Liverpool All-Time Draft

RAY CLEMENCE MBE



Personal Details

Full name: Raymond Neal Clemence MBE
DOB: 5 August 1948
Age: 59
Birth place: Skegness, England
Position: Goalkeeper
Strengths: positioning, communication and agility
Liverpool Debut: 25 September 1968 vs Swansea (Anfield), League Cup 3rd round: won 2-0
International Debut: 15 November 1972 vs Wales (Ninian Park), World Cup Qualifier: won 1-0

Playing Career

Youth clubs
Notts County

Liverpool - all comps
Liverpool (1967-81) - 665 (314 clean sheets)

National team
England (1973-84) - 61

Other clubs
Scunthorpe (1965-67)
Tottenham (1981-88)

Transfers

Transferred from Scunthorpe to Liverpool, 24/6/1967, for £18,000
Transferred from Liverpool to Tottenham, 1981, for £300,000

Honours

Liverpool

5 x League Championship (1972/73, 75/76, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1979/80)
FA Cup (1973/74)
3 x European Cup (1976/77, 1977/78, 1980/81)
2 x UEFA Cup (1972/73, 1975/76)
League Cup (1980/81)
European Super Cup (1976/77)
5 x Charity Shield (1973/74, 1975/76, 1976/77 (shared), 1978/79, 1979/80)

England
1973-1984 61 caps

Individual
#11 in the poll "100 Players Who Shook The Kop"
Received MBE for his services to football.
Goalkeeper in BBC's Merseyside team of the 20th century
Voted Total Football's best ever goalkeeper

Info

The best goalkeeper in Liverpool's history. He started his career in 1966 at Scunthorpe. Bill Shankly convinced Ray that Tommy Lawrence's first team days were soon to be over and he would quickly get his chance but Lawrence was far from packing it in and Clemence had to wait 3 years before claiming the number 1 jersey. In February 1970 Liverpool lost to lower-league Watford in the FA cup and Lawrence was one of those who suffered. In his first full season, 1970/71 Liverpool conceded only 22 goals in 41 games, equalling a league record. Ray only missed one game and 2 of those 24 goals conceded came when Lawrence was Clem's deputy.


A great memory of Ray Clemence was during the 1972/73 season when Liverpool won both the League title and the UEFA Cup, with Clemence saving a penalty in the final of the latter against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The penalty save meant that Liverpool took a 3–0 lead to Germany with them rather than a 3–1, Gladbach won 2–0 on their home soil and if Jupp Heynckes had beaten Clemence from the spot the tie would have finished 3–3 on aggregate with the Germans winning on the away goals rule.

Clemence's most memorable game was the European cup final in Rome 1977 vs. Borussia Monchengladbach. When scores were 1:1, Uli Stielike broke through the defence but Clemence saved superbly, Liverpool added two goals and the European cup to their ever growing collection.

Ray was quick, strong, agile and marshalled the defence superbly. It was no coincidence Liverpool was the best team, they had the best defence. Clemence-Neal-Kennedy-Thompson-Hansen conceded only 16 goals in the 1978-79 season. Clemence kept 28 clean sheets and only conceded 4 goals at Anfield in 21 games.

In the great 1978-79 title-winning campaign, when Bob Paisley's side set a points record of 68 under the old two-points-for-a-win system, the ever-present Ray Clemence conceded a record low of only 16 goals for the season.

http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=282

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/clemence/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Clemence

Video - Ray Clemence, 100 Players Who Shook The Kop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq1mzfyG1Qc

 

I had the whole post ready for another player who will go unnamed , but then I thought this fella might not drop to me next time around...


Tommy Smith MBE

Date of Birth: 5-4-1945
Birthplace: Liverpool
Debut : 8th May 1963 v Birmingham City (H) Football League Division One
1st team games: 637
1st team goals: 48

Honours with Liverpool: First Division Championship 1965/66, 1972/73, 1975/76 & 1976/77, FA Cup 1965 & 1974, European Cup 1977, UEFA Cup 1972/73 & 1975/76, Charity Shield 1965 (shared), 1966 & 1974, European Super Cup 1977

Profile from LFC.tv
His flint-like attitude and committed tackling earned him the nickname of the 'Anfield Iron' and spawned a thousand stories - many apocryphal - of his rugged approach to the game. "Tommy was never a boy - he was born a man!" said an admiring Bill Shankly.

