After Liverpool FC, who else?

Throughout my younger years I saw Arsenal play a lot. I was never an Arsenal fan but it was my only opportunity to go to football matches, and I did get to see Liverpool play away to Arsenal several times.

The Arsenal team when I was younger included Liam Brady, Frank Stapleton, Pat Rice, David Price, Pat Jennings and Willy Young amongst others and the manager was Terry Neil. I actually managed to get sign photographs of a few of them over those years.

My sister's boyfriend (Kevin) used to take me to Highbury as often as he could, I loved going even though it wasn't Liverpool, the atmosphere you get from being at a 'top-flight' match is an experience every football fan should have at some point in their lives whoever the match is between. It's immense. Such a buzz as you hear the crowd roar & chant as you approach your seat (or in them days your standing position), I can't describe how that makes me feel, it's amazing.

Arsenal won the FA Cup in 1979 and it was the most exciting cup final I had ever seen (up until 2006) and beating the Mancs made it so much better. I recorded the match commentary off the radio and I have played that tape so many times that I know quite a bit of that commentary word perfect.

Here is a couple of bits of the commentary from when the game was 2 - 1 to Arsenal:

"McIlroy's inside the area, he's still there, he must score ... McIlllllllrrroooyyyy has scoooorrrrred for Manchester United, it's 3 - 2 and United are right back in the game"

"It's Liam Brady now for Arsenal, ball comes in, high across the area, it's there, Alan Sunderland. I do not believe it, I swear I do not believe it, Alan Sunderland has won the cup for the 2nd time for Arsenal 3 - 2"

I did feel a little jealous at the end of the 1979 season as Kevin decided to take my sister to Highbury to see the Arsenal team parade on the open-top bus celebrating their win of the FA Cup over Man Utd. My sister didn't (still doesn't) even like football, she got to go just because she was his girlfriend. Pfft ... is that important!

I'm not an Arsenal fan, by any stretch of the imagination but providing they don't affect Liverpool's placing in the league or cups then I am not bothered if they win, unlike some other teams - who I never want to do well. Besides half my family support Arsenal and it's nice to see them happy when Arsenal win ... sometimes ;)

A hero from my childhood

I have been looking forward to writing this blog, because when you are a child you develop hero's and although 'King' Kenny Dalglish was my hero from when I was 12 he was not my first.

The person who inspired me prior to Kenny was the late great Emlyn Hughes.

I have such fond memories of Emlyn. His pictures adorned my bedroom walls for years, I used to write notes to him in my scrapbook, especially after Liverpool lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United in 1977. I wote “never mind Emlyn you'll win the European Cup next week” and that's just what he and the rest of the 1977 legends did.

I used to write to many footballers asking for sign photographs, some replied, some didn't – Emlyn did. (He was at Wolves at the time)

He had such a bubbly personality, it was infectious. He looked like he really enjoyed life and especially playing football. He is responsible for getting this Liverpool fanatic hooked.

Emlyn played for Liverpool between 1967 & 1979 making 665 appearances and helping Liverpool become the top team in Europe. He became captain of his club and also of the national side making 62 appearances for England.

He had such a cheeky smile it was very hard not to like and admire this man.

He was a battler and had so much skill; an enormous amount of energy and enthusiasm, and that coupled with his amazing powerful runs earned him his nick name “Crazy horse”.

Emlyn was a major force and inspiration behind the all-conquering Liverpool team in the 1970's and helped them to win trophy after trophy.

All Emlyns trophies were won during his time at Liverpool except the League Cup, which he won when he captained Wolves to the final in 1980.

EMLYN HUGHES' HONOURS

2 European Cups

2 Uefa Cups

4 League Championships

1 FA Cup

1 League Cup

1 European Super Cup

INTERNATIONAL HONOURS

62 England Caps

Captained England 23 times

1st cap v Holland 1969

Unfortunately he was not too successful in management and after leaving Rotherham he started up on another very successful career.

From 1984 to 1987 he became captain on “A Question of Sport” opposite Bill Beaumont and here is where he became a household name to any non-footballing fans. Emlyn never did things by half and so he pushed himself into his new chosen occupation with gusto, he managed to gain the admiration of the thousands, maybe even millions or people who watched the show.

He made every episode hilarious with his wide grin and infectious laugh. He was cheeky enough to put protocol aside when he had Princess Anne on his team, by putting his arm around her shoulder.

In August 2003 Emlyn was diagnosed with brain cancer, I couldn't believe it, this was my hero and he had to pull through. He battled bravely for 15 months before the terrible disease took him.

He is an absolute legend and was my childhood hero. 

RIP Emlyn – miss you.

Other Liverpool related blogs :  

My Favourite Football Match

What does Hillsborough mean to me?  

How it all started for me

How it all started for me

Just indulge me for a few minutes, I have to write a blog every now and then about my passion.

