During the course of the
1980s, Liverpool FC won 7 First Division titles, including three in a row
(1979-1980, 1981-1982, 1982-1983, 1983-1984, 1985-1986, 1987-1988, 1988-1990),
two FA Cups (1985-1986 and 1988-1989), 4 consecutive League Cups (1981-1984
inclusive) and two European Cups (1981 and 1984). As you might expect, this
remains the most successful decade for any English club in the history of the
game. But the tragedies of Heysel and Hillsborough meant that it was also a
dark decade for Liverpool and the wider footballing world.
Vital to Liverpool's success was
the seamless managerial succession process in the 1980s, with Bob Paisley
retiring after nine years as the most decorated manager in the history of the
club and handing over to Joe Fagan in 1983, thus maintaining that Boot Room
tradition. In 1985, Liverpool went outside of the Boot Room, but not far, and
appointed Kenny Dalglish as player-manager.
Kenny Dalglish (born 1951) was already a Celtic legend when he signed for Liverpool in 1977, and he would go on to become the greatest player in the history of Liverpool FC. He played up until 1990, having taken over as player-manager from 1985. During his time as player, he scored 172 goals for Liverpool and probably (in the days before 'assists' were routinely recorded) made as many more goals.
Citing physical and emotional exhaustion partly related to the Hillborough Stadium disaster in 1989, he resigned as Liverpool manager in 1991. He would go on to manage Blackburn Rovers to a Premier League win in 1993-1994, thus joining Tom Watson (see earlier blog: https://sportyman2020.blogspot.com/2020/08/liverpool-fc-second-decade-1900-1910.html), Herbert Chapman and Brian Clough in an exclusive group of managers to have managed more than one English club to top flight success. Dalglish returned to Liverpool as manager for a brief spell in 2011-2012 and has held various other roles with the club, such as club ambassador and youth coaching roles. In recognition of his long service to the club, the Centenary Stand at Anfield was renamed the Kenny Dalglish Stand in 2017.
Along with the managerial
stability, Liverpool signed new players from a position of strength, thus
always keeping one step ahead of domestic and European rivals. Looking at the
list of signings during the 1980s is like looking at a list of the all-time
greats in the history of Liverpool FC and the English game.
Bob Paisley’s 1980s signings
included Ian Rush, Bruce Grobellar, Craig Johnston, Mark Lawrenson and Jim
Beglin.
Welsh international Ian Rush (born 1961) played for Liverpool from 1980 to 1996, with a brief spell at Juventus. The most deadly and instinctive goalscorer of his time, Rush had a particularly potent relationship with Kenny Dalglish. He remains Liverpool's all-time top scorer (346 goals) and he has scored more FA Cup goals (36) than anyone in the history of the game.
Bob Paisley's managerial successor Joe Fagan then signed players such as Gary Gillespie, Michael Robinson, John Wark, Paul Walsh and Jan Molby.
Danish international Jan Molby played 292 times for Liverpool between 1984 and 1996 - a powerful midfielder with immense vision
As player-manager, Kenny Dalglish then added Steve
Staunton and Steve McMahon and a quartet of players all signed in 1987 who
would be integral to a new great Liverpool team in the second half of the
1980s: John Aldridge, John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and Ray Houghton.
From an Irish perspective,
Ronnie Whelan would become in 1988-1989 the first Irishman to captain Liverpool
and Irish international John Aldridge would have two seasons (1987-1988 and
1988-1989) as Liverpool’s top scorer, the first Irish international to be
season top scorer since Steve Heighway in 1974-1975.
Dubliner Ronnie Whelan (born 1961) played 493 times for Liverpool from 1981 to 1994. A gifted midfielder with a habit of scoring spectacular long range goals, he would become the first Irishman to captain the club.
Who put the ball in the English net? Liverpool's Scottish born
Irish international Ray Houghton, in 1988
Anfield, May 26th 1989 and that Michael Thomas goal...
For me, the high point of
Liverpool perfection was when Kenny ‘Roy of the Rovers’ Dalglish player-managed
Liverpool to that 1985-1986 league and FA Cup double in his first season in
charge, scoring the winner against Chelsea in the vital last league game of
the season. May 10th 1986 and that FA Cup final win over Everton
remains my happiest day as a Liverpool fan, and it’s something I wrote about on
May 10th of this year, see earlier blog: https://sportyman2020.blogspot.com/2020/05/may-10th-1986.html
Player-manager Kenny Dalglish seals the 1985-1986 First Division title with his winner at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.
And then, victory over Everton in the 1986 FA Cup final for the double.
I was a little too young to realise, however, that the absolute peak in Liverpool’s fortunes actually came two years before that FA Cup final, when they defeated Roma in Rome to win the European Cup. That win capped off a near perfect season when Liverpool had also won the league and League Cup.
That starting 11 on the night of the European Cup Final, May 30th 1984 - arguably (at least until recent years) the greatest ever Liverpool team.
Nerves of steel and legs of jelly - Bruce Grobellar did a shaky legs routine in the penalty shootout to put the Roma penalty takers off their game - and he succeeded.
Before Heysel and Hillsborough, and at the peak of English and European football - was May 30th 1984 the high point for Liverpool FC?
In the dictionary definition of 'midfield general' there should be a picture of Graeme Souness. Aggressive, tenacious, ambitious and superbly skillful, he was a pivotal player for Liverpool from 1978 through to that night in Rome in 1984, his last game with the club. He would of course return as manager in 1991 but his attempts to reverse Liverpool's by then flagging fortunes sadly ended in failure.
Looking back at that 1984
peak now is like looking at an age of lost innocence as it was followed by a
seismic shock a year later, with the Heysel Stadium disaster on the night of
the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. This was the first
game that I remember watching as a consciously Liverpool fan and, at the time,
the implications of the tragedy in the stand meant little to me. In the eerie
and largely meaningless match that followed the deaths of thirty nine fans,
Liverpool missed out on collecting the European Cup for a 5th time
and it would be two decades before they got that fifth title.
Aside from the immense human
cost of the Heysel disaster, the footballing cost for Liverpool and other English
clubs would also be significant. All English clubs were banned from European competition
until the 1990-1991 season, with Liverpool getting a further year of being banned.
Four years after Heysel came
another disaster, and one that has left an even darker shadow on Liverpool FC.
In the build-up to the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, 96 Liverpool fans lost their
lives because of a number of issues, including sub-standard stadium facilities,
overcrowding and police incompetence. The tragedy was compounded by subsequent
false allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool fans on the day and a number
of cover-ups by senior policing officials.
Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, April 15th 1989
Liverpool
FC in the 1980s – the decade in summary
1980-1981
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Phil Thompson
Top Scorer: Terry McDermott
(22)
League: 5th in
Division One (Winners: Aston Villa, for the 7th time)
FA Cup: 4th round
(Winners: Tottenham Hotspur, for the 6th time)
League Cup: Winners for the first
time
Europe: Winners for the 3rd
time
1981-1982
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Phil Thompson
Top Scorer: Ian Rush (30)
League: winners of Division
One for the 13th time
FA Cup: 5th round
(Winners: Tottenham Hotspur, for the 7th time)
League Cup: winners for the
2nd time
Europe: Quarter-final
(Winners: Aston Villa, for the first time)
1982-1983
Manager: Bob Paisley
Captain: Graeme Souness
Top Scorer: Ian Rush (31)
League: winners of Division
One for the 14th time
FA Cup: 5th round
(Winners: Manchester United, for the 5th time)
League Cup: winners for the
3rd time
Europe: Quarter Finalists in
European Cup (Winners: Hamburg, for the first time)
1983-1984
Manager: Joe Fagan
Captain: Graeme Souness
Top Scorer: Ian Rush (47)
League: winners of Division
One for the 15th time
FA Cup: 4th round
(Winners: Everton, for the 4th time)
League Cup: winners for the
4th time
Europe: European Cup winners
for the 4th time
1984-1985
Manager: Joe Fagan
Captain: Phil Neal
Top Scorer: John Wark (27)
League: 2nd in
Division One (winners: Everton, for the 8th time)
FA Cup: semi-final (winners:
Manchester United, for the 6th time)
League Cup: 3rd
round (winners: Norwich City, for the 2nd time)
Europe: runners-up in
European Cup (winners: Juventus, for the first time)
1985-1986
Manager: Kenny Dalglish
Captain: Alan Hansen
Top Scorer: Ian Rush (33)
League: winners for the 16th
time
FA Cup: winners for the 3rd
time
League Cup: semi-final
(winners: Oxford United, for the first time)
Europe: disqualified
1986-1987
Manager: Kenny Dalglish
Captain: Alan Hansen
Top Scorer: Ian Rush (40)
League: 2nd in
Division One (winners: Everton, for the 9th time)
FA Cup: 3rd round
(winners: Coventry City, for the first time)
League Cup: runners-up
(winners: Arsenal, for the first time)
Europe: disqualified
1987-1988
Manager: Kenny Dalglish
Captain: Alan Hansen
Top Scorer: John Aldridge
(29)
League: winners of Division
One for the 17th time
FA Cup: runners-up (winners:
Wimbledon, for the first time)
League Cup: 3rd
round (winners: Luton Town, for the first time)
Europe: disqualified
1988-1989
Manager: Kenny Dalglish
Captain: Ronnie Whelan
Top Scorer: John Aldridge
(31)
League: 2nd in
Division One (winners: Arsenal, for the 9th time)
FA Cup: winners for the 4th
time
League Cup: 4th
round (winners: Nottingham Forest, for the 3rd time)
Europe: disqualified
1989-1990
Manager: Kenny Dalglish
Captain: Alan Hansen
Top Scorer: John Barnes (28)
League: winners for the 18th time
FA Cup: semi-final (winners:
Manchester United, for the 7th time)
League Cup: 3rd
round (winners: Nottingham Forest, for the 4th time
Europe: disqualified
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