Smith's fearsome reputation, however, threatened to disguise his skill and subtle touches, in defence or midfield, which brought him England recognition. Born a mile or so from Anfield he joined the club ground staff as a 15 year-old in 1960 and went on to become the first Liverpool captain to lift a European trophy when Shankly's side won the League and UEFA Cup double in 1973.

His first big impact came in November 1964 when he went out as an extra defender in the No 10 shirt to face Anderlecht in the European Cup, the first time the team had worn all-red. The Belgians were baffled by Smith's role and fell to a 3-0 defeat.

His greatest moment came in the final of the same competition 13 years later. On his 600th Liverpool appearance he headed the second goal against Borussia Moenchengladbach in Rome to inspire a 3-1 victory of the club's first European Cup triumph. "I've changed my name to Roy of the Rovers", quipped Smith, who was made an MBE, joined Swansea in 1978 and later spent a year as Liverpool youth coach.

 

I will continue to build up my midfield


Ian Robert Callaghan MBE

Date of Birth: April 10, 1942
Place of Birth: Toxteth, Liverpool, England

Club Honours
Division 2 Cup: 1962
First Division Cups: 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977
Charity Shields: 1964, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977
FA Cups: 1965, 1974
UEFA Cups: 1973, 1976
European Cup: 1977, 1978
European Super Cup: 1977

Country Honours
World Cup: 1966

Personal Honours
1974 FWA Footballer of the Year
MBE (1974)

First Team Club Appearances: 856
First Team Club Goals: 69

First Team Country Appearances: 4

Liverpool's own marathon man - the club's appearance record holder with 856 senior outings spanning almost two decades. Liverpool-born Callaghan was the only player to appear for the club in the old Second Division right through to their first European Cup triumph in Rome in 1977. He was at the club as a junior when Bill Shankly arrived in 1959 and still playing when the legendary Scot left in 1974.
Like his boyhood hero Billy Liddell - ironically the man he replaced on his debut in April 1960 - Callaghan was a gentleman of the game. He was booked only once in a remarkable career which brought him a cascade of medals and an MBE.

He was a direct, raiding right winger during the first phase of his career, embracing Liverpool's climb from the old Second Division, on to League and FA Cup glory and regular European campaigns before knee damage threatened his Anfield future in 1970.

But the evergreen Callaghan returned in a new, central midfield role, continuing impressively during the Bob Paisley management era. His crowning glory was a place, at 35, in the first European Cup-winning side. He joined Swansea in 1978, later played for Crewe and set an all-time record of 88 FA Cup appearances.

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We ran this free kick play in a couple of our high school matches, and scored goals. I had no idea about it until a couple of weeks ago, when I was doing research for what players I wanted.
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Good to see my 3 nominations all in the XI so far

 

Phil Thompson
Centre back (1971-1985)

Date of Birth: 21-01-1954
Birthplace: Liverpool
Debut : 28th October 1972 v Norwich City (A) Football League Division One: drew 1-1
1st team games: 477
1st team goals: 13
Other clubs: Sheffield United
International caps while with Liverpool: 41
International goals while with Liverpool: 1
Honours with Liverpool: First Division Championship 1972/73, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82 & 1982/83, FA Cup 1974, League/Milk Cup 1981 & 1982, European Cup 1978 & 1981, UEFA Cup 1973 & 1976, Charity Shield 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980 & 1982, European Super Cup 1977

Phil Thompson won everything in the game as a player and is a true Liverpool legend.
As a player and a former captain at Anfield Thompson won won seven league titles, two European Cups, two League Cups, a UEFA Cup and an FA Cup during his career. In 1981 he lifted the European Cup as captain when Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1-0 in Paris, one of his proudest ever moments in football.

He made his Liverpool debut in 1971 when the great Bill Shankly gave him his break and Reds fans knew he was a class act when he gave an outstanding display in the 1974 FA Cup Final when Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-0.

After 477 appearances for the club he left Anfield for a spell at Sheffield United in 1985 Thompson was brought back to the club a year later by Kenny Dalglish and appointed reserve team manager. Thompson won numerous reserve league titles with the reserves and when Dalglish left the club in 1991 even had a spell as first team coach before Graeme Souness was appointed Liverpool manager.

A personality clash between the pair meant Thompson's Anfield days were numbered under Souness and he left the club in controversial circumstances in 1992 when he was replaced as reserve boss by Sammy Lee.

After a spell as a TV pundit for Sky Sports Thompson returned to Anfield as assistant manager to Gerard Houllier in 1998. He helped shape the defence into having the best defensive record in the Premiership which laid the foundations for the treble season.

Thompson also had a spell in charge of the first team in October 2001 when Gerard Houllier had to undergo major heart surgery and did very well. Under Thompson Liverpool found some real consistency getting to second in the Premiership and the quarter-finals of the Champions League, before returning to assistant when Houllier returned.

When new manager Rafael Benitez was appointed as Liverpool manager in June 2004 Thompson wasn't part of his plans and left the club, but one thing is for sure Liverpool will never leave Thommo.

 

Steve McManaman : Midfielder(1990-99)
Date of Birth: 11/2/72
Birthplace: Liverpool
Debut : 15th December 1990 v Sheffield United (H). Division One - won 2-0.
1st team games: 364
1st team goals: 66
Other clubs: Real Madrid
International caps while with Liverpool: 24
International goals while with Liverpool: -
Honours with Liverpool: FA Cup (1992) and Coca Cola Cup (1995)

Steve McManaman became the first high profile Liverpool player to leave the club on a Bosman-style free transfer when he joined Spanish giants Real Madrid during the summer of 1999.
A winger, blessed with exceptional dribbling skills, McManaman was raised just a stones throw away from Anfield, in nearby Kirkdale. A boyhood Evertonian he joined the Reds straight from school and as an apprentice cleaned John Barnes' boots.

He rose through the Anfield ranks and in December 1990 his progress was rewarded when he made his senior bow, appearing as a second half substitute for Peter Beardsley in a 2-0 home win against Sheffield United. The opening game of the following season saw him make his full debut against Oldham Athletic and four days later he scored the first of his - goals for the Reds in a 2-1 defeat at Maine Road.

He celebrated the end of his first full season in the first team by starring in the FA Cup final triumph over Sunderland and three years later he shone at Wembley again, scoring two goals and picking up the man-of-the-match award in the Coca Cola Cup Final success against Bolton Wanderers.

On the international front, McManaman won his first England cap against Nigeria in November 1994, coming on as a 25th minute substitute for the injured Robert Lee. His full debut came against Colombia in September 1995.

A scorer of spectacular goals, as fans of Celtic and Arsenal will testify, his emergence as one of the games most exciting talents brought him to the attention of Europe's leading clubs and he almost signed for Barcelona in September 1997.

At the start of the following season he was named club captain but it was to be his last at Anfield. In July 1999 he opted to sign for Real Madrid and he capped his first season at the Bernabeu with a stunning strike in the European Cup Final against Valencia.

 

It's time to complete my midfield.



Jan Mølby

Place of Birth: Kolding, Denmark
Date of Birth: July 4, 1963

First Team Appearances: 218
First Team Goals: 44

International Appearances: 33
International Goals: 0

First Team Honours
First Division Championships: 1985/1986, 1989/1990
FA Cups: 1986, 1992
Charity Shields: 1987, 1989, 1990

Hailed by his former Liverpool manager and team-mate Kenny Dalglish as "one of the finest midfield players of his generation" the great Dane was a contemporary in the celebrated Ajax youth academy, with Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Jesper Olsen. He also came under the influence of Dutch master Johann Cruyff.

Molby was signed by Liverpool boss Joe Fagan for £225,000 in August 1984, following the departure of Graeme Souness. The fee was a bargain for one of the most successful of English football's foreign imports, who combined subtlety and power. Molby's passing, long or short, was wonderfully measured.

He was also an expert penalty taker, scoring 42 spot kicks, and in November 1986 earned a niche in the record books with a penalty hat trick against Coventry in the League Cup.

Molby made 52 appearances in Liverpool's League and FA Cup double season of 1985/86 before playing for Denmark in the World Cup Finals in Mexico. He won a second title medal in 1990 and another F A Cup medal in 1992. Although twice on the verge of moves (to Barcelona and Everton) he became the first foreigner to serve 10 years with one English club before becoming Swansea player boss in 1996.

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Steve Heighway

Date of Birth: 25-11-1947
Birthplace: Dublin
Debut : 22nd September 1970 v Mansfield Town (H) League Cup
1st team games: 473
1st team goals: 76

Honours with Liverpool: First Division Championship 1972/73, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79 & 1979/80, FA Cup 1974, European Cup 1977 & 1978, UEFA Cup 1973 & 1976, Charity Shield 1974 & 1976, European Super Cup 1977

Profile from LFC.TV
Steve Heighway was once charged with the responsibility of providing the crosses for Liverpool's strikers to score the goals during one of the most successful periods in the club's history.
Heighway was signed as a player initially as an amateur, by Bill Shankly in 1970. It was actually Shankly's right hand man Bob Paisley who can claim a lot of the credit for bringing the 22-yar-old Heighway to Liverpool, as Paisley's sons spotted him playing against South Liverpool and recommended him to their father.

