LFC Vancouver Newsletter

You'll Never Walk Alone | Volume #3 - 02| 16 August 2007

For the last edition of the newsletter check here. For last year's archives, check here.

Comments/feedback/anything is always welcome. The email for the newsletter is Andy [at] lfcvancouver.com.

News and Notes

2007-2008 Membership

With the season opener just around the corner, it is time for Vancouver reds to join the LFC Vancouver Supporters Club for the 2007-2008 season.

You will find the membership form here, so please send in a $20 cheque to:

LFC Vancouver,
P.O. Box 78045
3295 Coast Meridian Rd.
Port Coquitlam B.C. V3B 3N0


Members

Please welcome the following new and returning members to LFC Vancouver; David Doherty, Angela Huxtable, Mokua Gichuru, Pauline Balshaw, George Sandhu, Lakhbir Rao, Ajit Birak, Matthew Grattidge, Sandeep Boughan, Karmen Lee ,Michael McMurtrie, Nigel Walton, Ian Hutchinson, Amelia Hutchinson, Jack Hutchinson, Katrina Butula, Scott Millward and Aleem Dhala.


LFC Vancouver Blog

LFC Vancouver has started a blog for it's membership. LFC Vancouver members are encouraged to visit this blog to read what is new with the supporters club. You can view the blog by clicking the opinion link on the left side of the page.

If you have anything to post, an opinion, an idea or an interesting LFC news items, please use this blog to tell everyone.

This blog is open for all paid LFC Vancouver members and anyone can comment on a posted blog piece.

If you want to participate and you are an LFC Vancouver member please email for an invite. You will be added to the list of members that can post.


LFC Vancouver Photos

LFC Vancouver has updated it's photo page. The new site has added Kevin's trip to Athens and can be found by clicking the photos link on the left side of the page.

If you would like to have your LFC photos added to the page, send them to me.


Tickets for Members

There is a new development to report for any LFC Vancouver member looking for LFC tickets. Anyone requiring tickets for games at anfield this season will need their own fancard. In previous seasons they have let us use Kevin's fancard for buying tickets for our LFC Vancouver members, but as of september that will no longer be possible without a fancard for each member.

Anyone who would like an application form forwarded them should visit http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/tickets/fancard.htm to download their own application form.


Guess the Starting XI Contest

The new season means a new session of the Guess the Starting XI Contest. With the influx of new signings it will still be a challenge to read Rafa's mind; so you can test yourself against other LFC Vancouver members!

Send your entries now!


LFC Vancouver Fantasy Football League

Yahoo Fantasy Football is a fun way to compete with fellow Reds. Our Group name is LFC Vancouver, Group ID # is 15314 and the Group Password is (predictibly) lfcvancouver. Come join up with us!


LFC Vancouver on Facebook

Facebook is a very popular social networking application that enables you to join groups and receive other information as well as connect with fellow local Reds. Here is a link to our LFC Vancouver Facebook group so feel free to join us there. If the link doesn't work, just do a search for LFC Vancouver under Groups and you'll find us.


Aston Villa v Liverpool - LFC Vancouver at The G Sport

Photos of LFC Vancouver during the Aston Villa v Liverpool match on August 11, 2007.


The Run Inn and LFC Vancouver Sponsorship

The Run Inn has reached an sponsorship deal with LFC Vancouver. The sponsorship deal allows all LFC Vancouver Members a 10% discount on all Run Inn merchandise. LFC Vancouver Member Chris Cole runs The Run Inn

The Run Inn has an account with Adidas and can order numerous LFC licenced goods. You can find the LFC Catalog here.

IN STOCK NOW:

RAIN JKT
RETRO JERSEY
HOME JERSEY
RETRO TRACKIE
TRACK TOP
RUGBY TOP
BEANIE
CAPS

Chris offers 10% off to all club members.

You can place an order with Chris Cole in person at LFC Vancouver matches, or by email at info [at] runinn.com.

The G Sports Bar and Grill:
Home of LFC Vancouver

Liverpool FC YouTube.com Video of the Week

Voronin v Toulouse

You can send comments or LFC videos to the following email address.

