Jeff Powell, the befrizzed Australian who, impossible as it may seem - given that he is not exactly Mr Popularity in the business - is still writing for the Daily Mail, reckons he can trace the decline of Liverpool back to a seminal moment 34 years ago.
The day Bill Shankly retired, says Powell, was the day "Liverpool began selling their soul".
If this writer would care to key the words "Bob Paisley" into Google he would find the following: from 1975 to 1983 Liverpool, under Paisley, won the European Cup three times and were League champions on six occasions. For good measure they also lifted the UEFA Cup once and the Charity Shield five times.
Among the minor baubles, Paisley also took home the League Cup three times and set an all-time record of 85 home games unbeaten, in all competitions. This run included 63 league matches, also a league record, and stretched over three years from January 1978 to January 1981.
Hardly a decline, and if that constituted a selling of the club's soul there's a lot to be said for flogging off this particular asset.
But then this is a writer who has his own agenda in the matter of the most successful British manager ever.
Paisley disliked Powell with a passion - "I don't want that bloody so-and-so down here" was the standard reaction of the miner's son when he discovered Powell was due at Anfield for a home fixture.
Like many shunned tabloid hacks, Powell took it personally - and still does.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment