LFC.tv's - Where Are They Now?

CCSC_STRIKER20 · Dec 17, 2008

LFC.tv occasionally profiles former players, who are now somewhere else, sometimes doing completely random things.

Here are the first three:

Veggard Heggem - "Veggie" played RW/RB for the Reds from 1998-2003. He is currently the owner and manager of a salmon fishing business at the river Orkla in Sør-Trøndelag. He is also an Official Patron of AFC Liverpool, an independent football club owned and run by Liverpool FC supporters. He is also a regular at Liverpool home matches, and was also at the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul.

I thought that this was the best quote I could find from him, and it was on his wikipedia page.

After hearing that The Sun newspaper had printed quotes from him claiming to be an exclusive, Vegard released the following statement to Liverpool fans via a variety of fan forums.

"It's been brought to my attention that the Sun has printed a story with quotes from me. I want to state that I am aware of the history between the Sun Newspaper and Liverpool FC, and I would never give an interview to this newspaper. I gave an interview to a journalist from the Swedish newspaper "Dagens nyheter" on Wednesday where I commented on Steven Gerrard, and the quotes are taken from this interview. I am very sad that this has happened, and I hope that Liverpoolfc.tv: Official Web Site will assist me in getting a message out to the fans of Liverpool FC that an interview with the Sun never took place.

Thanks.

Vegard Heggem"
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Nigel Clough - Brian Clough's son, Nigel, played striker for the Reds from 1993-1996. His most memorable performance for Liverpool came against Manchester United when he scored 2 goals in a 3-3 draw. He is now the player-manager at Burton Albion.

It's Nigel Clough Again!
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-Martin Tyler

Steve Nicol - Nicol was considered a utility player for the all-conquering Reds teams of the 1980s. "Chopsy" won 4 League Titles, 3 FA Cups, and 1 European Cup. Nicol now manages MLS' New England Revolution.

"Of course I tune in to watch them," he says. "Let me tell you, when you play for a team that has the teammates and fans that Liverpool have then you always have a soft spot for them. It never leaves you."
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el-capitano · Dec 17, 2008

Hey- they stole my idea!

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=654896

CCSC_STRIKER20 · Dec 18, 2008

But they do it better!

el-capitano · Dec 18, 2008

CCSC_STRIKER20 said: ↑

But they do it better!
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So they should considering they're getting paid to do it!

CCSC_STRIKER20 · Dec 18, 2008

el-capitano said: ↑

So they should considering they're getting paid to do it!
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Excuses...excuses.

CCSC_STRIKER20 · Jan 14, 2009

Why Jones Is The King Of The Playground

"There you go, I've scored now," chuckles Rob Jones as he drills the ball into an empty net.

It's the former Reds defender's humorous response after the subject of his less than prolific record in front of goal came to the fore in an exclusive interview with Liverpoolfc.tv.

Unfortunately for the likeable 37-year-old, the only eyes privy to such a 'momentous' occasion are those of an LFC scribe.

"I went close to scoring a lot of times," he says with a wistful grin, as we relive his eight years at Anfield amidst the backdrop of his children's back garden football pitch.

"I still get reminded about it now. I've had a few people come up to me and say they used to put a pound on me at 50-1 every game!

"I hit the bar and the post a few times. It never bothered me really, I think it was more about banter with the fans! If I was in a goalscoring opportunity and I could knock it back to Robbie Fowler, then I'd always look to do that.

"To be honest I don't know how I didn't score. It just wasn't meant to be, was it?"

It would seem not, and yet few players could have gone as close as he did without ever seeing the ball hit the back of the net.

"I suppose you're right," he muses. "I remember I had a shot at Leeds that was going in and hit John Barnes on the backside!

"There was another time at Man City when I was in the six yard box. I clipped it past the keeper but one of their defenders came from nowhere and fell on the ball. It was literally sat on the line.

"It just needed someone to blow on it to knock it over."

For the record, Jones played 243 times for the club without ever scoring.

That's not to say his time at the club wasn't successful. He was arguably the best attacking right-back in the Premier League back in the early 1990s, after Graeme Souness plucked the starlet from the relative obscurity of Crewe Alexandra's Gresty Road.

"My whole time at LFC was great," he recalls.

"We had a great bunch of lads. I enjoyed going to Melwood every day and just loved playing football - the only thing I didn't enjoy was being injured quite a lot.

"Looking back I still played a lot of games and I also represented England at senior level.

"My first season was just brilliant. I signed from Crewe towards the end of October, played for England in February and topped it off by playing in and winning the FA Cup final.

"Even then it could have been better. It was the European Championships in Sweden, but my shin splints became so bad that I had to get it sorted and ended up withdrawing from the squad."

Injuries would go on to cast a dark shadow over the rest of Jones' career.

He admits there was more than a slight sense of frustration at seeing his time in the limelight come to a premature end, but it is clear from his demeanour that he is now more than happy with his new life set within the lush Cheshire countryside.

"My knee injury finished my career earlier than I expected," he says.

