Two LFC legends should feel hard done by
With the unveiling of the new Main Stand just around the corner, and the promise of a lot of nods to the club’s history in the new concourse and surrounding areas, thoughts inevitably turn to the great names that have been through the doors of Anfield, and who truly deserves the status of ‘all-time great’ or ‘Legend’
The club have decided that they will have seven granite benches on the concourse, each will contain the name, achievements and key moments from seven selected legends: Elisha Scott, Billy Liddell, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish, John Barnes and Steven Gerrard.
My assumption is that by reading this you are probably a fan of Liverpool FC so I barely need to list the credentials to explain why each of them are absolutely deserving of such an honour, but in summary: there’s a man who many consider our greatest goalkeeping legend, one who was so beloved either side of the way that the club was affectionately known as Liddellpool in his honour, the man who undoubtedly set the course for the greatest era in our history, a man who in 50 and more years’ service filled every role imaginable in the club, a man who has been involved the club for 39 years and who’s on field/in dugout record alone would be worth of legend status before you even consider what he did for us away from the footballing side, a man whose ability alone make him in many eyes the most talented player the club has ever seen and finally a player who during our supposed ‘fallow’ years carried us, almost single-handedly at times to repeated glories.
Each of those are richly deserving of such an honour, however, it begs the question: Do they stand alone as the seven most deserving? For me, the answer is categorically no due to two glaring omissions: Ian Callaghan and Ian Rush.
I accept that not everyone can be given such a mark of respect otherwise the area outside the main stand would start to resemble a hurdling course with bench after bench lined up, it speaks volumes of the sheer of amount of greats that have been through the club that names such as Balmer, Stubbins, Hodgson, Hunt, St John, Yeats, Smith, Hughes, Keegan, Clemence, Thompson, Kennedy, Hansen, Neal, Souness and Carragher (plus many more) don’t even enter the discussion, but in the cases of Callaghan and Rush there are equally compelling cases that give them a strong claim to be placed at the top table.
First let’s consider Ian Callaghan, known affectionately by many Liverpool fans as Cally. At 39 I am too young to remember Cally as a player, but he was a strong favourite of my dad. When I was young I came across an old copy of his autobiography, one I wish I still had, and read it countless times. The story of a young man who not only fulfilled his childhood of dream of playing for ‘his’ club but did so more times than anybody else, throughout possibly the most incredible period in the club’s history, is inspirational. On an unrelated note, the other book I recall from that time was John Toshack’s ambitious poetry book named ‘Gosh, It’s Tosh’, but the less said about that the better.
Such was the rich seam of talent that Liverpool were fortunate enough to have produced over a long period, Cally emerged and was being readied for the first team just as Billy Liddell’s incredible career was winding down. Incidentally, to highlight the continuity and longevity of service in that era, the playing contribution of Liddell and Callaghan covered a combined 32-year period.
To judge Cally purely on stats does not do him justice, but they are worth noting: 857 appearances for Liverpool over an 18 year period in which he won five league titles, two European Cups, two UEFA Cups, two FA Cups and was a member of the 1966 World Cup Winning Squad. He stands a whole 120 appearances ahead of Jamie Carragher in the appearances list, and when you consider the length of career Carragher had as a one club man, you start to appreciate that Callaghan’s record will simply never be overtaken.
To further appreciate the longevity of his career you also need to consider the era in which it spanned. Commencing in the very early days of the Shankly reign in Division 2, he became a regular on the right side of midfield during the creation of the first great Shankly team. When Shanks dismantled that first great side (a year or two too late in the view of many) not only did Cally survive it but was moved into a more central area and became an experienced man to be relied on. His third stanza came as he acted a senior professional, whilst also an important player as the team transitioned again in the first 5 years of Bob Paisley’s reign.
Callaghan was not a player who racked up appearances as a solid hand in an average side, he was a vital component for nearly 2 decades in the best, most successful club in the country which was helmed by two managers who did not entertain the concept of carrying passengers in the first team. Nearly 2 decades and more than 850 appearances, purely on merit, for his local club: The very definition of a Legend.
Albeit more briefly, but with no less importance of belief I will consider Ian Rush. 660 Appearances, 15 years’ service, 346 goals, 14 major honours, four individual awards and a club captain. More appearances than anyone of the chosen seven with the exception of Gerrard, more goals than anyone else who has ever worn the red shirt (by a comfortable distance), longevity of service to rival most and to this day a regular at the ground and Ambassador for the club. Absolutely impeachable credentials as a player and Legend of Liverpool Football Club.
I’m not sure who was involved in the decision-making process when deciding which seven names to mark with benches outside the new stand, and I dare say my comments above highlight how difficult the process is when having to trim down the prospective candidates, but for me I find it absolutely incredible when you consider the bottom line:
The man who has played for us more than anybody and the man who has scored more than anyone for us have not been considered amongst the top seven significant or iconic names in the club’s history.
Is this an oversight? Are there plans afoot to recognise both Callaghan and Rush with equivalent items? Or is it just the case that the club simply has too many legendary names and some had to be ignored.
Despite my usual seats being in either the Centenary Stand and the Anfield Road, I’d hope to visit the new Main Stand at some stage this season and will see up close the pictorial tributes on the concourse of players who have come and gone, the likes of Neil Mellor, Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Steve Staunton, each of whom in their own way have contributed to the club and it’s nice to see the recognised, if I do so, however, and see that the two Ian’s have not been placed above the majority and given the huge, special recognition, praise and respect they both richly deserve, I will be grossly disappointed.