arrived during the previous term but had operated mostly at left back. However, Bill Shankly's long term aim was to introduce him to the half back line as soon as possible. With Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith to contend with Stevenson decided to look elsewhere for regular first team action and joined Stoke City.
6 Ron Yeats
Upon signing Ron Yeats Bill Shankly described his new centre half as a colossus. As if to prove his point he invited journalists covering the story to come and take a walk around him. Considering he stood 6'2" tall and weighed around 14 stones Shank's description was a fair one but he was a giant in much more than stature.
Yeats provided the cornerstone of a defence which would play a large part in not only Liverpool's assault on the First Division but in the Reds' battle for supremacy in Europe.
A £30,000 fee for the former slaughterhouse man was a major amount of money in July 1961 but these days Big Ronnie could fetch many millions of pounds on the transfer market. He was appointed club captain almost as soon as the ink on his contract was dry. It was a role which he kept for nine seasons during which time he lead Liverpool to the Second Division Championship, two League Championships and a first ever FA Cup win. To date he is Liverpool's longest-serving post-war captain. When Liverpool came out of Division Two Ron led a side which set about dominating the English game winning championships, made their first incursions into Europe and Yeats became the first Liverpool skipper to hold the FA Cup aloft in 1965 by virtue of the 2-1 win over Leeds United at Wembley.
First team opportunities dried up at the turn of the 1970's. A new breed of defenders were chomping at the bit and when the opportunity came their way they proved more than equal to it. After a decade at Anfield and over 450 appearances he made a short journey across the Mersey to take up a player/manager role at Prenton Park. After leaving Tranmere then making some appearances in the North American Soccer League and turning out as an amateur with various sides in the North West he remained out of the game until appointed as Anfield's Chief Scout in 1986. A post he held for over 20 years.
Somewhat bizarrely he won just two caps with Scotland. However, the Tartan Army's loss was certainly Liverpool's gain and maybe the rest he earned while international fixtures were played helped him chalk up ten seasons at Anfield.
7 Kevin Keegan
When Bill Shankly brought this unassuming youngster to Merseyside there were many who wondered whether he could recreate the promise he had shown in the 4th Division at the highest level. A host of top flight clubs had him watched but Joe Fagan and Bob Paisley decided they had seen enough after 20 minutes of their scouting trip. With a recommendation like that there was little other option than to sign him.
The initial plan was that he should take over from Ian Callaghan on the right hand side of midfield. A cartilage operation had left the veteran struggling for fitness. As it happened Cally not only made a full recovery his career enjoyed something of a boost. Consequently Keegan was placed up front where he formed a devastating partnership with John Toshack.
There is a picture of Keegan upon his arrival at Anfield sat on a dustbin while he waits to go through the formalities of joining the club. However, his performances were anything but rubbish. Despite his lack of height he could out jump most defenders and possessed deceptive strength. His boundless energy meant he could run opposition back lines ragged. He also had great skill and balance plus a spectacular ability to finish.
He scored two goals in the 1974 FA Cup final and the first leg of the 1973 UEFA Cup Final. He also notched efforts in both legs of the 1976 competition.
Precisely 100 goals from 323 games for Liverpool emphasises his attraction to other clubs. Continental teams were rumoured to be taking a keen interest in his services. Many were linked but SV Hamburg were the club who actually managed to land him. He returned to these shores a few years later when he joined Southampton. Two years after his arrival at The Dell he began a love affair with Newcastle United. Terry McDermott was tempted back to the club and in their first full season together the Magpies were promoted to Division One. He retired from the game at the end of the 1983-84 season. A 4-0 FA cup defeat by Liverpool in a 3rd round tie at Anfield convinced him that this season would be his last.
8 Ian St John
When this centre forward arrived from Motherwell in May 1961 he was the club's record buy. He had been set to sign for Newcastle and even admitted he didn't know an awful lot about Liverpool but after meeting Bill Shankly decided to pick the Reds ahead of his other suitors even though the North Eastern outfit were a well established first division club and Liverpool were mid-table and a division lower.
Many on the Liverpool board questioned whether £37,500 could be afforded despite the impression St John had made with Motherwell. Bill Shankly a long term admirer of the player preferred to ask whether the Reds could afford not to go through with the deal. It was an astute observation by the manager who secured his services prior to the 1961-62 term beginning.
He proved an instant hit scoring a hat-trick in his first game. The opposition were Everton in a Liverpool Senior Cup tie. Although a striker all his career he was moved to inside forward by Shanks. He took to his new role well and it didn't dull The Saint's scoring prowess either as he not only grabbed goals himself but made them for others. He struck up an instant and devastating union with Roger Hunt playing the perfect foil to the out and out forward who he helped notch 41 goals from as many games as the Second Division championship and that long awaited promotion back to the top flight was secured at the end of the 1961-62 campaign. 18 strikes was a good return for St John who proved he could also cut it at the highest level
It was his extra-time goal - a stooping header to turn home Ian Callaghan cross - seven minutes from the end of extra-time which won a first FA Cup in the club‘s history. As with most of Bill Shankly's signings the new decade marked the end of his Anfield career. Before playing out his last games in South Africa Ian St John joined the exodus to Tranmere Rovers. He returned to Britain and took the managerial reigns at his old club Motherwell and then Portsmouth. A brief stint at Fratton Park preceding a coaching role with Sheffield Wednesday.
9 Steve Heighway
The Dublin born winger graduated from Warwick University with a degree in Economics. He had a spell with Manchester City as an amateur but it was his performances for non-league Skelmersdale United that peaked Liverpool's interest. Bob Paisley went to watch him on the recommendation of his sons. The Geordie wasn't one to heap false praise on people so when he described Heighway as the best amateur footballer he had ever seen Bill Shankly snapped him up.
In October 1970 after one introduction as a substitute he came in for a start and a goal on his home debut. A 2-0 win over Burnley was a great beginning. He remained a virtual ever present member of the team capping his season with a superb goal in the FA Cup final which he made himself after cutting in from the wing and shooting low past Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson. It was a strike which deserved to win any game especially this one but which ultimately proved nothing more than a personal accolade to look back on as the Gunners managed to edge the game. Three years later he was on the mark again at Wembley as Liverpool swept Newcastle United to one side.
Between those two games he made in excess of 150 appearances for the club, won a league championship and played in both legs of the UEFA Cup victory against Borussia Munchengladbach even though he was substituted in each game.
An ability to play off either foot made him one of the most exciting and feared wingers in the country.
Although a relative late comer to the professional ranks he claimed almost every prize it had to offer as well as Republic of Ireland caps. His contribution in terms of providing chances and scoring goals cannot be underestimated. He laid on countless chances which more often than not his colleagues would tuck away. The 1977 European Cup final being a prime example. After nine seasons he began to find that first team opportunities were limited at the turn of the 1980's when he was mostly used as a substitute.
Heighway left the club in April 1981 to try his luck in the North American Soccer League with Minnesota Kicks. He returned to Anfield in 1989 to become the Red’s Youth Development officer remaining in post until April 2007 deciding to call it a day after his young charges won the FA Youth Cup for a second successive year. In this capacity he has nurtured the talents of players like Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard amongst others.
10 John Toshack
The Welsh forward fetched a club record £110,000 when he signed from Cardiff City in November 1970. He scored 77 goals in 159 appearances for the South Wales Club. His tall and muscular frame made him deadly in the air and the perfect foil for his striking partner during much of his time at Anfield - Kevin Keegan.
Their partnership yielded 137 league goals in six seasons. Tosh scored 95 from his 245 run outs for the Reds. His Anfield career saw him win three championship medals, two UEFA Cups, a European Champions Cup and one FA Cup winners' medal. He played 40 internationals for Wales including 26 as a Liverpool player. He was a fairly creative person off the pitch and penned many odes about his fellow professionals and the games he had played.
He left Merseyside during the 1977-78 season to take up the player/manager's position at Swansea City although he could have joined Leicester City three seasons earlier - he failed a medical after agreeing personal terms. Tosh guided the Swans all the way to Division One within just five seasons recruiting many of his former teammates along the way. He returned to Anfield in the opposition dugout when his team took on Liverpool in October 1981. His charges did him proud earning a creditable 2-2 draw. They finished sixth in that first top flight season.
Although they were relegated the following term Toshack's managerial skills were being watched and admired by many clubs further a field than these shores. That took him to the continent most prominently in Spain although he endured a brief stint in Turkey. Whilst still managing in Spain he was handed the reigns of the Welsh national side. Although a part-time appointment he was forced to resign after just one game following criticism of his ability to carry out his duties effectively though is is the principality's current national boss.
Kenny Dalglish's decision to relinquish the Anfield hotseat in February 1991 saw speculation about him taking over at his former club. Similar rumours surrounded the departure of both Graeme Souness and Roy Evans but nothing ever came of the talk.
11 Peter Thompson
There have been few better practitioners of the real art of wing play in the club's history and certainly Peter Thompson was one of the greatest of his era. Fast, skilled, excellent control and strength which made him tricky to knock off the ball he tied defenders in knots. There was also an ability to deliver a great cross.
A £35,000 buy from Bill Shankly's old club Preston North End he may have attracted a record fee but this 21 year old was no gamble. Shanks had done his research and ensured the new man arrived at Anfield in a blaze of publicity and the type of fan attention usually reserved for pop stars. According to the player it was possibly a ploy of the manager who had tipped off as many journalists as he could think of and rounded up fans to loiter in the car park in a move designed to encourage him to sign. After all how could he fail to be impressed by such a reception merely to see him discuss terms.
Whatever the truth of that claim he accepted the offer and spent nine seasons with the club more often than not tearing down either the left or right flank.
In the last few seasons of his stay he wasn't a regular choice due to the emergence of Steve Heighway. He was no slouch when presented with a chance himself and struck over 50 times in a Liverpool shirt. He came to the attention of the England selectors soon after joining the Reds with full England caps adding to his youth honours. It was a progression seen as a matter of course and so it proved. Only Alf Ramsey deciding the use of wingers was an unnecessary luxury curtailed his international career. He left the club in 1972 for Bolton Wanderers and stayed at Burden Park until his retirement in 1978.
1 Ray Clemence
Even with Liverpool's firmament of goalkeeping talent Ray Clemence achieved legendary status not just in his playing days but far beyond them by becoming one of the most respected custodians of Liverpool's proud goalkeeping history. He kept an amazing 335 clean sheets from the 656 career games for the Reds and the fact that his name is just as fondly remembered as those of Kenny Dalglish, Steve Heighway, John Toshack, Terry McDermott or even Kevin Keegan to name but a few is testament to that.
One of the country's best ever last lines of defence is said to have become a goalkeeper by accident. Like most stoppers he fancied himself as a forward and was by his own admission a prolific scorer in training ground five-a-sides but as a youngster he was told to play in goal or not to play at all. Strange to think that but for that the £18,000 recruit from Scunthorpe United in 1967 may never have made the professional grade.
His talent between the sticks was plain for all to see. So much so that Bill Shankly signed him after just 48 appearances. Despite the high regard Clem was held in he had to push Tommy Lawrence out of the picture first. A debut came the best part of a year after his arrival on Merseyside in a 3rd round FA Cup tie with Swansea City. It was a further year and a half before he could call the number one jersey his own. Upon becoming the first choice he missed a mere handful of games in his 11 seasons at the club. During his time at Anfield he collected five league championships, three European and two UEFA Cup winners medals. He also won each of the domestic cups - the FA Cup in 1974 and League Cup in 1981.
Throughout the entire 1978-79 campaign conceded a miserly 16 goals. A record in a 42 league game season.
In the summer of 1981 he took up a new challenge with Tottenham Hotspur. The £300,000 fee was a hefty one at the time. He finished his playing career at White Hart Lane collecting a couple more FA Cup medals. He was also in the Spurs team which lost 3-1 to Liverpool in the 1982 League Cup final.
His international career began in 1972 with a cap against Wales in Cardiff. He went on to make 56 appearances for England as a Liverpool player. Adding five more with Tottenham. Since retiring in 1988 he joined the coaching staff at Spurs and the manager of Barnet. He has or some years served as England's goalkeeping coach.