"I had five operations on my patella tendon but it just kept swelling up. The likes of the Brazilian Ronaldo and Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer suffered with similar injuries and it's taken its toll on them too.

"I have to admit I moped around for a few months after I hung up my boots. I was only 28 at the time and it was a big blow for me. I didn't know what to do.

"In the end the wife decided to give me a kick up the backside and told me that I had to stop sitting at home every day.

"She's always been interested in children's nurseries, so she went to college to learn a bit more about it. At this point I started looking for property and we found one in Stockton Heath.

"We opened our first nursery soon after; it was very successful and it's gone on from there really. We've got four now. It used to be five but we sold the one in Stockton Heath."

From the millionaires' playground of the football world to the ones that lie within his nurseries - Jones' life has undergone a dramatic transformation.

He remains eager to partake in the plethora of former LFC player events that litter the calendar, but admits he is more businessman than footballer these days.

"Initially I was involved at the nurseries quite a lot, but we found it was better when I took a backseat in the end," he says.

"If there's a staff problem I'll go in and sort it, but as a day-to-day thing I don't get too involved and I end up looking after our three kids a lot of the time - that's a full-time job as it is!

"We've decided to stick with four nurseries for now and we have just bought a property in Northwich which we will use to set up a care home for children. Life is very busy, that's for sure!"

During the initial 12 month period following his enforced retirement, Jones found it difficult to take any sort of interest in the world of football.

Despite growing up as an avid red, he struggled to come to terms with watching his former teammates on a regular basis.

It was a period of life that he is pleased to have left behind and over the past few years he has started to recapture his passion for Liverpool FC and football in general.

"When I first finished playing I'd maybe go to Anfield three times a year," he says. "Every time I went I just felt like I should still be out there and it was difficult for me to watch them.

"But I've got used to it now and with my little boy wanting to go to games, I attend pretty much every home match we play.

"I guess you could say my passion is back."

Jones recaptured his love for LFC at the same time a certain Spaniard began to lay the first foundations for the 'Rafa-lution'.

Thr arrival of the likes of Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso helped instil a new flair and invention in the Reds' play, culminating in an unlikely triumph in what many perceive to be the greatest European Cup final of all-time.

So would it be right to assume a certain clash with AC Milan, played in the capital of Turkey four years ago, had a big part in helping to restore his interest?

"Well it didn't do it any harm," he laughs.

"I didn't actually go to Istanbul, though. I sat here by myself with a bottle of wine. I'm quite a quiet, laid-back guy, but I got very excited that day.

"When the second goal went in, the kids were in bed and heard the wine glass smash against the wall. They came running down and saw me screaming at the TV. They'd never seen their dad like that before."

Inspired by the miracle of Istanbul, Jones has also made a return to the field as part of the Liverpool legends' tour.

He admits it's still a huge buzz to pull on his boots alongside some of the finest names to have ever graced Anfield, and is willing to put up with the inevitable pain in his knee to enjoy a run-out on the right flank.

"I do still play as part of the squad that is involved with the legends," he says.

"I've been to Guernsey, Norway and Sweden with them. We see each other a lot in the summer and the banter starts straight away.

"My knee's quite bad so I can't play in the Masters tournament because it's such a hard surface. But when it's on grass I can just about manage the half an hour each way.

"I just love playing and even though the knee swells up, it's worth it because I really enjoy it."

Talk of the legends' tour inevitably leads to a series of hilarious anecdotes, with the most notable being his recollection of the events that led to his famous nickname.

"The lads still call me Trigger to this day," he says with a laugh. "It doesn't bother me really. It's just a bit of fun.

"It all started when I used to travel into training with Dean Saunders. I was only 19 at the time and I was so star-struck.

"Everything he said I just believed and whatever he said in the car I would just agree with him 100 per cent.

"He found this highly amusing and after a while he likened me to Trigger from 'Only Fools and Horses' because I believed everything he said! It stuck from then on.

"I still think it's great playing alongside all these great names from Liverpool's history - but I can assure you, I don't believe everything they say now!"

While Jones fails to share any true connection with the character of Trigger, his time at Anfield did result in him repeating the first few words of a catchphrase made famous by the show's protagonist, Del Boy.

Back then Roy Evans' side were perennial underachievers in the league, and although the club have continued to come up short ever since, Jones is convinced - that just like the Trotters - the Reds will eventually land their equivalent of Del Boy and Rodney's millions - the Barclays Premier League title.

"I got into the habit of saying 'next year could be our year' back when I was playing," he says.

"For the past three years that hasn't been the case, but this year is different.

"We just need to maintain the consistency we have shown in the earlier parts of the season. That is what has been lacking over the years.

"Every year United will play badly for a number of games and scrape a 1-0 here and there. It's something we have started to do this year - winning ugly."

So, can we win it and ensure that this time next year we are....defending champions?

"I think we've got a good chance of winning it," he says, before pausing to envisage what that would mean.

"Yes, we can definitely do it," he continues with a nod. "And if we do, I'll be ready to celebrate it in true Istanbul-style!"
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CCSC_STRIKER20 · Jan 29, 2009

Another article about Rob Jones. This one done by The Echo.