YNWA/JFT 96,

Andy Neumann
Andy [at] lfcvancouver.com

Last Results

Aston Villa 1 - Liverpool 2
(Attendance: 42,640)

Toulouse 0 - Liverpool 1
(Attendance: 36,000)

UPCOMING GAMES & EVENTS

Sunday August 19 - Liverpool v Chelsea (Premier League),
TV The Score at 8:00am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Saturday August 25 - Sunderland v Liverpool (Premier League),
TV Setanta 4:45am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport at 9:00am on Tape Delay.

Tuesday August 28 - Liverpool v Toulouse (Champions League),
TV TBA 12:05pm. LFC Vancouver venue TBA.

Saturday September 1 - Liverpool v Derby (Premier League),
TV Setanta 7:00am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Saturday September 15 - Portsmouth v Liverpool (Premier League),
TV TBA 4:45am. LFC Vancouver venue TBA.

Saturday September 22 - Liverpool v Birmingham (Premier League),
TV Setanta 7:00am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Saturday September 29 - Wigan v Liverpool (Premier League),
TV TBA 7:00am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Sunday October 07 - Liverpool v Tottenham (Premier League),
TV TBA 7:00am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Saturday October 20 - Everton v Liverpool (Premier League),
TV Setanta 4:45am. LFC Vancouver venue TBA.

Sunday October 28 - Liverpool v Arsenal (Premier League),
TV The Score 8:00am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Saturday November 3 - Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool (Premier League),
TV Setanta 9:15am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Saturday November 10 - Liverpool v Fulham (Premier League),
TV Setanta 9:145am. LFC Vancouver venue The G Sport Live.

Saturday November 24 - Newcastle United v Liverpool (Premier League),
TV Setanta 4:45am. LFC Vancouver venue TBA.

When any of the match information above is updated, an email will be sent to notify all of you.


If you want to help in any way we'd appreciate it. We could use writers (weekly or occasional, anything is welcome) and sponsors as well. Also, just let us know what you'd like us to do as a supporter's club, what you'd expect. If you can commit a couple of hours a week we could always use the help.

If you can help out with the club in any way, let us know as we're happy to have helping hands.

Article - So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You.

By LFC Vancouver member Keith Perkins, 13 August 07.

Every summer we say goodbye to at least one or two players who for one reason or another move on to another club, or in very rare cases retire from the game altogether. This summer has seen what must be the largest exodus of players for some time, with no less than eight members of the first team squad departing for pastures new. That doesn’t include Danny Guthrie and Scott Carson, both of whom are gone on season-long loans.

It’s more disappointing to see some players go than it is for others, and surely of all those to leave this year, no player will be missed more than Robbie Fowler. Has any player ever been so happy to return to Anfield as Robbie? Not only did he say that he “would crawl on his hands and knees” to come back as a player, but that he signed the contract without even looking at such minor details as wages. The feeling was mutual, and supporters proudly began wearing Fowler shirts once again, as well as buying up t-shirts and banners proclaiming: “The Second Coming of God.” We all knew in our hearts that it wouldn’t be for a long time, and we had to admit that even one and a half seasons at Anfield to end his career is infinitely better than none. But, it still wasn’t easy when Robbie played his final game at Anfield last May and took his lap of honour at the end. How many dry eyes were there on that day?

In complete contrast, what can you say about Boudewijn “Bolo” Zenden? He came in on a free transfer from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2005, and only just managed to establish himself on the left wing when he suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. His luck didn’t improve too much after he returned and he suffered another serious knee injury in November of 2006 which required surgery. He was definitely not the most popular player in the squad, and was rumoured to be on his way out at the end of the season. He was back from injury in time to play in the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea and gave outstanding performances in both legs. His coolness under pressure was demonstrated when he calmly stepped up and scored the first of the penalties that decided the match in Liverpool’s favour. It wasn’t enough for him to be kept on at Anfield, and he was allowed to leave on a free transfer to join Djibril Cisse at Marseille.

