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 for 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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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 for 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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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:
ReplyDelete"Once we were over that white line, we were playing for Liverpool, and our personal dislike of each other did not come into it”.
Not true.Smith actually lamped Hughes at Maine Road.
I know it's a long shot and a big ask, but do you have sources for these quotes? I'm writing an article about this for an article about great sports fueds, and the editor needs the quotes verifying
ReplyDelete