Building New Career Child's Play For Ex-Liverpool Star Rob Jones

NEARLY a decade has past since Rob Jones’ world was turned upside down.
In the summer of 1999 the Liverpool defender was forced to hang up his boots after admitting defeat in his battle to overcome a serious knee injury.

At the age of 27 a player widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in Premier League history should have been in his prime, but instead he was facing up to life away from football.

It was a shattering blow for the boyhood Reds fan and one which took him a while to bounce back from.

“The first six months were really tough,” he said. “You never think something like that will happen to you and when I finished playing it was difficult to take.

“Some players in that position spend all their time down the pub and their life goes downhill. But I was lucky to have a good family behind me.

“My wife gave me a kick up the backside and told me to stop moping around.

“I soon realised it wasn’t the end of the world and there’s more to life than football. You have to get on with it and things have worked out well.”

Over the past decade Jones, who lives in Warrington, has made the transition from footballer to successful businessmen.

In 2001, together with wife Sue, he launched the Kids Academy Nursery Group and the company has gone from strength to strength.

“My wife had always been interested in childcare and after I finished playing she went to college to learn more about it,” he said.

“I went looking for properties and found one in Stockton Heath. Everything fell into place. We set up a nursery and it was very successful.

“We ended up selling that and with the money we were able to open more nurseries.
“We’ve now got four nursery schools and we’re also launching two adult care homes.

“At the start, I was hands on, but now my wife deals with the day to day running. I’m always there to help out but a lot of my time is spent looking after our three kids.”
Jones has also launched a comeback of sorts with the Liverpool Legends side.

“I’m off to Norway this weekend and it’s always great to see the lads again,” said the 37-year-old. “Manchester United are also sending a team over so it should be a good occasion.

“I try to get to the gym a few times a week to strengthen the knee and it’s been holding up okay. The games aren’t that competitive and I can just about manage half an hour each way. The knee swells up a bit, but it’s worth it.”

Jones enjoyed a remarkable rise up the ranks after Liverpool boss Graeme Souness spotted him playing for Crewe in October 1991.

He was signed for £300,000 and made his Reds debut 48 hours later in a goalless draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The following February he was handed his England bow against France and in May helped Liverpool clinch the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Wembley.

“It was an unbelievable time for me,” he said. “I remember playing for Crewe on the Wednesday and Souness was at the game with chief scout Tom Saunders.

“They were there to watch a lad called Steve Walters, who had played for England Schoolboys.

“Next thing, I got a phone call on the Thursday from Crewe boss Dario Gradi to say Souness wanted to see me at Melwood on Friday. I was shocked.

“That weekend I should have been playing Darlington away in the old Third Division, but instead I played for Liverpool at Old Trafford.

“In the space of a few months I went from Crewe to playing for Liverpool, England and winning the FA Cup.

“I had some great days in football but nothing beats the day I signed for Liverpool. I supported the club as a kid and my granddad, Bill, played for the club in the 1940s and 50s.

“To realise that dream was a massive achievement.”

Jones continued to be a regular after Roy Evans took over from Souness in 1994 and he played in the League Cup final victory over Bolton a year later.

However, his injury problems started to mount. Shin splints had kept him out of Euro 92 and he missed Euro 96 on home soil with a cracked vertebra.

The back injury sidelined him for most of the following season and when he returned he was plagued by a persistent knee problem.

The last of his 243 appearances for the Reds was at Chelsea in April 1998.

After his contract expired in 1999 he went on trial to West Ham, but after playing just one Intertoto Cup match he had to pack it in.

Jones said: “I didn’t want to finish and kept on trying, hoping the next operation would finally sort it.

“I gave up counting how many operations I had but in the end I had to accept it wasn’t to be.

“It was an injury to my patella tendon and the problem kept coming back.

“They can do amazing things with cruciates these days but this is an injury that surgeons still can’t seem to put right.

“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Owen Hargreaves have had the same problem. If it flares up they struggle to get the inflammation down and the knee just gets weaker and weaker.”

After retiring, Jones initially found it tough going back to Anfield, but recently his love for the Reds has been rekindled.

“I didn’t really go for a couple of years,” he revealed. “I just didn’t enjoy it. I loved playing but when I was there watching I always wished I was still out there.

“But my son Declan, who is seven, plays for a junior team and about 18 months ago he asked me to start taking him to matches.

“He’s seen a couple of my old games on LFC TV but I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet that I played for the club. He looks a bit confused when people stop me for an autograph because to him I’m just dad.

“I took him to the FA Cup game against Everton last weekend and now I get back to Anfield whenever I can. It’s always good to see old friends and catch up with people.”
Jones is happy with his lot and resists the temptation to wonder what might have been.

“It is weird to think it’s been 10 years since I played – at 37 some people are just coming to the end of their careers,” he added.

“These days I never look back. You’ve got to look on the bright side and I enjoyed my time at Liverpool. I achieved quite a lot in a short space of time and I’m proud of that.”

