Ian Callaghan

[baja the hut]

I am young and never watched him play...

 

how much of a legend was he for us.

[Nebraska Red]

he was a great player, very consistent, very humble and a nice guy.

 

I met him a few times when I managed an insurance office in Maghull and his office was up the street.

[Michael]

He was an honour for this club every bit as much as this club was an honour for him. The two are inextricably intertwined.

[Crazy Horse]

Like the thread title, sounds like a Warren G. B side.

[kop205]

Like the thread title, sounds like a Warren G. B side.

 

Just hit the Northside by the LFC

on a mission trying to find Mr. Ian C....

 

etc. .

[Murphman]

He was my hero when i was a kid, him, Roger Hunt, St. John and Ronnie Yeats. Amazingly he got better as he got older and dropped off into a deeper role. He was a key part of (IMO) the best Liverpool side ever in 1977, he was as big a hero in his own understated way as anybody else who's ever worn the red shirt. Club record appearances with not a single booking, played for Shankly and Paisley for what, 15 years and won everything there is to win? What more do you need to become a legend?

Edited April 28, 2011 by Murphman

[Swan Red]

goot booked in his last game though

[Murphman]

goot booked in his last game though

 

 

Did he, the dirty barstard I never knew that.

[Case]

He was a tidy, intelligent player - the epitome of pass and move, always looking to be positive. My memories of him were from 1971 onwards, he always seemed to have a slightly stooped form and a big smiley face on him whenever he played. I think (coukld be wrong) that he was in the provisional England World Cup squad in 1966, He only played for England 4 or 5 times but his last couple of caps must have come when he was 35 or so.

 

Alec Lindsay (at the time) was my personal hero, but Cally was right up there in my affections. Good player.

[Swan Red]

I think there was something like 15 years between England caps which is pretty mental

[Murphman]

I think there was something like 15 years between England caps which is pretty mental

 

 

I remember that, it was after Rome, England decided that as Liverpool were clearly the best side in world football (I'm not joking either) they'd use as many of their team as possible in the next game, I think there were SEVEN reds in the side, Cally played in the middle of the park and was magnificent. To be fair he suffered from some severe opposition for England caps with the likes of Colin Bell and Alan Ball in their pomp at the same time, but he was certainly overlooked, the Jimmy Case of his day.

 

He was a tidy, intelligent player - the epitome of pass and move, always looking to be positive. My memories of him were from 1971 onwards, he always seemed to have a slightly stooped form and a big smiley face on him whenever he played. I think (coukld be wrong) that he was in the provisional England World Cup squad in 1966, He only played for England 4 or 5 times but his last couple of caps must have come when he was 35 or so.

 

Alec Lindsay (at the time) was my personal hero, but Cally was right up there in my affections. Good player.

 

He wasn't in any provisional squad he was a full blown member of the 22 picked and received a medal (belatedly).

[David Hodgson]

I think there was something like 15 years between England caps which is pretty mental

 

Looking back, what I still can't make sense of is how players we consider legends, and whom were big players in a Liverpool side that was the best around, weren't nailed on regulars for England. I'm talking Callaghan, Ray Kennedy, Mc Dermott, Jimmy Case, even Alan Kennedy and David Johnson.

[Case]

 

He wasn't in any provisional squad he was a full blown member of the 22 picked and received a medal (belatedly).

 

Wow! - Thanks Murph

[Swan Red]

I think it's got a lot to do with my age groups general antipathy towards England. Like I know it's a generalisation but there is definitely something that hasn't connected with a lot of reds and England and I'm pretty sure that the lack of recognition of Liverpool players in the late 70's early 80's is a contributory factor

[Murphman]

Looking back, what I still can't make sense of is how players we consider legends, and whom were big players in a Liverpool side that was the best around, weren't nailed on regulars for England. I'm talking Callaghan, Ray Kennedy, Mc Dermott, Jimmy Case, even Alan Kennedy and David Johnson.

 

 

Ray and Terry Mac got 20 (ish) caps each but agreed not enough, Barney suffered from being Sansom's peer.

 

Wow! - Thanks Murph

 

Always glad to oblige.

 

-Edit- Sad old anorak that I am I thought Cally actually played in the group stage and I've checked, he played against France, Roger scored both in a 2-0 win, goals which sealed Jimmy Greaves fate.

Edited April 28, 2011 by Murphman

[Case]

Looking back, what I still can't make sense of is how players we consider legends, and whom were big players in a Liverpool side that was the best around, weren't nailed on regulars for England. I'm talking Callaghan, Ray Kennedy, Mc Dermott, Jimmy Case, even Alan Kennedy and David Johnson.

 

Well obviously, given my username, I can't understand why Jimmy Case didn't win 100 caps for England... - but wasn't Ray Kennedy a regular (could be wrong). Alan should have been though. I'd add Tommy Smith to the list as well by the way ...

 

Greenwood even played Clemence and Shilton in alternate games, the big idjit.

 

Cally did have a lot of competition in the late 60's and 70's in his position though. Which probably suited us in the end ... although in those days none of them thought twice about playing 60 games plus a season.

[David Hodgson]

Ray and Terry Mac got 20 (ish) caps each but agreed not enough, Barney suffered from being Sansom's peer.