At the bottom end of the popularity scale has to be Djibril Cissé. There was so much expectation when Gerard Houllier finally announced his record £14 million signing after a long pursuit for his services. He made his debut with new manager Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2004, and scored the first goal of that Premier League season in a 1-1 draw with Spurs. He looked like a great player for the first few matches; both in the Premiership and the Champions League, but we all know what happened in October when we visited Blackburn. It was an amazing recovery to see him back before the end of the season even if he was not 100% fit, he contributed to the run-in to the end of the season, and played a supporting role in winning the Champions League (he came on as a late substitute and scored from the spot in the penalty shoot-out).

We had every reason to expect a great season from him for 2005-06, especially as he would want to press for his place for France ahead of the 2006 World Cup. He started out impressively, helping us win the UEFA Super Cup; but otherwise it was a very disappointing season, and it started to become obvious that his individual style didn’t fit Rafa’s. There was one more memorable performance for Liverpool left in him, which he produced in the FA Cup final against West Ham. His first goal, volleyed in from a Gerrard cross, was one of the best ever. He unfortunately broke his other leg in a warm up match for France shortly after, and was out of consideration for the World Cup. He should have been transferred out that summer, but the best that could be arranged under the circumstances was a loan deal with Olympique de Marseille, which finally became a permanent move (with a fee of £6million) this summer. To be honest, he’ll be remembered as much for his weird hairstyles as for his play on the field.

In spite of his occasional blunders and lapses of concentration, Jerzey Dudek will always be remembered for some of his performances on the big stage. His first came in the 2003 League Cup Final when he played one of his best ever games to beat Manchester United 2-0. Of course his best memory will be his appearance in the 2005 Champions League final, where he made the incredible double save from Shevchenko, and then the amazing performance in the shoot-out where he blanked Sheva once again for the decider. When Rafa signed Jose “Pepe” Reina a short time later, Jerzey knew that his time as a Liverpool player was nearing its end. However, he hung on for two more seasons as a reserve ‘keeper and was used sparingly and mostly in lesser cup games. The final straw came in January when he was held responsible for two consecutive cup losses to Arsenal in less than a week. He should have made his farewell appearance in the same match as Robbie Fowler, but was prevented from doing so by an injury. Rafa finally released him on a free transfer to Real Madrid this summer.

Another Houllier signing to leave this year was Florent Sinama-Pongolle. He was signed as a result of his impressive performances in 2001 in the French U-16 Championship and the winning U-17 World Cup squad that saw him named as player of the tournament. He appeared in several memorable matches for Liverpool including the crucial Champions League match against Olympiakos in 2004. He scored the first goal early in the second half, which set the tone for Liverpool to go on to get the two more goals needed to progress to the knock-out stage. He also played a key role in the League Cup quarter-final against Spurs; he scored a penalty to even the match at 1-1, and then scored another in the deciding shoot-out. The following season he was in another dramatic cup match as Liverpool suddenly found themselves 3-1 down to Luton in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. His two goals after coming on as a substitute helped Liverpool to prevail 5-3 and continue on all the way to the final. For all the drama and excitement, he didn’t appear to be in Rafa’s long term plans and he was loaned out to Blackburn for the balance of the 2005-06 season. Over that summer he arranged for a season-long loan with Recreativo Huelva which became permanent this summer, with Liverpool receiving a fee of £2.7million. It’s really a shame that he’s gone as he was something of a talisman, where if he scored in an exciting early round cup match we would go on to take the trophy.

Mark Gonzalez was another player with so much promise, but such disappointing performance. His first appearance in a competitive game for Liverpool came in August 2006 in the Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa. He came on as a substitute in the 85th minute and scored the winner 3 minutes later to earn a 2-1 result. His first start and first goal in the Premier League came in the 3-0 win over Tottenham a few weeks later. Effectively his season was over when he was badly injured and carried off on a stretcher early in the League Cup quarter-final in January. He was unfortunately one more in a long list of players that couldn’t live up to the promise of performance and he was given a transfer to Real Betis for an undisclosed fee.

The Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa was also the competitive debut for Craig Bellamy, and like Gonzalez he scored in that game. He’d already put in an impressive showing in the pre-season, and came on as a substitute in the Charity Shield to set up Crouch for the winning goal against Chelsea. Rafa had signed Bellamy for his pace and his goal scoring ability, but he was off to a slow start in the Premier League and took until mid-October to score his first of the season against his old club Blackburn Rovers. It was several weeks later when he scored his next, with two against Wigan. By the end of the season he had managed a meagre seven goals in twenty seven appearances, including another one against a former club at St. James’s Park. But, surely the most memorable of the season came against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. The squad were given some time to prepare in Portugal as they were already out of both domestic cups and had a gap in the fixture list. Bellamy allegedly clobbered John Arne Riise with a golf club, telling him to use his right foot instead of always relying on his left. The incident was reported as “The Nutter with the Putter” and while entertaining to some it was taken very seriously by Rafa (he fined both players). What was an even more amusing end to that story is that Bellamy scored the first goal to level the score with a powerful diving header, and celebrated by making a golf swing. That was even more enjoyable when we found out how much the bookies had lost by giving odds on precisely that occurring in the game. As if that wasn’t enough, after a poor defensive clearance by Barcelona, Bellamy took the loose ball and side-footed it over to Riise, who then calmly banged it into the net - using his right foot.

Bellamy had a bit of a reputation as a wild man before coming to Anfield, but as a professed Liverpool supporter since boyhood, and a supposed determination to behave himself and not waste such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it was hoped that everything would work out for the best. Unfortunately it didn’t, and if the Portuguese golfing incident hadn’t already signalled the end of his days at Anfield, his lack of goals certainly did. Rafa obviously had other plans for the future that did not include Craig Bellamy. He was transferred to West Ham for £7.5million, which is at least a fair return on his roughly £7million fee to bring him in a year ago.

The most unfortunate loss to the squad for this season must be Luis Garcia. “He came from Barca to bring us joy” and he certainly did that on several occasions. When he first arrived he was pretty much an unknown quantity and unsure of how he would perform in the Premier League. He proved himself worthy of a place in the squad by producing an entertaining display of skills and the ability to score vital goals. Among the most memorable of those have to be the three Champions League goals against Bayer Leverkusen, which were all soon surpassed by the one goal against Juventus at Anfield. That’s the one that put us into the semi-final against Chelsea, where he scored the controversial (to some) winner to send us in raptures and off to Istanbul. Chelsea must have been sick of him after he scored another magnificent match winning goal the following year, also in a semi-final against Chelsea, this time sending us to Cardiff for the FA Cup.

It’s all the more disappointing now that we didn’t have the opportunity to send our favourite Sangria Sipper off in style as we would have liked. His last match for Liverpool was back in January in the ill-fated League Cup quarter final against Arsenal when he came on as a substitute for the injured Mark Gonzalez. He was also injured in that match, damaging his knee ligaments and putting him out of action for the remainder of the season. I have to wonder how the Champions League final might have played out if he had been available. Of all the players to have left this summer on transfers, I’m going to miss little Luis the most.

No matter what we may think individually of the players that have now moved on to other clubs, and in some cases other countries, we have to acknowledge that they were of a high enough quality to have been considered Liverpool players at one time, and each of them gave us reason to celebrate at various times. Sometimes a player joins a club and excels to become a legend, and sometimes a player fails to adapt either to the club or the league. It’s really a matter of finding the right fit on both sides, or it just doesn’t work. In those cases where it’s obvious that no amount of time will overcome the deficiencies, it’s best for all concerned – and especially for the club – that the player moves on. Players who are not performing and are not considered worthy of a place even on the bench can be a drain on the morale of the entire squad, and so the tough decision to part company must be made. It could be described as “addition by subtraction” or it could be called “strengthening the pack by culling the weak.” It’s all part of the natural order of professional football, and in the end we’ll be better off for it. Perhaps the best thing to do is to acknowledge the player’s service in the same diplomatic way that companies inform us of redundancies and say to each of them, “Thank you for your past contribution, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours.” Or, more simply, “Thanks, and best of luck.”