2 Geoff Strong
Despite having a decent career with Arsenal and playing quite regularly Geoff Strong decided to look for fresh pastures and berth in his preferred striking position. Bill Shankly made no promises about his role when brokering a £40,000 deal in November 1964 which was a quick fix to cover for Alf Arrowsmith who would be sidelined for some time but Shanks knew his proven utility could only benefit his squad. In fact the manager often asked him to perform duties all over the field yet the qualms that had seen him leave Highbury never seemed to bother the player on Merseyside. At the end of his first season he was an FA Cup winner coming into the side at the expense of Gordon Milne who had missed out through a injury and earned Strong the distinction of winning the trophy in his first FA Cup game for the club.
A year later he had a championship medal after 21 games in six different positions and one outing from the newly introduced substitute's bench. It was in that game at West Ham United that he became the first Liverpool player outside the starting XI to register on the scoresheet. His goal 14 minutes from time earned a share of the points and also marked the first time Liverpool had introduced a player from the bench. Shanks was a believer in not unsettling the side he put on the pitch for the first minute unless absolutely necessary. His five league goals that term included one in the first game shown on BBC Television's Match of the Day highlights show.
In Europe and the Cup Winners Cup Strong managed to find the scoresheet in the opening round against Juventus. His strike in the 2-0 win over the Italian giants wrapped up the scoring and saw the Reds turn around a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Turin. His next in the semi-final battle with Celtic saw a repeat of that feat and was remarkable in that it was a headed goal which saw the Northumbrian rise high despite a knee injury that would have seen many players head off the field. Injuries and tactical decisions were the only bar to his participation in the side though these lay offs were fortunately rare until his eventual departure for Coventry City in August 1970. He had played close on to 200 games for the Reds scoring 32 goals after sterling service and great displays in virtually every outfield position - right back included. Who knows. Had Liverpool not had some of the fittest goalkeepers of the era and enjoyed luck with injuries during games he may well have donned the gloves and added that to his expanding CV.
3 Alex Lindsay
Widely regarded as one of the best left backs Liverpool have ever had Alec Lindsay was recruited from Bury in March 1969 for a sizeable £67,000 fee. However, as far as Bill Shankly was concerned it was a snip for such a naturally gifted player who played at wing half and inside forward at Gigg Lane. 126 appearances for his hometown team prouduced a ceditable 14 goals.
His debut came half a year later in a European Fairs Cup 1st round tie with Dundalk when he scored the sixth in a 10-0 win over the Irish minnows. Although he was tried out in his more accustomed positions Shanks decided that he would be best employed in a deeper role from which he could use his phenomenal pace to overlap attacks. It proved to be a master stroke and a tactical switch which hallmarked the manager's place in the pantheon of true greats.
However, Lindsay still had to wait just over a season before he could be considered a regular in the side. When he was the Lancastrian formed a solid partnership with right back Chris Lawler. A league championship, UEFA and FA Cup winners medals were all garnered before his eventual departure to Stoke City in the summer of 1977 though he did add a European Cup Winner‘s medal albeit as a non-playing substitute months before he left for The Victoria Ground.
The arrival of Joey Jones, Phil Neal and the rejuvenation of Tommy Smith's career had limited his first team chances for a couple of years prior to that.
4 Emlyn Hughes
Liverpool paid £65,000 to Blackpool for the defender's services in March 1967. Although he had played a fairly small number of games for the Seasiders Shanks had no doubt about his worth and pitched the youngster into the cut and thrust of top flight football within a month of signing.
Hughes became an instant hit with the fans due to his infectious enthusiasm. They would eventually call him Crazy Horse in tribute to his running style and surges up front plus a rugby tackle he performed on Newcastle forward Albert Bennet early in his Anfield career.
His journeys up field brought their fair share of goals. As captain for the 1976-77 campaign it was his honour to lift the club's first European Cup aloft. The win in Rome was one of his two successive European Cup winners medals. These prizes sit neatly with four league championships, two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup winners medal and the 1976 PFA Player of the Year Award. He also earned 62 England caps 59 as a Liverpool player which included 40 as captain.