Rob Jones factfile

Born: 05/11/1971 - Wrexham

Liverpool appearances: 243

Liverpool goals: 0

Other clubs: Crewe, West Ham

Signed professional forms with Crewe at the age of 17 after working his way up the youth ranks.

Helped the Railwaymen win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1988/89.

Joined Liverpool for £300,000 on October 4 1991.

Two days later made his debut and kept Ryan Giggs quiet in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.

Was nicknamed ‘Trigger’ by his team-mates after the Only Fools and Horses character.
Won the FA Cup in 1992 and the League Cup in 1995.

Made his England debut against France in February 1992 but injury restricted him to just eight caps as he missed out on Euro 92 and Euro 96.

A knee injury meant he didn’t play a game for the Reds in the 1998/99 season and he was released in the summer.

Joined West Ham on non-contract terms but couldn’t overcome his knee problem and retired in August 1999.
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CCSC_STRIKER20 · Feb 3, 2009

At Home With Jan Molby

The Great Dane swapped his homeland for Merseyside back in 1984 and has since become famous for the way he has adopted to the local way of life - not to mention the scouse accent.

Tucked away in a cosy cul de sac, away from the hustle and bustle of Heswall's busy village life, we find that Molby Towers is an elegant, welcoming abode.

A knock on the front door is followed by a shout of "round the back.'
On further exploration, we find John Durnin at the door, equipped with broad grin and coffee mug.

"Drink?" he asks, before turning to put the kettle on.

At this moment 'Rambo' himself appears in the kitchen and any fears that we have turned up at the wrong ex-reds' home soon vanish.

A quick chat about the recent derby double header, Fernando Torres and whether we will win the Goodison replay follow, before Molby takes us to his office where Durnin recommences with a game of online poker.

"Let's leave him in here and do this in the comforts of the lounge," says Jan, before leading us into beautifully decorated, spacious living area.

We take a seat and begin with the obvious question of whether he spends much time at home.

"Well it depends," he says. "Some weeks I'm hardly here and other weeks I'm always in. I work for Danish TV during the Champions League so that dictates my whereabouts. I suppose it's a combination; one week I'm here, the next I'm not."

So does John Durnin tend to pop around when you are in?

"Yeah, he does actually," he says with a laugh. "I'm a bit of a mentor for John. I got into online poker a few years ago and he likes a bit of a flutter, so I look after him on that front!

"When we go away with the legends we always tend to sit down and have a few games. But I don't think any of the other lads take it beyond that. I know Aldo likes it, but they don't have the bug as bad as me and John!"

A stroll around Molby's house gives off the immediate impression that he is a happy family man, with various photographs of his wife and children on show.

But what about when he wants some Jan time? Where does he go for that?

"My favourite part of my home is actually my garage, which I have converted into a bit of a boys' room," he says with pride. "It's got a bar and a pool table in it so we have some fun over there."

Any chance Liverpoolfc.tv can take a quick look around?

"Of course," he says with a laugh. "We'll head over there once we've finished up here."

So back to Wirral life... It's an area where players from the club's past and present have often chosen to set up residence - but why this part of the world?

"We've lived in Heswall for 10 years now and I like the area," he explains. "There's everything you could wish for in terms of bars, restaurants and pubs, but I wouldn't say I'm always out and about here.

"We have a local where a lot of the ex-players go to, like Ian Rush, Michael Thomas and John Barnes, so it's a good place to live."

With so many Scandinavian faces and accents on show on matchdays at Anfield, you would expect Molby to be inundated by requests to meet up and discuss the latest Danish news - but family aside, it isn't the case.

"We have plenty of visitors over," he says. "Obviously my family come over from Denmark. The Premier League and football in general is just getting bigger and bigger, so more and more friends from Denmark want to come over. Even more so than when I actually played.

"Strangely enough I don't see many Danes though," he adds thoughtfully.

"The last one I saw was a few years ago. He knocked on my door and asked if he could clean my windows. I told him I was sorry that I already had a window cleaner, but he said: 'I'm Danish and I'd love to do them.'

"So, I started speaking to him in Danish and he couldn't respond. He told me to get him a Danish newspaper and then he read out of that. The reason he couldn't speak Danish was because he had lived in Australia for 35 years and had forgotten it!

"So that was a strange incident, but apart from him, I haven't come across many to be honest. The only Dane I speak to regularly is Daniel Agger."

There is nothing ostentatious about Molby's house. Many footballers opt to fill their living rooms with trophies, shirts and pictures - but not Jan.

"I do have a few items on show, but it's never been a massive thing for me," he says.

"The major trophies are locked away in the safe but I do have few of them out in the office and I've got a few shirts, but they are boys' room only."

Regular readers of Liverpoolfc.tv will be more than familiar with what Jan regards as his career highs - courtesy of Molby's Mailbox - but we can't help but relive some of the great man's top memories as he shows us some of the trophies in his office.

Talk of his top five goals brings up the subject of the famous effort that was never seen back in a League Cup clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in November 1985.

