Video: Phil Thompson's priceless reaction to John Arne Riise's own goal against Chelsea

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson was not impressed by John Arne Riise's own goal against Chelsea last night, as the following video clip shows!

Thommo's reaction

It was obviously a nightmare goal for Liverpool to concede, but from an objective standpoint, it was one hell of a finish! I mean, he gave the keeper no chance ;-)

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Ray Kennedy: Steven Gerrard would not get into the Liverpool team of the 70s

Liverpool’s all conquering team of the 70s and early 80s was blessed with an amazing array of talent, so much so that club legend Ray Kennedy believes that Steven Gerrard would have struggled to get into the first XI.

In a recent interview, Kennedy stated: "Liverpool have some great players. I really like Steven Gerrard, he is one of the best midfielders I have seen. He would have struggled to get in our team, mind”.

Given the fact Kennedy played with the likes of Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, Emlyn Hughes, Alan Kennedy and Terry McDermott, it’s hardly surprising he feels the way he does about Gerrard.

Bill Shankly signed Kennedy from Arsenal in 1974 – the great man’s last signing before leaving the club. As a striker at Arsenal, Kennedy scored 71 goals in 212 games over 5 years.

At Anfield, he was converted into a midfielder, and went on to win five league titles and three European Cups in his eight years at Anfield, scoring 51 goals in the process.

Even if Kennedy doesn’t think Gerrard would cut in the 70s team, he’s supporting Liverpool’s captain and the rest of the team to the hilt this year in the quest to recapture the European Cup:

"I watched the team win the 2005 European Cup on television; it made me so proud to see them with that trophy again. I hope they do it again this season. That would make my year."

Sadly, Kennedy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 22 years ago and is now housebound as a result. Liverpool fans are doing everything they can to raise much needed money for Ray via the Ray of Hope appeal,

You can read about the Ray of Hope Appeal here: http://www.liverweb.org.uk/rayofhope.htm

Pledges can be made to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk

Cheques can be sent to the Ray of Hope Appeal c/o HSBC account 21817299, sort code 40-03-27.

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Did Ian Rush really say that? The truth about Rushie's most infamous comment!

Ian Rush’s comments about his struggle to adapt to Italian life whilst playing for Juventus entered into Liverpool FC folklore long ago, but did he really say that living in Italy ‘was like living in a foreign country’?

According to Liverpool’s goal-scoring Legend, he made no such comment:

“I was set up! It was someone's idea of fun - probably one of my Liverpool team-mates joked that I'd said it and things went from there. I had just re-joined the club [in August 1988] and wanted to get back to playing football, not worry what was being written about me”.

It’s a shame really, as the comment is a big part of the Ian Rush legend and is oddly endearing in a way, as well as being hilariously funny!

It’s amazing how that quote has endured over the years and seeped into the consciousness of football fans across the globe. Indeed, the quote is so synonymous with Ian Rush that it’s possibly one of the first things people will bring up when asked about the player.

Anyway – the man himself has debunked the myth. The task now is to try and identify which of Rush’s team-mates made it up!

So who’s the culprit? My top four suspects are:

Jan Molby
Steve McMahon
Ronnie Whelan
John Aldridge

For my money, it's got be Aldo!

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Iron Man vs Crazy Horse: The truth about Tommy Smith's 'hatred' of Emlyn Hughes

It’s no secret that Tommy Smith and Emlyn Hughes - two of Liverpool’s greatest captains and finest servants - hated each other, but what caused the friction between ‘Crazy Horse’ and Liverpool’s ‘Iron Man’?

And make no mistake - Smith really did hate Hughes, as he stated in emphatic terms in an interview once:

"I hated scoring for Liverpool because Hughes would come up and congratulate me. I hated him".

In another interview, Smith scathed: "The only mates he had in all his time at Liverpool were straight out of a vending machine”.

We can trace the seeds of Smith’s dislike for Hughes back to 1973, when after a much publicized fallout with Bill Shankly, Smith was dumped from the role of team captain and replaced by…Emlyn Hughes.