In the summer of 1979 he left for Wolverhampton Wanderers where he added a League Cup to his trophy cabinet. A two season spell at Molynuex ended with his decision to accept the player/manager position at Rotherham United. His record as a boss could never live up to his playing days. Even after leaving the South Yorkshire club he turned out for Hull City, Mansfield Town and Swansea City. His distinguished sporting career earned him an OBE. Apart from captaining teams on a Question of Sport and ITV's Sporting Triangles he had no further involvement with the game. He ran a promotions company but in 2003 was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Despite surgery he failed to beat the disease passing away in November 2004 at the age of 57.
5 Willie Stevenson
A left half with a cultured style brought in to replace the more fundamental Tommy Leishman. Bill Shankly's move for the former Glasgow Rangers man halted immediate plans to emigrate to Australia where he had been playing after finding himself surplus to requirements at Ibrox. £7,000 was a small price to pay for a player with flair and creativity. Shanks wanted to develop in the side following promotion to the top flight. A number of players had struggled to come to terms with the higher level they were now expected to perform. Stevenson himself found it hard to acclimatise at first but maybe that was to be expected from someone who had not played first class football for a number of months. Eventually he found his feet and looked good alongside Ron Yeats and Gordon Milne. Able to tackle well plus move forward easily with the ball Liverpool found there were new dimensions to their play.
If there was a criticism of Willie it had to be that he was often too keen to set up chances for others rather than seize initiatives for himself. An observation supported by a return of 17 goals from 237 career games at Anfield. That being so he was at the heart of league championship and FA Cup winning sides of the 1960s. He set up the move for the first Liverpool goal of the afternoon in the 1965 FA Cup final which Roger Hunt snapped up.
It was just as well the Reds enjoyed success as he proved to be a man who hated losing, especially at the last hurdle, as demonstrated by his discarding of his runners-up medal after the 1966 European Cup Winners Cup final. Angry at the manner of his side's last minute defeat and the fact that Liverpool had chances to seize the game he threw it out of the toilet window. To this day nobody has gone on record as finding it.
After five seasons as the regular choice in the number six shirt including four campaigns as a virtual ever present he fell victim to a team rebuilding exercise and the recruitment of Emlyn Hughes from Blackpool. The newcomer had arrived during the previous term but had operated mostly at left back. However, Bill Shankly's long term aim was to introduce him to the half back line as soon as possible. With Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith to contend with Stevenson decided to look elsewhere for regular first team action and joined Stoke City.
6 Ron Yeats
Upon signing Ron Yeats Bill Shankly described his new centre half as a colossus. As if to prove his point he invited journalists covering the story to come and take a walk around him. Considering he stood 6'2" tall and weighed around 14 stones Shank's description was a fair one but he was a giant in much more than stature.
Yeats provided the cornerstone of a defence which would play a large part in not only Liverpool's assault on the First Division but in the Reds' battle for supremacy in Europe.
A £30,000 fee for the former slaughterhouse man was a major amount of money in July 1961 but these days Big Ronnie could fetch many millions of pounds on the transfer market. He was appointed club captain almost as soon as the ink on his contract was dry. It was a role which he kept for nine seasons during which time he lead Liverpool to the Second Division Championship, two League Championships and a first ever FA Cup win. To date he is Liverpool's longest-serving post-war captain. When Liverpool came out of Division Two Ron led a side which set about dominating the English game winning championships, made their first incursions into Europe and Yeats became the first Liverpool skipper to hold the FA Cup aloft in 1965 by virtue of the 2-1 win over Leeds United at Wembley.
First team opportunities dried up at the turn of the 1970's. A new breed of defenders were chomping at the bit and when the opportunity came their way they proved more than equal to it. After a decade at Anfield and over 450 appearances he made a short journey across the Mersey to take up a player/manager role at Prenton Park. After leaving Tranmere then making some appearances in the North American Soccer League and turning out as an amateur with various sides in the North West he remained out of the game until appointed as Anfield's Chief Scout in 1986. A post he held for over 20 years.
Somewhat bizarrely he won just two caps with Scotland. However, the Tartan Army's loss was certainly Liverpool's gain and maybe the rest he earned while international fixtures were played helped him chalk up ten seasons at Anfield.
