Liverpool banter 249374

 

Use our rumours form to send us liverpool transfer rumours.



16 Jan 2025 14:30:53
A bit of nostalgia to break up the stress of the title chase and unresolved contract talks.

When people talk about the great Liverpool teams of the 70s and 80s, and particularly Dalglish's Liverpool of the second half of the 80s, which at times took it to a new level (won the double, came within an Aldridge missed penalty in the '88 Cup Final of winning a second double, and came within a dying seconds Michael Thomas winner for Arsenal of another double in '89, and would surely have won at least one or two European Cups in any other era, there is a player who you don't hear mentioned very often.

Steve McMahon was, in my opinion, one of the most under-rated footballers of that period. It's understandable I guess when his Liverpool team mates included some of the all time greats but when you watch clips of Liverpool from that period, he is a recurring theme of winning tackles, bursting beyond the last man to score, spraying passes around, smashing goals in from outside the box. Ok, maybe not at Souness or Gerrard levels but a more complete midfielder than most that I can think of.

McMahon left Liverpool too soon in my opinion, only 30 or 31 I think. From memory he didn't get much of a look in for England either, which I never understood.

For the young folks here, find a clip online of Vinnie Jones' tackle on McMahon in the opening seconds of the 1988 FA Cup final. Would have been a red card in today's game but not even a yellow back then. McMahon just jumped straight up. Proper hard man with real footballing ability.

Agree8 Disagree0

16 Jan 2025 15:08:52
I'm not old enough to remember that far back but every time I've watched a re-run of a classic game one player who has always stood out (but I never hear mentioned as a Liverpool great) is Ronnie Whelan. He just looks like a complete midfielder is every re-run, but I guess LFC tv wouldn't re-run the games where Whelan/ the team had a howler!

16 Jan 2025 16:03:09
Steve McMahon was a very good player in a very good team. That team with Dalglish as manager was one of our best teams ever. Maybe being a bit older I appreciated more than some of the other teams from that era.
McMahon was an ex Everton player, too.
He's probably best remembered for the 'one minute' gesture just before Michael Thomas broke our hearts ?.
I remember just sitting there stunned in front of the TV for ages after Arsenal had scored their second and won the League.
I really couldn't believe what I'd just seen.

16 Jan 2025 16:04:42
McMahon was excellent, proper hardman in midfield who could play a bit too, even if you called him a happy shopper Souness that wouldn’t be a dig because Souness was the greatest centre midfielder of all time in my honest opinion, and to give that kind of tenacity, aggression and skill in the middle is no mean feat. As for Whelan, genuinely under rated, worked his socks off and a very good player, another who liked to dish a bit out too. And scored probably the greatest own goal you’ll ever see, a lovely chip from about 35 yards over the keeper.

{Ed025's Note - i really liked Ronnie Whelan VV, very underrated if you ask me..

16 Jan 2025 16:05:49
Sadly I am old enough to remember him, quality and never really spoke about when we talk old fashion tough tackling midfielders, I also remember a goal think it may of been against everton, where he chased a ball going out everyone had left it and just kept it on the line almost went over the advertising boards then ran back and two passes later we scored……that Wimbledon final they got in our heads, we missed the pen but beardsley scored from the foul and the ref pulled it back for the pen, still hurts that game.

16 Jan 2025 16:17:17
Mc mahon was a fantastic player. I can remember me and my dad watching LFC v notts forest on Grandstand on a Wednesday night. I think we won 5 nil. MC mahon was absolutely brilliant, as every other player in that team was. was it Stanley Matthews who said that game was the best he'd seen? ( It might have been some other player, I may be corrected) . but yeah, remembering MC mahon with his blonde hair makes me feel old.

{Ed025's Note - a bit of a blonde comb over i believe Roller.. :)

16 Jan 2025 16:28:45
Ronnie Whelan was great, quite underrated. The Barnes, Beardsley, Aldridge team was amazing to watch. It’s the last time I had a season ticket, for a few seasons, before moving and working away until my mid twenties. When I came back home that team were at the end of the cycle.

In one game John Barnes intercepted or tackled someone near the half way line, set off towards goal, beat a few players and slotted a cool goal. It may have been someone like Oxford I can’t remember, but he was the most amazing player and he also completely redefined things at Liverpool because of the racism he overcame. He’s my pick of that generation.

McMahon was brilliant to watch at times as well, a great shot, and could really mix it up.

16 Jan 2025 16:42:36
Eddie - I saw a clip of that goal just the other day. Was against Arsenal in 1988, Motson on commentary; bust a gut to keep it in and just about stopped it on the line, disappeared off the pitch in his follow through, ran back on and skipped past the defender sliding in. Passed it infield to Beardsley or Houghton who crossed to the back post for Aldridge to score. Camera then pans to McMahon running off to celebrate with the aforementioned Ronnie Whelan.

Absolutely loved that Liverpool team. Shame there was nowhere near the amount of football on TV as there is now, didn't get to watch them that often.

16 Jan 2025 16:47:08
Roller70, the Forest 5-0 you refer to was watched by the legendary Tom Finney, who said it was the best performance he'd ever seen.

McMahon was in the side that night, but was partnered by Nigel Spackman, as Whelan must've been injured. That side, possibly alongside our PL winning side, was the most exciting side we've ever had, in my opinion.