The endearing memory of Steve Heighway that most Liverpool fans will have, however, is his pace and ability down the wing, where he created hatfuls of goals for Kevin Keegan and John Toshack, as well as surpassing the 50 League goal mark for the club himself.

Upon retiring, he eventually returned to Anfield as the youth development officer in the 1980s, working alongside his old team mate Roy Evans, and leading Liverpool's Youth team to their first ever success in the FA Youth Cup in 1996.

Having brought through such immense talents as Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, Dominic Matteo and David Thompson, Steve was instrumental in setting up the world-leading Anfield Academy which opened on January 20th 1999, and after helping the club win back to back FA Youth Cups in 2006 and 2007 he retired from his role at the Academy.

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ALAN KENNEDY




Personal Details

Full name: Alan Phillip Kennedy
Nicknames: Barney Rubble, caveman
DOB: 31 August 1954
Age: 53
Birth place: Sunderland, England
Position: Left full-back
Strengths: getting forward, scoring goals in big games
Liverpool Debut: 19 August 1978 vs QPR (Anfield), League: won 2-1
International Debut: 4 April 1984 vs Northern Ireland

Playing Career

Liverpool - all comps
Liverpool (1978-85) - 356 (21)

National team
England (1984) - 2 (0)

Other clubs
Newcastle (1972-78)
Sunderland (1985-87)
Beerschot (1987)
Hartlepool (1987)
Grantham Town (1987)
Wigan (1987-88)
Colne Dynamoes (1988-90)
Wrexham (1990-91)

Transfers

Transferred from Newcastle to Liverpool, 1978, for £330,000

Honours

Liverpool
League Championship: 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84
Charity Shield: 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82
League Cup: 1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84
European Cup: 1980/81, 1983/84

Individual
#31 in the poll "100 Players Who Shook The Kop"

Info

Will live in football history for many more years as the only British player to score winning goals in two European Cup Finals. His first was the only one of Liverpool's 1981 meeting with Real Madrid in Paris. Three years later it was the England left back's spot kick in the penalty shoot-out against Roma in their opponents' own Olympic Stadium, that brought the prestigious trophy to Anfield for a fourth time.

Nicknamed 'Barney Rubble' by the Kop after the character in television's "Flintstones", he was defender of power and pace with a menacing left foot, either delivering inviting crosses or unleashing one of his fierce trademark shots.

The left-back had been a bit of a 'problem-area' for Liverpool in 1977-78 with Joey Jones, Tommy Smith & Alan Hansen all wearing the No. 3 shirt at some stage of that season. But Alan stepped confidently into their shoes and played 37 league games in each of his first two seasons at Anfield, winning League championship medals on both occasions.


http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/kennedy/

http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=342

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Kennedy


Video - Alan Kennedy, 100 Players Who Shook The Kop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBIxLl3IXeY

 

Dang, that was my next pick.

 

RAY KENNEDY



Personal Details

Full name: Raymond Kennedy
DOB: 28 July 1951
Age: 56
Birth place: Seaton Delaval, England
Position: Left midfielder (for Liverpool), Centre-forward (for Arsenal)
Strengths: movement off the ball, intelligence, his left foot
Liverpool Debut: 31 August 1974 vs Chelsea (Stamford Bridge), League: won 3-0 (Kennedy scored a goal)
International Debut: 24 March 1976 vs Wales

Playing Career

Liverpool - all comps
Liverpool (1974-82) - 392 (72)

National team
England (1976-80) - 17 (3)

Other clubs
Arsenal (1968-74)
Swansea (1982-83)
Hartlepool (1983-84)

Transfers

Transferred from Arsenal to Liverpool, July 1974, for £180,000
Transferred from Liverpool to Swansea, January 1982, for £160,000

Honours

Liverpool
League Championship: 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82
Charity Shield: 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1979/80
League Cup: 1980/81
European Cup: 1976/77, 1977/78, 1980/81
UEFA Cup: 1975/76
European Super Cup: 1976/77

National Team
England (1976-1980) - 17 (3)

Individual
#28 in the poll "100 Players Who Shook The Kop"

Info

Despite his ability as a striker, Kennedy's chances to play in his favoured centre forward role at Liverpool were restricted due to the presence of the prolific Keving Keegan and John Toshack. Shankly's successor Bob Paisley, however, had other plans for Kennedy. Paisley tracked down Kennedy's former teacher in the player's native Northumberland and discovered he had been a schoolboy midfielder. Giving him the number 5 shirt, Paisley converted the burly striker into a cultured attacking midfield player, based on the left flank, Kennedy flourished in this role for the rest of the decade, winning England recognition and acclaim throughout Europe for his vision and finishing ability. Indeed, his form was so good, that Jimmy Greaves would later describe Kennedy as 'the player of the seventies'. Kennedy also won his first of 17 caps for England in this position. He never played as an orthodox centre forward again.