7 Kevin Keegan
When Bill Shankly brought this unassuming youngster to Merseyside there were many who wondered whether he could recreate the promise he had shown in the 4th Division at the highest level. A host of top flight clubs had him watched but Joe Fagan and Bob Paisley decided they had seen enough after 20 minutes of their scouting trip. With a recommendation like that there was little other option than to sign him.
The initial plan was that he should take over from Ian Callaghan on the right hand side of midfield. A cartilage operation had left the veteran struggling for fitness. As it happened Cally not only made a full recovery his career enjoyed something of a boost. Consequently Keegan was placed up front where he formed a devastating partnership with John Toshack.
There is a picture of Keegan upon his arrival at Anfield sat on a dustbin while he waits to go through the formalities of joining the club. However, his performances were anything but rubbish. Despite his lack of height he could out jump most defenders and possessed deceptive strength. His boundless energy meant he could run opposition back lines ragged. He also had great skill and balance plus a spectacular ability to finish.
He scored two goals in the 1974 FA Cup final and the first leg of the 1973 UEFA Cup Final. He also notched efforts in both legs of the 1976 competition.
Precisely 100 goals from 323 games for Liverpool emphasises his attraction to other clubs. Continental teams were rumoured to be taking a keen interest in his services. Many were linked but SV Hamburg were the club who actually managed to land him. He returned to these shores a few years later when he joined Southampton. Two years after his arrival at The Dell he began a love affair with Newcastle United. Terry McDermott was tempted back to the club and in their first full season together the Magpies were promoted to Division One. He retired from the game at the end of the 1983-84 season. A 4-0 FA cup defeat by Liverpool in a 3rd round tie at Anfield convinced him that this season would be his last.
8 Ian St John
When this centre forward arrived from Motherwell in May 1961 he was the club's record buy. He had been set to sign for Newcastle and even admitted he didn't know an awful lot about Liverpool but after meeting Bill Shankly decided to pick the Reds ahead of his other suitors even though the North Eastern outfit were a well established first division club and Liverpool were mid-table and a division lower.
Many on the Liverpool board questioned whether £37,500 could be afforded despite the impression St John had made with Motherwell. Bill Shankly a long term admirer of the player preferred to ask whether the Reds could afford not to go through with the deal. It was an astute observation by the manager who secured his services prior to the 1961-62 term beginning.
He proved an instant hit scoring a hat-trick in his first game. The opposition were Everton in a Liverpool Senior Cup tie. Although a striker all his career he was moved to inside forward by Shanks. He took to his new role well and it didn't dull The Saint's scoring prowess either as he not only grabbed goals himself but made them for others. He struck up an instant and devastating union with Roger Hunt playing the perfect foil to the out and out forward who he helped notch 41 goals from as many games as the Second Division championship and that long awaited promotion back to the top flight was secured at the end of the 1961-62 campaign. 18 strikes was a good return for St John who proved he could also cut it at the highest level
It was his extra-time goal - a stooping header to turn home Ian Callaghan cross - seven minutes from the end of extra-time which won a first FA Cup in the club‘s history. As with most of Bill Shankly's signings the new decade marked the end of his Anfield career. Before playing out his last games in South Africa Ian St John joined the exodus to Tranmere Rovers. He returned to Britain and took the managerial reigns at his old club Motherwell and then Portsmouth. A brief stint at Fratton Park preceding a coaching role with Sheffield Wednesday.
9 Steve Heighway
The Dublin born winger graduated from Warwick University with a degree in Economics. He had a spell with Manchester City as an amateur but it was his performances for non-league Skelmersdale United that peaked Liverpool's interest. Bob Paisley went to watch him on the recommendation of his sons. The Geordie wasn't one to heap false praise on people so when he described Heighway as the best amateur footballer he had ever seen Bill Shankly snapped him up.
In October 1970 after one introduction as a substitute he came in for a start and a goal on his home debut. A 2-0 win over Burnley was a great beginning. He remained a virtual ever present member of the team capping his season with a superb goal in the FA Cup final which he made himself after cutting in from the wing and shooting low past Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson. It was a strike which deserved to win any game especially this one but which ultimately proved nothing more than a personal accolade to look back on as the Gunners managed to edge the game. Three years later he was on the mark again at Wembley as Liverpool swept Newcastle United to one side.