The change allegedly led to tension in the dressing room, with the older players remaining loyal to Smith whilst expressing their dislike for Hughes's chattiness, and (according to his obituary in The Telegraph) ‘parsimony’ in the pub.

Smith was clearly angry about losing the captaincy: "It was my club. I'd been there a damn sight longer than him. Everything in my life was football, especially Liverpool, so why should I let this two-faced little so-and-so spoil my football life?”

Smith added that off the pitch, he deliberately ignored Hughes: “Away from football, I did not entertain him, or speak to him off the pitch. Never".

It seems clear that Smith was far more popular amongst the players that Hughes, something which was exemplified following Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup Final, where several players pushed Smith to the front of the celebrations, ahead of Hughes – a powerful, symbolic gesture, emphasizing who the ‘real’ captain was.

After Shankly's unexpected retirement in the close season, Hughes – much to Smith’s chagrin - was confirmed as the captain by his successor, Bob Paisley, who was also very much aware of the tension between the two:

“Some of Emlyn’s team-mates weren’t that fond of him and one of them, Tommy Smith, absolutely hated him. Smithy and Hughes never spoke to each other.

"I had to speak to them both when all the trouble was brewing up but it never mattered to me if players got on like a house on fire or if they couldn’t stand the sight of each other, as long as they didn’t let their personal feelings spill over onto the pitch.

“Their dislike of each other was something we managed to keep within the dressing room. I certainly don’t think the fans who were watching them play alongside each other had any idea of the feud that was going on”.

Another major cause of the Smith’s dislike of Hughes seems to stem from an alleged ‘set-up’ involving Arsenal players and their apparent willingness to throw games.

Smith alleges that Hughes told him that a number of Arsenal players were 'willing to throw a match for £50 a man'.

Said Smith: "I'd take a lie-detector test. He did say that, but I thought he might have been trying to set me up. I was that disgusted I didn't tell anyone except Ian Callaghan. From then on, I disliked him that much and he disliked me that much. As a footballer, he was very good. As a person, he wasn't."

If that allegation is true, then it’s a very apt historical antecedent to the George Graham bung controversy that afflicted Arsenal in the early 90s.

It wasn’t just Smith who had a problem with Hughes; according to Chelsea legend Peter Osgood, ‘Everybody hated Emlyn’. And in an interview shortly before he died, Osgood relayed a story that that illustrated Smith’s true feelings on Hughes:

"I remember this game at Anfield once - Chopper's [Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris] done Emlyn Hughes after 15 minutes and he's gone down squealing. Tommy Smith sprints in from 20 yards away, but he sprints straight past Emlyn, his team-mate, gets to Chopper, hauls him up, and says 'I could get to like you, Harris.' Nobody hated Emlyn more than Smithy."

In another alleged incident, Liverpool were playing Leeds United in the 70s, and Hughes was clattered by Allan Clarke in a goalmouth melee. Smith took one look at Hughes on the deck with blood pouring from his nose and said: ''Maybe that Clarke's not such a bad bloke after all''.

Despite their considerable tension between them, it’s clear that Hughes and Smith were consummate professionals on the pitch, and never let their personal dislike get in the way of what was best for the team, something that Smith himself was emphatic about:

"Once we were over that white line, we were playing for Liverpool, and our personal dislike of each other did not come into it”.

Bob Paisley saw the same attitude from Hughes:

“In fairness, neither of them let their personal problems affect their games when they were playing for each other. Emlyn never, ever let his feelings overshadow his respect for his team-mates’ playing abilities, and his inspirational quality as his predecessor as club captain”.

Smith’s public comments about Hughes have always been scathing, but the same cannot be said of Hughes, who paid a glowing tribute to Smith in his autobiography:

“He is the greatest captain I have ever played under. Although I never particularly got along with him as a man, I had nothing but admiration and respect for him as a captain on the pitch. He had powerful qualities of leadership.”

Irrespective of their personal dislike of each other, one thing is for sure: Smith and Hughes were two fantastic servants to Liverpool FC. Between them, they helped the club win every major honour in the game, including league and FA Cup titles, 2 European Cups and 2 Uefa Cups.