What do you think? Give Keith your comments at keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.

Article - What A Great Start!

By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed, 12 August 07.

All week I was buzzing with excitement waiting for the big game, waiting for the start of a new season. With our new signings looking more impressive than some of those in previous years I just couldn’t wait for the new season to begin.

I got to the G sport around thirty minutes before kick-off in order to hang the LFC Vancouver flag up on the wall. I was expecting there to be hardly anybody there and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw around twenty people inside and the atmosphere already building. Fifteen minutes before kick-off ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ came blasting through the speakers and it was game on! A few more songs were played, ‘Scouser Tommy’, ‘Ring of Fire’ and ‘Do the Dudek’ (which I did) and then it was time for kick off. By this stage there must have been around fifty to sixty Reds in the place really cranking up the atmosphere. It was nice to see a few people coming as families and bringing the kids too.

As for the match itself I think we played terrific. Carragher was awesome in defence, unfortunate handball aside, making his usual great tackles and important clearances. Torres had a good Premiership debut, he looked sharp and really lively. His first touch is great and his movement is tremendous. He looks to have a good understanding with Kuyt which led to the own goal that gave us the lead. Riise had a good game on the left of midfield and with Arbeloa playing behind him it was nice to see him get forward without giving us all heart attacks. Gerrard looked good back in central midfield and he has to play there as much as possible, especially away from home. Ryan Babel had a phenomenal cameo near the end when he came off the bench and immediately got involved. He had two great shots and was causing murder for the Villa defence. Based on this and from what I’ve seen and heard of him previously, I’m very excited about Babel and it doesn’t look like he will need a lot of time to get used to playing in the Premiership.

My only real concern about the game was the amount of chances we missed, although at the same time it’s very positive to see us create so many and the Villa keeper did make a few good saves. When Villa scored the penalty in the 85th minute we were all gutted and I turned to a few of the lads and said “the title of my next article will be ‘Same Old Story’.” We started to get annoyed at missed chances looking to be turning into lost points, just like last season. Just as I said that Gerrard won the free kick after some nice passing. We were all wondering who would take it, with Riise the favourite. Up steps Stevie G and what a goal!

The back of the net nearly came off and so did the ceiling in the G Sport!! It was one of the best free kicks I’ve ever seen, looped over the wall and flew into the top corner with unerring power and accuracy. What a difference from last season, we concede a late goal against the run of play, but instead of heads dropping, up steps Gerrard with a fantastic captain’s goal. It looks like he’s back to being a true leader again which is awesome news. Last season it took us until December to win on the road so it’s fantastic to do it in the opening game. It sets us up nicely for the chav’s next Sunday. With man Utd drawing on Sunday we are now two points ahead which just made the weekend even better.

Saturday was a great and memorable day and thanks go to Dave Sarich at the G Sport for making us all feel so welcome. I felt that we were genuinely wanted there and the tone of the morning was superb. From the playing of LFC songs before the game and at half time, to Dave’s nice speech thanking us for coming and wishing the Reds good luck he really let us know how welcomed we all are in his establishment.

If this is what it’s going to be like all season then I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait for the big game on Sunday and hopefully John Terry will still be injured. Whatever side Chel$ki put out I’m confidant that if we play as well as we did at Villa then the result could be the same as last season. I also fancy Torres to open up his Premiership account too.

I want to finish this week by extending a big welcome to all of our new members and a big thanks to all of you who’ve rejoined this season. You guys help to make the supporters club as special as it is and everybody who came along to the G Sport on Saturday made it a very memorable occasion.

You’ll Never Walk Alone.

What do you think? Give Ste your comments at steSpeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.

Article - Andriy Voronin – Vora Great Signing!

By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed, 15 August 07.

With Ukranian striker Andriy Voronin scoring his first competitive goal for Liverpool today, it felt appropriate for me to take a look at his performances so far and think about how he will fit into the side this season.