Perhaps the most memorable of his 72 Liverpool goals came at Munich's Olympic Stadium in the 1981 European Cup semi final second leg. His late strike secured a 1-1 draw with Bayern and a place in the final. Kennedy joined Swansea in January 1982 and later played for Hartlepool but has been cruelly afflicted by Parkinson's Disease.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/kennedy2/

http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=344

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kennedy


Video - Ray Kennedy, 100 Players Who Shook The Kop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mk4hzTsAW4

 

Sorry mate, hopefully Ray wasnt your next, next pick.

 

I was surprised that no one had done them yet...and given that my picks are cumulative i am able to do it. Now hopefully no one takes my next two picks.

 

Ronnie Whelan

Date of Birth: 25-09-1961
Birthplace: Dublin
Debut : 3rd April 1981 v Stoke City (H) Football League Division One
1st team games: 443
1st team goals: 73

Honours with Liverpool: First Division Championship 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1987/88 & 1989/90, FA Cup 1986 & 1989, League/Milk Cup 1982, 1983 & 1984, European Cup 1984, Charity Shield 1982, 1986 (shared), 1988, 1989 & 1990 (shared), Screen Sport Super Cup 1986

Profile From LFC.TV
The gifted successor to Ray Kennedy on the left flank of Liverpool's midfield, Whelan made a massive contribution to the club's majestic triumphs under Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish in the 1980's winning six League title medals, three FA Cup, a European Cup and three Milk Cup medals.
A natural footballer, Whelan was signed by Paisley from Home Farm in his native Dublin in October 1979, just after his 18th birthday. He gave a hint of things to come by scoring on his debut against Stoke in April 1981, the first of 73 goals scored for Liverpool in almost 500 senior appearances.

He had a talent for scoring spectacular and crucial goals, including a magnificent swerving shot that beat Manchester United at Wembley in the 1983 Milk Cup Final, the year after he scored twice at the same venue in the final of the same competition against Tottenham. As well as fierce shooting power Whelan’s lean build incorporated tigerish tackling ability.

Later in his Anfield career he captained Liverpool and switched inside to a central midfield role. Whelan emulated his father, Ronnie senior, by representing the Republic of Ireland, for whom he won 53 caps. He left Anfield in 1994 to manage Southend, followed by a spell in charge of Greek club Panionios and then Olympiakos Nicosia of Cyprus.

 

Oh Ghostface, you sly son of a bitch. That was my next pick.



Peter Beardsley MBE

Date of Birth: January 18, 1961
Place of Birth: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Club Honours
First Division Championships: 1987/1988, 1989/1990
FA Cup: 1989
Charity Shield: 1989, 1990, 1991

Personal Honours
MBE 1995

First Team Club Appearances: 131
First Team Club Goals: 46

First Team Country Appearances: 59
First Team Country Goals: 9

An integral part of one of the most entertaining sides in post-war Liverpool history, Beardsley cost manager Kenny Dalglish a then British record £1.9 million from Newcastle in the summer of 1987.
He arrived at Anfield a month after his fellow England star John Barnes and, with another recent recruit John Aldridge, they formed a menacing trio in Dalglish's re-shaped team following Ian Rush's departure to Juventus.

Beardsley, who won 59 caps and skippered his country, was a potent blend of enthusiastic commitment, sublime skills and predatory finishing instincts. Those qualities shone as Liverpool swept to the title in swashbuckling style in his first season. Beardsley scored 15 goals as Liverpool equalled the record of 29 top-flight games unbeaten from the start of the season and lost only two of their 40 matches.

He collected a second title medal in 1989-90 with an FA Cup winners medal sandwiched between the championship successes. After four years at Anfield, in which he scored 58 goals in 173 appearances, new manager Graeme Souness sold him to Everton for £1 million and Beardsley went on to equal David Johnson's feat of scoring Mersey derby winners for both clubs.

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