16 Jan 2025 16:51:02
Eddie74, the game you refer to was against Arsenal on the 16th January 1988. We won 2-0. I was there for it.

16 Jan 2025 17:03:18
Eddie - that was Arsenal at home

He scored some absolute belters did Managing and had a great combination of skill, tenacity and could run for ever

My only critical memory of him was in that FA Cup final against Wimbledon.
Vinnie Jones left one in him very, very early on and he hid a bit for the remainder of the match.

He did though set up the opener for Aldridge the following year v Everton with a superbly timed run and pass.
And scored a stunner from a great free kick move v Palace in the semi final the following year.

16 Jan 2025 17:05:46
JordanSimon, the Barnes goal you refer to was against QPR. I was there for that. I think we won 4-0. David Seaman was in goal for them, if I remember correctly.

16 Jan 2025 17:11:40
Nigel Spackman, forgot about him until I read Romes post, was another underrated player. He wasn’t as good as the others like Whelan, nowhere near, but he was still a good player. Steve Nicol was a really good player, not as quite as good as a pundit!

16 Jan 2025 17:29:39
You’re probably right Rome, and about Seaman.

There was one game where Shilton was in goal and had an absolute blinder. He was coming towards the end of his career, we won, but he was still brilliant. He got some stick though off the Kop about his off pitch extra curricular activities. Certainly wouldn’t hear some of that stuff today .

16 Jan 2025 17:33:13
MacManaman was good for us but over-rated by most, IMO. Used to cringe seeing him square up to Dennis Irwin, shuffle his feet a bit and then lose the ball. Did well at Madrid. MacMahon was ok but very average when the memory of Souness was so fresh. Vinnie Jones would have thought twice about that Cup Final tackle and would have paid twice over if he'd made it on Souness. And as for Gerrard- Souness precludes any notion of him being our best ever midfielder, let alone best ever player.

Apart from that, pretty much agree with Rigsby and that Dalglish led team being one of the best ever. Certainly a phenomenal team and exciting to watch. However, The demise usually attributed to Souness as manager started with Dalglish's inability to start to re-build with the likes of Speedie and Walsh and a couple of others whose names escape me for now. Souness didn't help himself with some further bad recruitment decisions but the rot was already setting in.

16 Jan 2025 17:46:18
Agree about Nicol, Jordan. I'm sure he won both PFA and Football Writers awards in the same season. As a pundit he's a complete and utter knob. I don't think he was ever the sharpest knife in the draw.

16 Jan 2025 18:08:22
Born in 73 and remember the greats of that era, loved sammy Lee myself obvs king Kenny was the real great and Hansen, but I loved sammy for such a little fellow wow. Barne’s and stevie the best ever midfielders for me.

16 Jan 2025 18:25:09
So refreshing to see someone else share same view of Souness as a manager. Sure he bought some average players. But the rot had set in with Dalglish beforehand. Kenny bought some terrible players towards the end and the team were majority over 30. Souness had to try to rebuild with a limited budget. Wasn't all his fault.

16 Jan 2025 18:40:22
You're right, RedTed, Kenny did lose his way towards the end of his first reign. Didn't he sign David Speedie and Jimmy Carter? I might be wrong. Understandable, though, given everything he went through with Hillsbrough.

16 Jan 2025 18:51:16
Big Jan was a very good, maybe great midfielder as well. Imagine the Monday night analysis of him on sky, the heat map of where he moved on the pitch would be hilarious.

Don’t suppose modern day fan would accept him, but everyone back then just sort of went with it. I suppose we were still winning things though so it was recognised that he was very effective at what he did. And his accent helped, fans loved him.

16 Jan 2025 19:01:28
Wonderful side that lfc team of late 80s. Houghton, whelan, macmahon, barnes in midfield. Beardsley and aldo up front, a joy to watch. As an young boy who really getting into football they really made me fall in love with the game.
Rep of ireland where starting to do v well around then with whelan, Houghton, also key players as well, getting to euros+ world cups for 1st time. Great times to be supporting them 2 teams at that particular time and at that age.

16 Jan 2025 19:31:51
Kenny did buy a few duffers towards the end. Remember tho that the team finished second that season. Sure it might have needed a few new players but the team didn’t need open heart surgery. Souness spent money on dross like Saunders, Wright and Walters in his first season and Liverpool never recovered. In fact the only good player purchased was a relatively cheap Rob Jones. He then purchased the “great” Paul Stewart. A total of circa £7 million for those players, not peanuts back in 91/ 92.
Liverpool never recovered and the rest is history. Our demise ilies squarely at his feet in my opinion.

16 Jan 2025 19:32:12
Whelan for me was a maestro, the perfect foil for Graeme. McMahon was a great signing - not Graeme, but the hardest working midfielder of all time: not sure if it’s apocryphal, but he apparently played on after his willy was split in half after a free kick hit him in the midriff.
McMahon was basically the Endo of his day. Not a generational talent, but a superb base for a midfield of rare talent.

17 Jan 2025 07:39:51
Spackman did play that night we battered Forest, Rome.

The lack of European football didn't help Dalglish towards the end of his first spell as manager.

McMahon was miles better than Endo, Monster. He would walk into our current midfield and he was better than every one we have now. That includes Gravenberch, MacAllister and Szoboszlai.





 

 

 
Log In or Register to post

User
Pass
Remember me

Forgot Pass  
 
Change Consent