It was once the case that when Liverpool signed a player, they would spend their best years at club and would only move away to retire or because they were no longer needed. However, throughout the highs and lows of the history of Liverpool, many players have seemingly gone on to bigger and better things. Leaving when their stock was still high, in search of silverware or a change of scenery, some players have left Liverpool fans in varying degrees of upset. Throughout the season football historian Peter Kenny Jones will examine the stories of these players, what made them loved and what happened after they left Anfield. Part two is about Ian Rush.
Ian Rush is without a doubt an Anfield legend and one of the greatest players to grace Anfield. Liverpool had just won their ninth league title in fourteen seasons, as well as winning the FA Cup in the previous season, yet the summer of 1986 was when Rush accepted an offer from Juventus for a British record transfer fee. It was planned that Rush would be loaned to Serie B side Lazio for the following campaign as Michel Platini had decided to stay with Juventus for one more season. Platini and Michael Laudrup were to take up the two available slots for foreign players and Rush had to be loaned out. Rush suggested another season at Liverpool and it was accepted, despite some worries that he would not be fully committed to the team. He was to spend another year on Merseyside on loan, before travelling to Turin.
The 1986-87 season was a frustrating one for the reds, despite Rush being top goal scorer for the fifth time in six seasons with 40 goals and quashing any beliefs his efforts would be decreased. Liverpool were runners up to rivals Everton in the league, finishing nine points behind the Toffees. The Reds also lost the League Cup Final to Arsenal, where an Ian Rush goal was not enough to secure the trophy and broke a run of 144 games where when Rush scored Liverpool had won. Dalglish’s side did clinch the Screen Sport Super Cup that season, a trophy designed to fill the void of UEFA’s ban on English teams participating in European football. Rush scored five goals against Everton across and two-legged final in September 1986.
Rush departed Liverpool with six goals in eight games and made it apparent to the supporters, not that needed reminding, that he would leave a huge gulf behind him. His final Anfield appearance unsurprisingly brought with it his final Anfield goal. With Everton securing the title, it was not the ending that many had hoped for. The day was more a celebration of Rush rather than a display of any anger toward him for leaving. Rush had enjoyed seven seasons with Liverpool since his arrival from Chester City, he had amassed 206 goals in 329 games. Rush was to depart with a day of genuine affection displayed from both him and the fans. It looked as though the day would not be perfect after a string of half chances were missed, yet Rush scored a typical poachers goal and completed the perfect goodbye. At the end of the game, the honorary captain for the day provided fans with a souvenir as he tore his shirt off and threw it into his adoring Kop. Gary Ablett described the events; ‘Rushie did a couple of laps of honour at the end to crown the occasion, I thought he’d started a riot when he threw his shirt into the crowd, but apparently one fan did manage to get out of the ground alive with his special memento. I wouldn’t have minded it myself’. There was to be one more appearance that season with a trip to Stamford Bridge on the final day. Unsurprisingly Rush scored in a 3-3 draw, this too was a special occasion for all who attended. However, it was his final home game that provided the biggest fanfare.
Despite all this display of genuine love and appreciation toward Rush, there were some that were upset with his move. It is impossible to ignore Heysel; Liverpool fans’ actions had seen themselves and all English teams kicked out of Europe. Not only this, but the opposition for that nightmare final were Juventus. The deal for Rush to leave Liverpool came fourteen months after Heysel and it seems narrow minded to not attempt to draw a conclusion from that. Many supporters at the time saw this transfer as an attempt to enhance relationships between the two clubs and bolster the image of Liverpool FC. Liverpool were in the wrong and were desperate to remove any negative feelings toward the club and this transfer, in their eyes, could only help the situation. As well as this, Rush was at the peak of his powers and he deserved to be playing European football. The ban from UEFA on all English teams was at first indefinite but was later lifted for the 1990-91 season, with Liverpool receiving a further one-year ban. Rush’s decision was also believed to be self-motivated as he was joining the European Cup winners from two seasons previous. The move seemed to benefit Juventus and Rush but not Liverpool. Therefore, it is understandable that some fans were frustrated and upset with the transfer and felt as though they could see through the club’s intentions.
Whatever the motivation, Italy provided a new challenge for Rush. Italy has always been famed for its tough defences and Rush was now tasked with unpicking them. In the end, this transfer was not a success. He was a lot less efficacious in Italy than in England, scoring 8 in 29 for La Vecchia Signora. This was blamed on the tight Italian defences and it was a common trend that less goals would be scored in Italy than in England. Feeling homesick was certainly a factor for Rush and in a truly characteristic quote from the time, he was believed to have said ‘It’s like living in a foreign country’. Rush later denied this was true and said; ‘I was homesick at times, but it is one of the best things I've done in my life’, claiming that the former quote was a joke made up by Kenny Dalglish. Whether he enjoyed his time or not, it quickly came to an end. Blaming struggles to integrate himself into an Italian dressing room and adapting to the Italian style of play. After one solitary season at the Stadio Comunale, Rush was heading back to Merseyside. Another record transfer was agreed, £2.7 million exchanged for the Welshman to return to his adopted home.
During Rush’s time in Turin, Liverpool had delivered the 1987-88 Title and played some great football under Dalglish. Despite the level of performance since his departure, Liverpool fans were delighted to welcome Rush home. The arrival of John Aldridge, John Barnes and Peter Beardsley had been supposed to fill the void of Rush, now Dalglish had the joy of playing them all together. Rush was welcomed back by only Liverpool fans as the rest of the league now had to deal with a side that steamrollered the league last time out, who were now bolstered by the relentless goal scorer Ian Rush.
Any fan who looks back at Ian Rush’s career at Anfield can only admire his record tally of 346 goals in 660 games. It can be easy to forget his time at Juventus as it was so short, however it certainly did happen. Although pushing for a loan return and an eventual permanent one, Rush left Liverpool and described it as one of the best things he ever did. Had it worked out, it is fair to assume that he would have spent a long time in Italy. However, a dip in form and a lack of enjoyment meant that he returned after just one season. If he had not be so supremely talented, perhaps this one season in Italy could have tarnished his Anfield reputation.
Peter Kenny Jones https://peterkj.wixsite.com/football-historian @PeterKennyJones
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