The 1977 victory against Borussia Moenchengladbach is a perfect example of Smith and Hughes playing in complete harmony with each other, putting aside personal differences and allowing their professionalism to shine through.

The game was Liverpool’s first (and arguably most special) European Cup victory, and Smith crowned his fantastic career by scoring the goal that put Liverpool 2-1 up on the night.

Hughes lifted the trophy, and in the video footage taken after the game, if you look closely, there is one instance of Smith and Hughes celebrating…together.

A rare occurrence indeed, and one that would sadly never be repeated.

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Liverpool legends united in their support for Peter Crouch

Ian Rush has joined his old team mate John Aldridge in expressing public support for Liverpool’s most underrated striker, Peter Crouch.

Speculation has been rife all season that Crouch is set to be offloaded sooner rather than later. This has been compounded by unfair treatment from Rafa Benitez, who has consistently dumped Crouch (one of Liverpool's most effective players) on the bench.

Liverpool legend Rushie can’t understand why Benitez would want to sell Crouch:

"He has done nothing wrong. Every time he has played for Liverpool he has been superb. He's a fantastic different option for Liverpool and England and has never let Liverpool down”.

Rafa has recently stated publicly that Crouch is not, in fact, for sale.

“The players in a top side know sometimes they will not play every game but you can see how important Peter Crouch is for us. We want to enjoy and see Crouchy score a lot of goals. Always you know Peter in every training session is a very good professional. He is always ready if he must play and if he is not playing he is working hard to be ready for the next time."

Despite this apparent show of faith, the rumours continue to persist, with Manchester City being the latest club linked to the big Striker. There’s no smoke without fire, and I sincerely doubt the sincerity of Benitez’s remarks, especially since Liverpool were hawking Crouch around earlier in the season. Indeed, in October, Jason Burt in the Independent claimed:

“Liverpool set the ball rolling for Crouch's expected transfer by contacting a number of Premier League clubs earlier this week, partly in an effort to drive the price for the 26-year-old as high as possible".

Who knows whether that is true or mere speculation, but Burt made a specific claim: Liverpool had contacted a number of clubs re the sale of Crouch. To date, no one connected with the club has publicly refuted this, and given the fact that the club usually publicly deny incorrect reports of possible player transfers, this seems prescient.

Ian Rush and John Aldridge may not have been able to play together due to their similarity in style (utter nonsense if you ask me!) but when it comes to Peter Crouch, they are united in their views. Earlier in the week, Aldridge argued that Crouch should always start with Fernando Torres, and on the subject of Crouch leaving, he stated:

"There is so much speculation that Crouch might move in January. The manager says he has no problem with the players and the player says he has no problem with the manager so hopefully Crouch will still be with Liverpool after the transfer window has closed because I think it will be good for the club if he is"

I have been defending Crouch for the months and months, and I’ve written several articles supporting the Striker, so it’s great that the support is growing, as it is just ridiculous in the extreme for Benitez to consider selling Crouch. Once again, Crouch’s goals and assists record displays quite clearly that he is an excellent goal scorer and should not be sold:

1) 11 goals in the last 13 Champions league games (4 goals in 3 CL starts this season)
2) 6 goals and 2 assists in 11 starts this season. (Prem/CL/CC/England).
3) 18 goals and 7 assists in 30 starts last season.
4) 14 goals in 24 internationals.

This is not to mention Crouch’s superb technical skills; and unparalleled ability to take control of the ball and hold it up and his ability to make defenders panic, creating space for others.

Despite being messed around by Benitez this season (3 premiership starts?!) Crouch continues to deliver and had gone about his business in a professional manner on and off the field. Ian Rush agrees:

"Benitez can't ask Peter Crouch to do anything else. He has done exactly what he's been asked to do”.

Of course, there will always be a minority of ignorant, pig-headed ‘fans’ who will try and drag Crouchie down with lies and exaggeration. A typical example of this is the oft heard moan that he shouldn’t complain about rotation, and he should drop his off-field activities and concentrate on playing football.

The hypocrisy of such views is breathtaking. First of all, Crouch did not criticise Rafa’s rotation policy; he merely had the audacity to state that he found rotation ‘frustrating’ in answer to a direct questions. This is nothing compared to some of damaging the stuff Steven Gerrard comes out with, but of course, Gerrard is given a pass.