When I was young my dad supported Leeds United and I didn't really know much about football, except helping him pick his draws for the football pools each week and then taking down the scores, for him on Saturday afternoons.

Then one Saturday in May 1974 there was a special game to be played, it was the FA cup final and my dad said “who do you want to win, pick a team?” I knew nothing about either team, Liverpool or Newcastle. Hmmmm … which one would I choose? You all know the answer … the team I went for that day is the team I have stayed with ever since.

From that moment on I started watching Football Focus on Saturday mornings, then Grandstand throughout the afternoon and Match of the Day on a Saturday night. 

My sister bought a Liverpool keyring, it was like a book and when opened there was a long piece of paper folded back and forth with pictures of all the Liverpool players, if I can remember they were:  Ray Clemence, Phil Thompson, Peter Thompson, Ian Callaghan, Emlyn Hughes, Kevin Keegan, Tommy Smith, Alec Lyndsay, John Toshack, Brian Hall, Peter Cormack and more.

I studied those faces until I knew them.

The more I watched Liverpool play the more I admired Emlyn Hughes – he was my favourite for a while and I always had a soft spot for him. RIP Emlyn.

In the 1975/76 season Liverpool won the 1^st Division and the Uefa Cup, I was still young but knew then that I had made a wise choice opting for Liverpool in the '74 cup final. This year was the start of the glory years for me, I was spoilt throughout my childhood with Liverpool triumph after Liverpool triumph.

In the 1976/77 season I kept a scrapbook on Liverpool, it turned out to be a good season to document them. Liverpool were going for the treble, with the League title under their belts, for the 2^nd year running, they were to take on Man Utd in the FA cup Final. Alas the treble was not to be.

I was so gutted when they didn't win the FA cup I wrote in my scrapbook “Never mind Emlyn you'll win the European cup” and 7 days later that's exactly what they did.

Fan...bloody...tastic

I was ecstatic - what a night, what a buzz. The Champions of Europe and The Champion of England, what a season!

Then the news came that Kevin Keegan was off to SV Hamburg, I was amazed, how could anyone want to leave this club? I should have known not to despair, Paisley wouldn't let us down, better was to come. This is where my favouritism change …

In August 1977 for £440,000 Kenny Dalglish signed for Liverpool – wow.

By now I couldn't get enough of Liverpool, my mum despaired with me. One day she decided to have a spending spree through her catalogue, my 3 sisters chose some lovely outfits. I chose a Liverpool sports bag, scarf, pennant, hat and a Liverpool towel, at first she wouldn't buy them but then decided she wasn't being fair. If I loved Liverpool more than new clothes then she wasn't going to penalise me - so she bought them - I still have them, don't think my sisters still have their clothes. :)

I started buying “Shoot” magazine every week, my bedroom walls were soon covered in pictures of King Kenny (along side Paul McCartney). I learnt all I could about Kenny, I even sent him birthday cards on his birthday.

I was just in senior school by this time and my English teacher wanted the class to prepare speeches, mine had to be on Kenny Dalglish, I knew everything there was to know about him, my hero. I remember my teacher raising his eyes to heaven when I stood out the front of my class and said “My speech is on the life of Kenny Dalglish” - I think he wanted something less self-indulgent and more palatable, pfft what did he expect from me, the life of William Shakespear? (A few years later for my final exam I wrote and performed a speech on the “West African Slave Trade” – I think my teacher finally approved).

At the end of Kenny's 1^st season Liverpool were in the European cup final for the 2^nd time against Bruges. I sat watching the match on tv, with my Liverpool hat and scarf on. As the match moved on I was getting more and more desperate for the loo, but I couldn't go, I might have missed something. Finally it happened - Kenny scored – woooo hooooo. What a relief, in more ways than one (I finally had time to run to the lav).

Previous to the match I had wound some mates up at school. I told them I had a ticket to the final at Wembley. On the Monday morning at school, I asked them if they'd seen me on tv, of course they hadn't, I wasn't there. I said I had been near the steps the players go up to collect the trophy and that I gave Kenny a hat as he walked up the steps to collect his winners medal. They believed me .... I have admitted to them now that I wasn't actually there (but only recently) ha ha!  - But if only ...

There are so many good memories I have from my younger days, too many to list out, and like I said I know Liverpool fans from that era were spoilt for glory, but, god! Do we want it back! I don't just want it for me but for all the younger fans out there as well, they need to feel the way I felt all those years ago. We all had a reminder in 2005 & 2006, it was good, I was on a high for quite a while after lose two matches. After both those cup finals my husband should have been scraping me off the ceiling, I was leaping up and down so much.

I hope those glory days are on the way back, I'd best get my heart checked out just in case because I am sure there are probably going to be some heart stopping moments. Liverpool always manage to bring me to the edge, they bring out the best in me ... and the worst!!

Other Liverpool related blogs :
A Hero From My Childhood

What does Hillsborough mean to me?

My favourite football match