 

 

 

Always glad to oblige.

 

-Edit- Sad old anorak that I am I thought Cally actually played in the group stage and I've checked, he played against France, Roger scored both in a 2-0 win, goals which sealed Jimmy Greaves fate.

 

Just checked. McDermott 25 caps and Ray Kennedy a poxy 17. Disgracefully low given how good they were.

 

I think it's got a lot to do with my age groups general antipathy towards England. Like I know it's a generalisation but there is definitely something that hasn't connected with a lot of reds and England and I'm pretty sure that the lack of recognition of Liverpool players in the late 70's early 80's is a contributory factor

 

It is, and marry that to the fact that Kenny, Souness and Hansen all played for Scotland, and I know I always found myself supporting the jocks in the home internationals (which were great btw).

[Swan Red]

It is, and marry that to the fact that Kenny, Souness and Hansen all played for Scotland, and I know I always found myself supporting the jocks in the home internationals (which were great btw).

 

And Kenny scoring helped.

 

Yeah I think it's kind of weird as well because the first WC that I remember was 78 with Scotland the only local representative

[charlie clown]

I think it's got a lot to do with my age groups general antipathy towards England. Like I know it's a generalisation but there is definitely something that hasn't connected with a lot of reds and England and I'm pretty sure that the lack of recognition of Liverpool players in the late 70's early 80's is a contributory factor

 

 

It is, and marry that to the fact that Kenny, Souness and Hansen all played for Scotland, and I know I always found myself supporting the jocks in the home internationals (which were great btw).

 

I think for me there was another factor, no matter how misguided it might have been - I remember throughout the 70s and early 80s there was a standing joke (more like the ECB being a laughing stock really) in cricket that all you needed to do to play for England was pull on a Middlesex shirt, much better players aroud the counties were never given a sniff because of a clear bias by some gin-soaked selectors who couldn't move outside the Lord's Long Room. I thought at the time that there was a similar bias in favour of a few London-based clubs hence the inflated number of caps for, say, Trevor Brooking, Gerry Francis, Kenny Sansom etc. The malign influence of Don Howe and maybe to a lesser extent, Ron Greenwood (although the Brooking love-in may have been largely due to him), and when there was the occasional nod to clubs outside of that area it was usually for over-rated flavour of the month no-marks: Stuart Pearson, Alan Hudson etc.

Edited April 28, 2011 by charlie clown

[downunder]

Well obviously, given my username, I can't understand why Jimmy Case didn't win 100 caps for England... - but wasn't Ray Kennedy a regular (could be wrong). Alan should have been though. I'd add Tommy Smith to the list as well by the way ...

 

Greenwood even played Clemence and Shilton in alternate games, the big idjit.

 

Cally did have a lot of competition in the late 60's and 70's in his position though. Which probably suited us in the end ... although in those days none of them thought twice about playing 60 games plus a season.

 

There was a summer tour of 3 games, he played them both 1.5 games each, I think it was v Austria (have no idea how I remember that) he swapped them at H/T, he admitted he couldn't decide who was better!

[Conrad]

I think the number of caps thing is a bit unfair.

 

In the 70s england failed to qualify for both the 74 and 78 World Cups, so actually if your peak as a player was 72-79 say, you were not going to win as many caps as you might hope.

 

Also, Revie really chopped and changed incredible amounts.

 

Greenwood tried 7 liverpool players in his first game I think but could only draw 0-0 with Switzerland at wembley.

 

the side which beat Italy 2-0 he tried to stick with, which is fair enough.

 

Loads of talented players got fewer caps than you would imagine - George, Currie, Bowles, Worthington, Hudson - barely a handful between them.

 

Keegan, Hughes and later Neal and Thompson were all mainstays of 70s England. Clemence played more than shilton during that period. kennedy and McDermott both played a fair bit.

[SteveT]

Ray and Terry Mac got 20 (ish) caps each but agreed not enough, Barney suffered from being Sansom's peer.

 

 

 

Always glad to oblige.

 

-Edit- Sad old anorak that I am I thought Cally actually played in the group stage and I've checked, he played against France, Roger scored both in a 2-0 win, goals which sealed Jimmy Greaves fate.

 

It was Cally that provided the cross that Roger Hunt headed the first of his two goals from - didn't even need to check

[Case]

George, Currie, Bowles, Worthington, Hudson ....

 

 

...Aaaaahhh .... along with our lot ...When football was about the football, not the hype.

 

LOVED the 70's...

 

I'm off to the stereo to put Baccara on repeat.

[Beardsley]

Cally, my first Liverpool hero.

 

 

Oh, Case, put on som Amanda Lear while you're at it

[New York Red]

Looking back, what I still can't make sense of is how players we consider legends, and whom were big players in a Liverpool side that was the best around, weren't nailed on regulars for England. I'm talking Callaghan, Ray Kennedy, Mc Dermott, Jimmy Case, even Alan Kennedy and David Johnson.

 

Do you remember when Liverpool were so good that the England manager just picked all of the Englishmen in Liverpool's team and filled it in with players from the other teams to replace the Scots and Welsh?

 

I think it was in about 1977 and there were 7 Liverpool players in the team.

 

EDIT: Just saw the post above. That's the one.

Edited April 28, 2011 by New York Red