into the penalty area and Ian Rush effectively
killed the tie. Liverpool won 2-1 on the night,
and although the Scot’s socks were shredded
by opposition studs, none of the Romanians
landed any real blows.
“They were never going to get him,” smiled
Kennedy. “He was far too clever for them.”
ROMAN HOLIDAY
The entire 1983-84 season was a masterpiece
in leadership from Souness.
Liverpool won the League Cup – the skipper
scoring the winner in the final against Everton
- and league title, and capped the campaign
by lifting the European Cup to secure a treble
for the first time.
They had to do it the hard way, by beating
Roma on penalties in their own backyard. It
was Champagne Charlie’s final appearance in
a Liverpool shirt and he dominated the game’s
tempo throughout the 120 minutes. However,
his finest moment came before kick-off. The
Stadio Olimpico was a hostile place and home
fans were in a frenzy.
“It was the most intimidating sight I’ve ever
seen in my life,” said Hansen.
The team wandered out to inspect the pitch.
They walked down to the 8,000 Liverpool fans
at the north end of the ground, then began
to head back to their dressing room. Souness
washavingnoneofthat.Insteadheambled
downtothefearedCurvaSudwheretheRoma
ultrasweremassedandconfrontedtheangry
crowd.“Iwantedtotesttheirrage,”hesays.
“Itooka pictureofCharliestrollingalong
towardsthemwithouta careintheworld,”
saidJohnston,a keenamateurphotographer.
“HelookedlikeanItalianmalemodel,fullof
styleandarrogance.”
“Itwasa ‘fuckyou’moment,”saysSouness.
“Itsaid,‘We’lltakeyouonandyourteam’.
I neverfeltweweregoingtocomeunstuck.”
HoistingtheEuropeanCupwashislastact
asa Liverpoolplayerafter 358 appearances.
HewassoonbackinItaly,spendingtwoyears
atSampdoriaalongsideEnglandstrikerTrevor
Francis.“Insomewaysit wasa bitfrustrating,”
hesays.LiverpoolreachedanotherEuropean
CupfinalthefollowingyearandSounesshad
towatcheventsatHeyselunfoldfromGenoa.
“We’dplayonSundaysandhavea practice
gameagainstanamateursideonThursdays,”
hesays.“We’dbeatthem16-0orsomething.
I remembersittingthereontheWednesday,
waitingtowatchmymatesplayinEurope’s
biggestmatch,thinkingI shouldhavebeen
ata EuropeanCupfinal.InsteadI wasturning
outagainsta pubteamthefollowingnight.”
ThetimeinItalymadeSounessreconsider
hisapproachtofitness.“Itwasa bitschoolboyishinsomeways–
too much tactics,” he admits. “But in terms of
looking after yourself, it changed my thinking
completely and I took that into management.”
He applied such knowledge after becoming
Rangers player-manager in 1986. The spell at
Ibrox was a huge success: the club won three
league titles and four League Cups during his
tenure. But arguably his greatest achievement
in Scotland was breaking down the sectarian
barriers by bringing in striker Mo Johnston, the
first high-profile Catholic player to join Rangers.
It was a groundbreaking act that still doesn’t
receive the praise it deserves.
“When I got the job, one of the questions
I was asked was, ‘Would you sign a Catholic?’
Of course I would. Everyone raised their eyes.
I tried to get Ray Houghton and John Collins
but they didn’t happen. Mo deserves credit for
his bravery. It needed doing.”ON THE BENCH
Souness’ next move didn’t go quite as well.
Liverpool came calling after his good friend
Dalglish resigned unexpectedly in 1991.
“I was the right man at the wrong time,” he
says. “You don’t get a job at a big club unless
they’re in trouble, so I should have stayed at
Rangers. There was only one club I was going
to leave for, but I went at the wrong time. Ego
got the better of me. I did no due diligence.
“Hillsborough tore the heart out of the team.
I was the first manager since Bill Shankly who
had to make wholesale changes. It used to be
two or three new signings every summer to
keep things ticking along.”
The ideas that Souness brought back from
the continent were less well received at Anfield
than Ibrox. “At Rangers it was easy to get the
message across,” he says. “They bought into it.
It was the opposite at Liverpool, a much harder
sell, because they’d had 25 years of success.”
The new boss tried to transform the culture
of the club, but met with resistance. Just over
a year into the job, the Scot was diagnosed
with heart problems and required surgery. At
that point he made the worst mistake of hisFourFourTwo September 2019 59GraemeSounessplayedundersome
of the game’s legendary managers –
Bob Paisley at Liverpool, Bill Nicholson
at Tottenham and Jack Charlton at
Middlesbrough – but he’s a big fan of
the Premier League’s current top two.
“Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are
fantastic,” admits the Scot. “They are
both unique with their different styles.
They are also a great fit for their clubs,
especially Klopp. Liverpool is such an
emotional football club and Jurgen is
an emotional manager.
“There are four football institutions
in the United Kingdom: Liverpool,ManchesterUnited,CelticandRangers.
What makes these four unique is the
passion they inspire. Klopp wears his
heart on his sleeve and understands
the passion at Anfield.”
The former Liverpool midfielder and
manager believes there is potential for
another era of dominance, following
their sixth European Cup win in June.
“For the first time in almost 20 years,
you can look at the team and say they
can win trophies consistently,” he says.
“They only need to bring in one or two
players each summer, and Klopp can
now afford to keep them on the fringeswhile they have a look and learn to fit
in. He doesn’t have to rush them into
the team. They’ve done a remarkable
job in recruitment – it really has been
sensational – and there are good times
ahead for Liverpool.
“They’re in the perfect position, as
are Manchester City.”
It means the trailing pack face even
bigger challenges going into 2019-20.
“The rest of the Premier League are
way behind,” he adds. “Every move the
likes of United, Arsenal, Chelsea and
Spurs make is in desperation. It will be
a big job to catch up.”GRAEME
SOUn ESSTHE FUTURE’S BRIGHT, THE FUTURE’S RED
Above Teaming
up with Trevor
Francis at Samp