With no TV cameras to film the action, Molby has one of the only copies of the tape courtesy of a friend of United boss at the time, Ron Atkinson.

Many have tried and failed over the years to convince Jan to release footage of a strike that only the 41, 291 fans inside the ground have been privy to see.

In an exclusive interview with LFC TV he promised the channel the first showing if and when he does dig it out of the loft, but Liverpoolfc.tv was keen to see it for ourselves, and we opted for a different approach to try and sway him.

"Vis mig dit beromte mal du har pa video," is the request in what can only be regarded as our 'best' attempt at a bit of Danish.

Molby's response is to chuckle before unleashing a few other lines of his mother-tongue on us.

Of course we have no idea what he is saying but have prepared a nice get out...

"Det er alt Hvad jeg har pa dansk," which loosely means 'that is all I have in Danish."

Again he laughs, before saying: "One day I'll show it to you."

The request appears to have failed, but with the 25th anniversary of that strike coming up next year, perhaps that would be the best possible time to give it its first airing?

"God, is it 25 years," he muses. "Yes, I think you're right there. That's what we'll do. We'll put it out then."

It's a fitting and somewhat triumphant way to conclude our chat. All that remains is a trip outside to the 'boys' room'.

It's definitely the most intriguing part of the visit and there was certainly no disappointment on our part when we strolled in.

On each wall sat a framed shirt of some of Jan's most famous matches, including a top worn while on international duty with Denmark and the 1986 FA Cup final shirt.

There is also the small matter of his own bar, complete with untouched Man of the Match bottles of champagne, and the centrepiece of it all - the pool table.

"Fancy a game?" we venture, to which Molby replies with another laugh, before accepting the challenge.

Further discussion of all-things LFC take place as Jan sets about teaching this LFC.tv reporter a lesson, and although it is close at the end, it is the Great Dane who sinks the black, to take the honours.

Defeat is a small price to pay for the opportunity to go head-to-head with the Great Dane, and as we finally bid each other farewell, he wishes us all the best in Danish before quickly returning indoors to Durnin and the small matter of that game of Poker.
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CCSC_STRIKER20 · Feb 11, 2009

Liverpool Legend John Barnes Aims To Build Up Reggae Beat

JAMAICA coach John Barnes admits it is tough for the Reggae Boyz to vie for the affections of the public with megastars like Usain Bolt around, but is focused on making his side a force in world football.

Sprinter Bolt became one of the world’s leading sportsmen when he cruised into the record books with gold medal displays in the 100m and 200m at last year’s Olympics, while Kingston-born Chris Gayle led the West Indies in a stunning innings defeat of England’s cricketers at Sabina Park last weekend.

Now former England and Liverpool star Barnes is hoping to steal some of the headlines when his side take on a highly-rated Nigeria at Millwalll’s New Den tonight.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to play a team placed in the top 20 of the world and as much as our athletes get plenty of praise, what we want to do is prove ourselves as footballers.

“We can’t hope for equal praise because looking at someone like Usain Bolt it’s difficult to get that kind of praise. And of course the cricketers have done very well recently.
“But with the ability we have I am looking for us to be competitive against a very good side.”

He continued: “Nigeria may be ranked something like 40 places higher than us, but I will not expect anything less than a very committed performance.

“Our team ethic and our resilience is an area where we can be better. We may not be expecting to win but the attitude of my players is what I’m looking at because that is where I believe developing football nations can improve.

“I think if we continue to do that we can move rapidly up FIFA rankings.”
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CCSC_STRIKER20 · Feb 11, 2009

50 Years On - We Speak To 'Sir' Roger

It is almost fifty years since a wide-eyed youngster from Golborne, Lancashire stepped into the shoes of Billy Liddell and made his first strides on the path towards Anfield greatness.

Back then the quiet, unassuming 21-year-old celebrated a goal on his full debut with a cup of tea in the dressing room, before daring to hope that he would retain his place in the starting XI for the Reds' next Second Division match at home to Middlesbrough.

As it happened, he didn't.

But it's fair to say that the life of Roger Hunt was never the same again in the years that followed that warm September evening in 1959.

"Phil Taylor was still manager when I made my debut," he tells us in an exclusive chat over coffee, deep within the heart of Cheshire.

"I had left the army and scored a few goals in the games I'd played for the reserves. Phil told me I was starting against Scunthorpe - we were in the Second Division back then - and the thing I remember most was running out and seeing this huge crowd.

"It was the biggest gate I had ever played in front of. I was used to playing for the A-team or the reserves and all of a sudden there I was in front of 32,000 fans.

"When you actually run out and see all those faces for the first time, it's quite a strange feeling. It was very exciting and a moment in my life I will never, ever forget."

Nowadays, stars of the Barclays Premier League turn up to home matches in a collection of cars most supporters only get up close and personal with courtesy of no holds barred road testing on Top Gear.

But in the year preceding the revolutionary 1960s, Hunt took a much more grounded route to L4.

"I lived in a small village near Warrington," he says. "So, I travelled to the match on the train and then got a bus up to the ground. I was feeling very nervous and I wondered which of the faces I was passing would be in the crowd come three o'clock.