The same goes for off-field activities. I’ve seen lots of comments lately criticising Crouch for attending book launches and minor events off the pitch. Again, the hypocrisy is laughable. Steven Gerrard was recently in Italy on behalf of Adidas – was he slammed over it?! No. And didn’t Gerrard also write a much ballyhooed book last year?! Yes. It seems there is one rule for Crouch and another for everyone else.

As John Aldridge argued earlier in the week, Crouch must stay and he should be Fernando Torres’ strike partner. Crouch continues to improve as a player, and it’s about time people started accepting that Crouch is actually an excellent player, something Rushie emphasised:

"He has become a better player simply by being at Liverpool Football Club."

For me, Crouch is England’s best Striker (Yes – better than Rooney at being a STRIKER) and the most technically gifted English player in the premiership. Letting him go would be a mistake of epic proportions, and I just hope more Liverpool legends speak up for him publicly.

As I used to shout so often in the past, ‘Well in Rushie!’

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John Aldridge: Crouch must stay

Liverpool goalscoring legend John Aldridge has joined the ever growing band of people calling for Peter Crouch to be given a fair chance in the Liverpool team, arguing that Crouch must not be sold in January and should be given a regular starting berth alongside Fernando Torres.

As I have repeatedly argued in my articles, Crouch's impact on Liverpool is beyond dispute, and Aldo agrees:

"Crouch’s goals per minute ratio must be incredible because he’s not playing every game and when he is involved it tends to be as a substitute but he’s still scoring plenty. The goal he got on Wednesday night [Against Porto] was a perfect example of what he can do. Some defences just don’t know how to cope with him because of his height and they become so confused that he ends up scoring a free header from the edge of the six yard box".

Against Porto, Liverpool lost their way in the second half, and the game could easily have been lost. It was only with the introduction of Crouch and Harry Kewell that things started to change. Aldridge observed:

"It was tight and it was nip and tuck at 1-1 and there was a time when the game could have gone either way. But then...with Peter Crouch and Harry Kewell coming on and... everything changed and Liverpool ended up running out comfortable winners. I think the way Liverpool went on to score three more goals against a side which doesn’t normally concede goals shows just how important Crouch is".

It is obvious to everyone except Rafa that Liverpool's best strike partnership is Crouch and Fernando Torres. Ignoring Crouch for terminally ineffective Dirk Kuyt (who plays more like a midfielder than a striker) is ridiculous, especially given Crouch's superior goal stats, technique and team play. Aldridge also believes that Crouch/Torres should be Liverpool's number one strike team:

"I’ve been banging on all season about how I think Crouch and Torres is Liverpool’s best partnership up front and I’d love to see them being given a run of games together. I know Rafa likes to play Voronin or Kuyt in behind Torres but, to me, we just look a much greater threat and much more likely to score when he goes with Crouch. Whenever I look at Liverpool’s striking options I keep on coming to the same conclusions – Crouch and Torres are definitely the best bet".

This backed up by the stats, with Crouch and Torres scoring 15 goals and providing 2 assists in 23 combined starts. This strike rate blows any other Liverpool partnership out of the water, yet Benitez continues to ignore it.

In the last couple of days, Benitez has stated publicly that Crouch is not for sale. I would love to believe that Benitez is being sincere, but given his second rate treatment of Crouch this season, I do not believe it for a second. John Aldridge also wants Crouch to stay:

"There is so much speculation that Crouch might move in January. The manager says he has no problem with the players and the player says he has no problem with the manager so hopefully Crouch will still be with Liverpool after the transfer window has closed because I think it will be good for the club if he is".

The Bolton game this weekend is exactly the type of game in which Crouch should be playing. He was bought, in part, to provide a threat in the more 'physical' games against the likes of Bolton and Blackburn. I have no doubt that Crouch will be on the bench again though, ignored in favour of Dirk Kuyt, who scored last when the ball rebounded off his legs and ended up in the net.

Clearly a greater goal threat than Crouchie!

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