When it was first announced back in February this year that we would be signing him on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy. My friend Lance, who is of Ukranian descent, continually spoke very highly of him and I was always sceptical during our discussions of his potential for Liverpool. At the time I must confess I’d never heard of him before and all that I had to rely on were his statistics for goals scored and they didn’t look too impressive at first. I then watched him play a few times for Leverkusen and the Ukraine and saw how his game didn’t actually rely on scoring goals and I was impressed at his work rate and what he offered the team. Whilst still sceptical he was the player we really needed I did think that as we were getting him for free we had nothing to lose.

When the club announced towards the end of last season that Robbie Fowler would be leaving the club I immediately thought that Voronin would replace him as a squad player. Once it became clear that Rafa was looking for a top class striker, with Torres and Eto being the two favourites, I just assumed that Voronin would play mostly in cup games and as an occasional substitute. With the club record signing of Torres the pressure was then placed on the rest of our strikers, Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin. Despite Rafa’s rotation policy I find it hard to believe that after spending twenty million pounds Rafa won’t play Torres in the majority of games.

Pre-season games now have much more importance than they ever did when I was a kid in the 1980’s. I remember that you would see a small blurb in the paper telling you the result but in the last few years the games have started to become televised and people actually care about the results (despite the denials). The pre-season games this year were important for Liverpool fans as it gave us a glimpse at our new signings and some of the reserves that some of us living abroad don’t get to see too often.

The player that impressed me the most in pre-season was Voronin and it came as no surprise when he was declared as the ‘most impressive player in pre-season by Liverpool fans’ on the clubs official website. In a poll conducted by the site he had 62% of the votes which sounds even more impressive next to the 6.6% that Pennant received in second place.

He had a good game in his debut at Crewe Alexandra were he was involved in the first goal. He was tremendous against Werder Bremen when he scored his first two Liverpool goals and both were of a high quality. For the first goal he used his pace to latch onto a loose back pass before beating the keeper and stroking the ball into an empty net. The second goal was even better as he once again used his pace to gather the ball from a long pass and then expertly knock it over the advancing keeper. He also had two man of the match performances in both games during the ‘Asia Cup’ against South China and Portsmouth. In the semi final he was all over the field and made a great run that led to the penalty decision for the second goal. In the final against Portsmouth he had another cracking game and was unlucky not to score.

He made his Premiership debut against Aston Villa on Saturday when he came on to replace Torres in the 78th minute. He wasn’t on the pitch long enough to make any significant impact on the game but you could tell in every touch that he will be great in the English game. His passing and positional play was tremendous and he was involved in the superb passing move that led to the free-kick that Gerrard scored from.

Against Toulouse in the Champions League qualifier he had yet another good game when he was in the starting line-up. A decent performance was capped with a phenomenal goal just before half time to seal the away victory. The goal was absolutely sensational; he controlled the ball beautifully with his chest in a way that took the defender away and created space for himself before unleashing a rocket shot from twenty five yards that flew into the top corner.

I think it’s fair to say that Voronin has so far been the nicest surprise so far this season. I wasn’t expecting much more than a squad player but now I can see him being extremely important for us in all competitions. He is strong, fast, clearly has a great technique for scoring goals and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him involved against Chelsea on Sunday. Torres and Kuyt seem to have a good understanding together so far but my mouth is watering at the prospect of seeing a combination of Voronin and Torres. Let’s also not forget Crouch who was our top scorer last season and with John Terry injured he could be very useful against Chelsea.

Whichever striking pairing Rafa decides to go with I’ll be happy on the evidence I’ve seen so far. With Gerrard playing more often in midfield and able to make runs on goal I think that the problem we had in scoring goals last season will not be an issue during this campaign. I’m still trying not to get carried away but it’s getting more difficult with each game and if we win on Saturday don’t be afraid of the man in red dancing on the tables, it’ll just be me!

What do you think? Give Ste your comments at steSpeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.

Article - Ex Red of the Week – Volume 18:
Larry Lloyd – Timing is Everything

By LFC Vancouver member Keith Perkins, 20 June 07.