"It's very different from how they get to the match today, that's for sure."

If the thought of making your debut in front of a packed Anfield crowd wasn't scary enough, then how would you feel when you found out you were replacing the injured Billy Liddell - a man whose impact on the club had been so great that he had coined the nickname Liddell-pool?

"Well you can imagine what it was like can't you?" He says with a wry smile. "Billy Liddell was the star of that team. He had been at Liverpool such a long time and, as you probably know, they used to call them Liddell-pool.

"Anyway, he was getting towards the end of his career and got injured. Hence, I got the call.

"I remember that the game was a lot quicker that what I was used to. I was playing more of centre forward role and I was more of an inside forward as we called it back then."

Hunt's recollection of that Autumn evening is vivid and entertaining. He admits that he felt somewhat overawed at first - but that all changed after the interval.

"We were one-nil up when we got a free-kick around the hour mark. Jimmy Melia spotted me and played a short pass into my stride. I looked up and hit it instinctively. I knew it was in as soon as I struck it and I can't describe how good it felt to see it smash in off the crossbar.

"It wasn't in front of the Kop, but it made me feel so much more confident for the rest of the game.

"It was a big moment for me, but there weren't many celebrations afterwards. I had a cup of tea and luckily enough my father had been at the game so I managed to get a lift back home with him.

"The ride home capped a great day."

Promotion, League titles, an FA Cup triumph and a World Cup winners' medal are just some of the extraordinary feats the legendary number eight would go on to achieve, in a career that would rival anyone in the English game - and that's not to mention his record haul of league goals.

But what happened in the years that followed Liverpool?

While some of the greatest names from the club's past have often gone on to carve out roles in punditry and management, Hunt has been happy to carry out his existence away from the spotlight, content with life in his Cheshire home.

"I'm retired now and I tend to spend a lot of my week playing golf, swimming or going to the gym," says Hunt, who belies his 70 years.

"Yes, life's been pretty good," he adds with a smile, before relaying a brief account of his post-LFC days.

"After I left Liverpool I spent two-and-a-half years at Bolton. They were the club I supported as a boy, so that's why I chose them. I didn't really want to leave Liverpool, but Bill Shankly was looking to rebuild an ageing side.

"I was 31 and still in the Reds' first-team. I'd played about 11 games and scored something like six goals. Bob Paisley told me the boss wanted to see me in the office. I thought he was going to give me a bit of praise.

"But he actually called me in to tell me Middlesbrough had made a bid for me and he told me I could go. I knew straight away that was it. I said no to the move, but the writing was on the wall.

"When I finally hung up my boots I then went into the family road haulage business called Hunt brothers. My father and my uncle started it and it's still going to this day. I worked there for 23 years before handing over the reins to two of my nephews.

"I've also been on the Pools panel since 1974. It's great because I've been connected to football without being in the hot-seat. I work alongside Gordon Banks and Tony Green and the three of us meet up once a week In Liverpool.

"Littlewoods have recently changed the name to the new football pools.

"They've introduced some new games to increase interest and it's going well."

A true gentleman of the game, Hunt is remarkably modest when it comes to recounting his career highs.

He was there on the historic, first day that Bill Shankly set foot inside Melwood and emerged as a key figure in the side that would go on to achieve league title success in both 1964 and 1666.

He could almost argue he has too many great memories to pick a favourite, but when pressed about the honours he achieved with the Reds, he opts for the occasion that saw Ron Yeats make history as the first ever captain of Liverpool Football Club to lift the FA Cup.

"They always said the league is the hardest to win," he says. "It was played over 42 games then and Bill Shankly used to say it was our bread and butter.

"But the FA Cup was the more glamorous competition. If you have to choose you might say you would go for the FA Cup because Liverpool had never won the cup before.

"So to actually be able to say I was part of the team that won the FA Cup for the first time in our history was fantastic."

Listening to Hunt recall some of his finest moments provides further evidence of how much the beautiful game has changed over the years; none more so than on the day he was named captain for the first time.

It was an occasion to savour and one he marked with an obligatory goal - but it could so easily have been a nightmare scenario, had he not made a last-gasp dash to the ground on foot.

"It wasn't funny at the time but we were playing Man City and because Ron Yeats wasn't playing I was made captain," he says.

"We used to travel in by car. Tommy (Lawrence) would travel with his family and I'd travel with mine. On this occasion there was a massive hold up on the East Lancs. I used to get there a good hour and a half before the match.

"We had no mobile phones back then so we are just sitting in traffic watching the clock tick down.

"We ended up taking a different route and it was about 2.50 and we were at the top of Utting Avenue. I decided to jump out and run the rest of the way and funnily enough Tommy was doing the same.

"We got there at seven minutes to three. When we got in they'd set about putting Plan B into action.

"Willie Stevenson was going to start in goal with the hope that Tommy Lawrence would get there and take over. Willie would then move into his normal position or be substituted.

"As for me, well I wasn't even getting a game! Thankfully it turned out okay and I actually went on to score in a match we drew 1-1.