Between those two games he made in excess of 150 appearances for the club, won a league championship and played in both legs of the UEFA Cup victory against Borussia Munchengladbach even though he was substituted in each game.
An ability to play off either foot made him one of the most exciting and feared wingers in the country.
Although a relative late comer to the professional ranks he claimed almost every prize it had to offer as well as Republic of Ireland caps. His contribution in terms of providing chances and scoring goals cannot be underestimated. He laid on countless chances which more often than not his colleagues would tuck away. The 1977 European Cup final being a prime example. After nine seasons he began to find that first team opportunities were limited at the turn of the 1980's when he was mostly used as a substitute.
Heighway left the club in April 1981 to try his luck in the North American Soccer League with Minnesota Kicks. He returned to Anfield in 1989 to become the Red’s Youth Development officer remaining in post until April 2007 deciding to call it a day after his young charges won the FA Youth Cup for a second successive year. In this capacity he has nurtured the talents of players like Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard amongst others.
10 John Toshack
The Welsh forward fetched a club record £110,000 when he signed from Cardiff City in November 1970. He scored 77 goals in 159 appearances for the South Wales Club. His tall and muscular frame made him deadly in the air and the perfect foil for his striking partner during much of his time at Anfield - Kevin Keegan.
Their partnership yielded 137 league goals in six seasons. Tosh scored 95 from his 245 run outs for the Reds. His Anfield career saw him win three championship medals, two UEFA Cups, a European Champions Cup and one FA Cup winners' medal. He played 40 internationals for Wales including 26 as a Liverpool player. He was a fairly creative person off the pitch and penned many odes about his fellow professionals and the games he had played.
He left Merseyside during the 1977-78 season to take up the player/manager's position at Swansea City although he could have joined Leicester City three seasons earlier - he failed a medical after agreeing personal terms. Tosh guided the Swans all the way to Division One within just five seasons recruiting many of his former teammates along the way. He returned to Anfield in the opposition dugout when his team took on Liverpool in October 1981. His charges did him proud earning a creditable 2-2 draw. They finished sixth in that first top flight season.
Although they were relegated the following term Toshack's managerial skills were being watched and admired by many clubs further a field than these shores. That took him to the continent most prominently in Spain although he endured a brief stint in Turkey. Whilst still managing in Spain he was handed the reigns of the Welsh national side. Although a part-time appointment he was forced to resign after just one game following criticism of his ability to carry out his duties effectively though is is the principality's current national boss.
Kenny Dalglish's decision to relinquish the Anfield hotseat in February 1991 saw speculation about him taking over at his former club. Similar rumours surrounded the departure of both Graeme Souness and Roy Evans but nothing ever came of the talk.
11 Peter Thompson
There have been few better practitioners of the real art of wing play in the club's history and certainly Peter Thompson was one of the greatest of his era. Fast, skilled, excellent control and strength which made him tricky to knock off the ball he tied defenders in knots. There was also an ability to deliver a great cross.
A £35,000 buy from Bill Shankly's old club Preston North End he may have attracted a record fee but this 21 year old was no gamble. Shanks had done his research and ensured the new man arrived at Anfield in a blaze of publicity and the type of fan attention usually reserved for pop stars. According to the player it was possibly a ploy of the manager who had tipped off as many journalists as he could think of and rounded up fans to loiter in the car park in a move designed to encourage him to sign. After all how could he fail to be impressed by such a reception merely to see him discuss terms.
Whatever the truth of that claim he accepted the offer and spent nine seasons with the club more often than not tearing down either the left or right flank.
In the last few seasons of his stay he wasn't a regular choice due to the emergence of Steve Heighway. He was no slouch when presented with a chance himself and struck over 50 times in a Liverpool shirt. He came to the attention of the England selectors soon after joining the Reds with full England caps adding to his youth honours. It was a progression seen as a matter of course and so it proved. Only Alf Ramsey deciding the use of wingers was an unnecessary luxury curtailed his international career. He left the club in 1972 for Bolton Wanderers and stayed at Burden Park until his retirement in 1978.
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