Whenever a player leaves a club, there’s always a certain amount of concern that he may come back to haunt his former employers. That is definitely the case with Larry Lloyd, who ended a fairly short but quite successful career with Liverpool, and then went on to find even greater glory elsewhere, including several successes against his former club.

Laurence (Larry) Valentine Lloyd was born on October 6th, 1948, in Bristol England. In 1967 he was signed by his hometown club Bristol Rovers, where he made forty three appearances over two seasons. Then, in April of 1969, along came an offer from Bill Shankly, who was looking for a number of replacements for his ageing squad. His first season was spent mostly in the reserves, learning The Liverpool Way, and making a few appearances in place of Ron Yeats. Shankly had seen enough qualities in twenty-one-year-old Larry Lloyd’s play, especially his tackling and aerial strength, that he easily tagged him as an ideal partner for Tommy Smith in the heart of defence, after it was decided that it was time for Ron Yeats (and many others) to move on. He was also noted for his ability to take possession at the back, and quickly identify the best way forward into attack. His skill at distributing the ball gave confidence to his team-mates to start pushing forward as soon as he had it on his trusted left foot.

Thus Larry Lloyd became one of the pillars of Shankly’s second great squad. Yeats, Hunt, St. John, and Lawrence, were all dropped in favour of Lloyd, Heighway, Clemence, Hall, and other young players. As the 1970’s began, only Tommy Smith, Chris Lawler, and Ian Callaghan remained from the 1960’s roster. Amazingly, it only took two seasons before Lloyd and the rest of the new players found themselves closing in on major trophies when they faced Arsenal in the 1971 FA Cup Final. Unfortunately, it was not to be as Arsenal won 2-1 after extra time. That season also saw Larry Lloyd and his new Liverpool colleagues gaining some valuable European experience as they reached the semi-final of the European Fairs Cup. By the time that season ended, Larry had played over fifty first team games.

The partnership of Larry Lloyd and Tommy Smith was regarded as one of the hardest central defensive pairs in the league at that time. Alf Ramsey recognised Lloyd’s physical strength and work ethic, and invited him to make his international debut against Wales, just a few days after the FA Cup defeat, on May 19th, 1971. That was to be the first of only four full caps for England, added to his eight caps for the Under-23 side.

The 1972-73 season saw double success for Larry Lloyd and his team-mates as Liverpool won the League Championship and the UEFA Cup. The club played a total of sixty six competitive matches that year (forty two League, four FA Cup, eight League Cup, and twelve UEFA Cup) and Lloyd showed how durable he was by playing in every minute of every one of those games. That looked to be the height of Larry Lloyd’s Liverpool career, as a thigh injury kept him out of most of the 1973-74 season. As a result, Phil Thompson took his place in central defence and went on to keep Larry out for the remainder of the season. That included the 3-0 FA Cup Final win over Newcastle, shortly after which Bill Shankly made his shock announcement that he was retiring from football.

As Bob Paisley took over from Bill Shankly, Phil Thompson was the preferred choice in Paisley’s more “continental” side, and Larry Lloyd became surplus to requirements. It was a sad day in August of that year when he was sold to Coventry City at the age of twenty six. At that time Larry Lloyd should have been looking forward to more success with Liverpool, and it was considered to be the end of his successful years as he was perceived to be dropping down a level. At the very least, he could be considered to have been a faithful servant to the club over the five years that he played, and that he was well worth the money as he only cost £50,000 and was sold for £225,000.

Larry never managed to settle at Coventry, and after fifty appearances over two seasons he was ready for a transfer out. At that moment in time, things must have looked bleak. But, a resurrection was soon on the cards as he was sold to second division Nottingham Forest for a bargain price of £60,000. That transfer is often regarded as one of Brian Clough’s masterstrokes, with Forest going on to win promotion at the end of the 1976-77 season. The following year, Larry Lloyd collected his second League Champions medal as Forest won the League (seven points ahead of second place Liverpool) at the end of their first season back in the top division. In that campaign, Larry played a central role in a defensive unit that allowed a mere twenty four goals in forty two games. He also picked up a League Cup winners medal, after Forest beat Liverpool 1-0, in a replayed final after the Wembley match finished scoreless.