"I remember when we first got there Bob Paisley started having a go. But Shanks was very calm about it all and just said: "Hang on, I'll go see the ref. You take your time."

"It all worked out okay for us, but I think the incident meant the club was fined! It was a fair amount if I remember rightly!"

It's easy for the modern day fan to forget the huge impact Hunt made on Liverpool during the decades leading up to the halcyon era of the '70s and '80s.

He enjoyed a record of nearly a goal every game during the promotion season of 1961-62 and formed a partnership with Ian St John, that rivals any the club has seen - including that of the much talked about Rush-Dalglish combination.

"From the start we played well and managed to get promotion that season," he says. "It was at this point that I developed a good partnership with Ian St John.

"He had a good football brain and we linked up well. In those days you had more of your out and out wingers too, so defences were opened up more frequently and it was probably easier to score more goals because of that."

Hunt would go on to be the club's leading scorer for eight consecutive seasons, in which time he broke Gordon Hodgson's league scoring record for the club.

His strike in a 2-1 victory at Chelsea on January 18, 1969 secured a place in the Reds' record books that he still holds to this day - although Ian Rush would later surpass him as the leading scorer in all-competitions.

"I'm very proud of that," he says. "I had a lot of good players around me that helped me to score those goals. I missed a lot as well! (laughs).

"My goals had dried up before I finally broke Hodgson's record. I hadn't scored at home but I had got eight or so away from home, so I suppose it was no surprise that I got that goal away to Chelsea.

"Of course, everyone knows Rushie left to go to Italy but then returned to take the all-time scorer record many years later.

"Whenever I see him I always say to him: "You should never have come back!"

"But he was a fantastic goalscorer. I don't think players stay as long any more so I think it will be a while before anyone catches me and Rushie."

Hunt's rise to prominence inevitably led to England recognition and after he was named in Sir Alf Ramsey's squad for the 1966 World Cup finals, he played a key part in the Three Lions' march towards the Jules Rimet trophy.

"Obviously that was fantastic," he says with a winning smile. "I think the fact that we haven't won it since 1966 makes it even more special. I enjoyed some great moments with Liverpool but I think I'd have to say the World Cup final is the most important game I've ever played in."

Talk of that Wembley clash against West Germany conjures up images of Geoff Hurst's famous treble and inevitably leads to the question of whether the West Ham man's second of the day should have stood.

"I get asked about that quite a lot," he says with a laugh.

"I'm still convinced it was over the line. I still stick to the same story. If you see it on TV now, you can see that I start to move in as Geoff hits a shot on the half volley. It hit the underside of the bar and I was only four yards away.

"I loved scoring goals and I'd have loved to have scored in the final, but I was so convinced it was over the line and I thought it was about to bounce into the roof of the net.

"I automatically turned away with my hand raised thinking it would do. Weber was marking me and by this time he had reached the ball and nodded it over the top.

"It's still controversial to this day. Some people say it was in and some say it wasn't. Normally as a goalscorer you just follow in. Whether I would have got it or not, who knows.

"All that matters to me and the other members of that side is that it counts in the record books."

Thirty four years on from that historic day in English football history, Hunt was finally recognised for the role he played in that success when he received the MBE from the Queen.

It was the perfect way to cap a remarkable playing career.

"It was a fantastic moment," he says, as we bring the interview to a close with the recollection of his most recent honour. "It was a wonderful day and I am very proud of it.

"Not that having a title was new to me," he quips. "The Kop gave me the nickname 'Sir' when I returned from the World Cup and it seems to have stuck ever since!

"I had a terrific relationship with the Kop and I have to admit, there is nothing better than playing for Liverpool Football Club in front of those fantastic fans," he adds with a look that suggests he would give anything for one last run out on the hallowed turf.

"It's a unique and special honour. The support they gave me throughout my Anfield career was terrific and it is something I have cherished ever since."
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Roger Hunt's Top 5 LFC Moments
1) Signing for Liverpool as a professional footballer
2) Scoring a goal on my debut against Scunthorpe
3) Winning the First Division for the first time
4) Winning the 1965 FA Cup
5) Breaking Gordon Hodgson's goalscoring record
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Roger Hunt's Top 5 Goals
1) My first ever goal against Scunthorpe in 1959
2) A strike in an FA Cup sixth round replay in '65. We beat our bogey team Leicester and went on to lift the trophy
3) The fifth goal in the 5-0 win over Arsenal when we clinched the title in 1964
4) The two goals I scored in a 2-1 win over Chelsea when we clinched the title in '66.
5) I grabbed the first goal in the 1965 FA Cup final - It was great to score at Wembley and play a part in helping us lift the trophy
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CCSC_STRIKER20 · Feb 12, 2009

LFC Legend Barnes - Give Me The Backing To Prove I Can Be A Great Coach

“Do I have long term ambitions for Jamaica?

“Well, my contract lasts until June!

“If things go well perhaps we can talk about the future then.

“But you can’t have long term ambitions in management.