Those medals must have seemed like a good way to make up for the loss of his place at Liverpool, where he might have been picking up League, UEFA Cup, and European Cup medals. But that was not the end of his medal haul by any means. The following season, Larry Lloyd and Forest started off as they meant to continue with a win in the Charity Shield. Their League win of the previous season meant that they would be playing in Europe for the 1978-79 season, and it must have seemed like it had been scripted that the first round of that European Cup competition had them drawn against two time defending champions Liverpool. Larry Lloyd helped his Forest team-mates to a 2-0 aggregate win over the Reds, and then went on to take Ol’ Big Ears home to Nottingham. As if that wasn’t enough success already, Forest repeated as 1979 League Cup champions.

Larry Lloyd and Nottingham Forest retained the European Cup the following season, matching Liverpool’s record of two consecutive victories. By this time, there must have been a few questions as to how Liverpool had managed to let Larry leave. That was not quite the end of the story either. In the semi – final of the 1980 League Cup, Forest beat Liverpool over the two legs with a 2-1 aggregate score. Unfortunately for Larry, an injury kept him out of the final, where his team-mates lost out to Wolves. A surprising piece of trivia is that Larry Lloyd never played in a losing League Cup match while with Nottingham Forest.

The 1980-81 season was to be the last for Larry Lloyd at Forest, as he went on to take a player-manager position with Wigan Athletic. After two years there, he took the manager’s job at Forest rival Notts. County for a season. He may have ended his playing career by this time, but his physical attitude to the game had not changed at all. After his first game in charge as manager, it was pointed out to him by a reporter that nine of the eleven players had been booked, and was asked what he had to say about this. Larry simply looked straight at the reporter and said, “Well, I’ll have to question the commitment of the other two.”

His managerial career ended at the conclusion of his first season in charge, after which he went on to become a pundit with Nottingham radio station Century 106, covering Forest matches for several years. He was as abrasive as ever in that role, being heavily critical of Forest players and management. Since leaving that career behind, he has been living in Spain.

For some players, a successful career with one club would be a dream come true. For Larry Lloyd, his unintentional timing of transfers allowed him to have two successful careers with two of Europe’s top clubs He also had the pleasure of winning several times against his former club, not letting them forget that it might have been a mistake to allow him to leave.

What do you think? Give Keith your comments at keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.

Contest Standings - Guess the Starting XI

Standings as of 16 August 07.

RankMemberPoints
1 Ste 4
1 Dennis 4
3 Kevin 2
4 Andy 1
5 Glenn 0
5 Keith 0

To enter the members contest see the rules below.

Contest - Guess the Starting XI

RULES:

  • Only open to paid LFC Vancouver Members.
  • You list the names of the players you think will start the next LFC match.
  • You must submit your list to lfcvancouver [at] gmail.com at least 12 hours before kick-off.
  • This contest will include every match that LFC plays this season.
  • The member(s) that correctly guess the starting XI will be awarded 5 points.
  • At the end of the season the player with the most points will win the prize.
  • What is the prize? It is a surprise!
  • The standings will be included in each week’s newsletter.

Scoring System:

  • 11 Correct picks = 5 points.
  • 10 Correct picks = 3 points.
  • 9 Correct picks = 1 point.
  • 0-8 Correct picks = 0 points.
You can send comments or questions to the Andy [at] lfcvancouver.com.

YNWA/JFT 96,

Andy Neumann

Liverpool FC Banner of the Week

Liverpool FC fans are famous around the globe for their fierce wit and loyalty to the club. These traits are commonly showcased in the banners that appear at every Liverpool FC match; home or away. Each week the newsletter will showcase one of those banners.





If you would like to submit a banner for a future edition of the newsletter drop me a line.

Andy Neumann
Andy [at] lfcvancouver.com

LFC Vancouver

LFC Vancouver,
P.O. Box 78045
3295 Coast Meridian Rd.
Port Coquitlam B.C. V3B 3N0