“The experiences of Felipe Scolari and Tony Adams this week have proved that. As a manager you simply have to think about winning the next match, because if you don’t achieve that short term aim, chances are you won’t get the chance to do any long-term thinking.

“Ultimately, I want to get back into football management in England.

“Where? I’ll consider anything. Any club with a chairman or a board of directors prepared to support me and empower me to do my job properly.

“But I am immensely enjoying being back in management and I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, I can be a great coach.”
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CCSC_STRIKER20 · Apr 2, 2009

Former Reds Star Mike Marsh Happy Developing Stars Of The Future

MIKE MARSH lived the dream and now he’s dedicated to helping youngsters realise their own potential.

After a decade of playing and coaching in non-league football, the former Liverpool midfielder is focused on developing the talents of the next generation.

The Aughton-based 39-year-old is busy coaching Preston North End’s under-13s and working at Accrington College.

And despite gaining managerial experience at Burscough, Northwich Victoria and Bradford Park Avenue, Marsh insists he is in no rush to return to the dugout.

“I miss being involved at a football club on a day to day basis but management isn’t something I’m pining for,” he said.

“If a good offer came along I would consider it, but to be honest I’m preparing myself to get stuck into working in the youth system now.

“I do a few days a week at Preston and then I also coach at the college.

“It can be difficult at times because you have to tread carefully with youngsters but it’s rewarding and it’s great seeing them develop.”

Marsh started this season as first team coach at Conference outfit Northwich Victoria and went on to have a spell as caretaker boss but quit the cash-strapped club last November after being told to trim his squad.

A brief stint at UniBond Premier side Bradford Park Avenue followed but he turned down the chance to become their permanent boss.

“A lot of clubs are trying to turn themselves into professional outfits without having the necessary finances in place,” he said.

“At Northwich the players weren’t paid for months and you can’t go on working like that. I was getting phone calls from players saying they couldn’t afford to pay their mortgage or put petrol in their cars to get to training.

“When the chairman asked me to lay a couple of players off I knew then it was time to call it a day.

“I was only at Bradford for a short time. I went to help out Dave Cameron and was then caretaker for a bit after he was sacked. I could have stayed there but it wasn’t for me.

“I’m happy doing what I’m doing and if I did go back into non-league it would be on a part-time basis.”

Marsh knows exactly what it takes to reach the top after enjoying his own fairytale rise from Kopite to Liverpool player.

He spent six years at Anfield and made 101 appearances for the Reds after being spotted playing for Kirkby Town by then reserve team boss Phil Thompson in 1987.

“I played for Kirkby on Saturdays and for the Railway Pub on Sundays who were sponsored by Phil,” Marsh said. “A couple of players told him there was this 17-year-old kid who was worth a look at and he came and watched me.

“I got invited for a trial and then went back for pre-season before signing in the August.

“I had followed Liverpool home and away until that point so signing for the club took a while to sink in.

“It was probably two or three years before the penny dropped that it was my occupation and not just my hobby!”

Marsh made his debut in a 2-0 win over Charlton at Anfield in March 1989 but he spent four years in the reserves before establishing himself as a first team regular in the 1991/92 season.

He scored a memorable goal in the dramatic UEFA Cup clash against Auxerre in November 1991 when the Reds overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit.

Marsh picked up an FA Cup winners’ medal at the end of that season after being an unused substitute for the 2-0 final win over Sunderland.

“I had the honour of playing with so many great players and I loved every minute of my six years at Anfield,” he said.

“The real highlight for me was the ‘92 Cup final. I know that might sound strange because I didn’t actually play.

“I probably should have been more down about not getting on but I was a Liverpool fan and those few days down in London were among the best of my life.

“I got a medal and it was just a great occasion to be part of.”

The midfielder was also played at right-back by boss Graeme Souness but he couldn’t hold down a place and left in September 1993 to join West Ham. David Burrows and Marsh were makeweights in the deal which took Julian Dicks to Anfield.

“I actually asked Souness if I could go because I wasn’t involved much,” he revealed.

“He asked me to show some patience but I told him I had been patient enough.

“I was at an age where I needed regular football. I had no regrets about moving on.

“I wanted to play and you can’t go on waiting forever.”

Spells at Coventry, Galatasaray and Southend followed before a serious knee injury brought a premature end to his professional career at the age of 28 in 1997.

Marsh accepted an insurance payout which meant he wasn’t allowed to play in the Football League again.

He made a comeback in non-league football and went on to win the Conference twice with Kidderminster and Boston but was unable to go up with them.

“It would have been nice to go back into the League but I never regretted accepting that payout,” he said.

“At Southend I was told my knee wouldn’t withstand the demands of full-time football.

“It was a difficult decision but the time was right. I had two young kids and the payout offered me security.

“If I had wanted to play in the League again I’d have had to pay back the money but it wasn’t just about me. Southend would also have had to pay money back and they got the lion’s share of the payout.

“The fact is my knee wasn’t up to full-time training.

“I had a good career and enjoyed the rest of my playing days. I’m not bitter about anything.”
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