A Column About Liverpool
Big Ron's significance, the anatomy of a Hillsborough offender, Richard Hughes and the transfer window and a glossary for the new recruitment buzzphrases
Yeats, the man at the centre of a turning point in LFC history
People talk about the transformative effect of Virgil van Dijk on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Ron Yeats had a similar impact. You could even argue that the Scot was more influential for Bill Shankly’s side.
The song said it all:
“Oh we love Bill Shankly and we love St John,
But most of all
We love Big Ron...”
And he was big. These days, 6’ 2” doesn’t feel huge. But Ron seemed bigger than that. I remember waiting for the players to sign autographs outside Anfield when they came back from training. The captain looked positively giant-like – especially to a 10-year-old me.
He was the first man to lift the FA Cup in a Liverpool shirt. In 2024, it’s hard to imagine the significance of that event. That was the moment the balance of power shifted on Merseyside. Before that, Everton were the premier team in the city. They were the older club, the ‘Mersey Millionaires’ and, whenever Liverpool got uppity, Blues could say “you’ve never won the cup.”
They said the Liver Birds would come to life and fly away when the Reds won the cup. They didn’t. The only thing that flew was Liverpool, to heights they could not imagine at Goodison.
Big Ron provided one of the iconic images of Anfield history when he hoisted the precious sliverware high and displayed it to the Kopites crammed into Wembley.
When I eventually met Ron, I was a little in awe. I found out that the biggest thing about him was his personality. His stories were many and hilarious.
He said that he was once travelling by train to a game in Scotland and started talking to a fellow passenger in his carriage. This older man was chugging whisky from a flask.
They got off at the same station and went their separate ways. When Ron ran onto the pitch, the referee said, “Hullo again,” to the defender. The man with the whistle was the Scotch-supping fellow traveller.
Yeats loved Liverpool. The team, the place. He deserves a position at the top table of the club’s pantheon of greats. Those of us who were lucky enough to see him play and speak to him are privileged.
Enjoying the break with United
Normally, I fume through international breaks. Especially this one that interrupts a season that has barely begun. The past 10 days have been different, though.
The break has allowed us to luxuriate in the afterglow of stuffing Manchester United at Old Trafford. That’s a great feeling. Couldn’t we extend the layoff by another week?
Troll feeling sorry for himself
The latest Hillsborough report emphasises the need for “empathy and understanding” in the postmortem process. It’s quite correct. Relatives have to be treated with more care in the aftermath of a disaster. Any disaster.
The requirement for empathy and understanding is wider, too. Last week Stuart Rutter was banned from attending matches for three years after chanting “Always the victims” outside Anfield the day before the anniversary of the unlawful killings at Hillsborough.
It was assumed that he was a Crystal Palace fan – the opposition on the day – but those who know him say he’s a Sheffield Wednesday supporter. There’s a weird dichotomy about Sheffield. So many of the residents were wonderful to us that day in 1989 but there’s a strange group of weirdos who think that having a death trap for a ground is some kind of reflection on them.
Anyway, who is the man who could act with such callous stupidity outside Anfield on the eve of an emotional day? Rutter is an Oxbridge graduate and well-known poker player. He’s won more than $2 million playing cards in live tournaments and much more online. He’s only a matchgoer in the sense that he attends with other poker players and enjoys corporate hospitality.
Recently, he posted on social media about the joy of taking his young son to a game. I wonder if he’s even heard of Jon-Paul Gilhooley.
Those who know him are appalled by his behaviour, though not surprised. One of his acquaintances pulled him up for some vile Hillsborough posts on Facebook and cut off all contact with him afterwards. You will be glad to know that someone punched Rutter outside Anfield.
That has upset the poker player, as has the coverage of his trial. The self-pitying toad sent a message to people he knows saying the stories “makes it seem worse than it was.” He doesn’t think he “mocked the tragedy.” Essentially, his defence to his friends is this: “It wasn’t so bad, I could have sung worse.”
You’ll be pleased to hear that many of the people who received his message have blocked the number and won’t be hanging around with Rutter in the future.
They are not Liverpool supporters. They are football fans. They know right from wrong and understand what happened in 1989. It’s hard for them to comprehend this sort of spiteful bellendery.
There are no excuses for this kind of crap. It’s dispiriting. Yet the messages sent to me by those who know him show we have more allies than enemies.
Jury out on Hughes, FSG in the dock
I feel a bit for Richard Hughes. Has he had a great start to the job? Not so sure. But it’s way too early to judge.
Let’s be clear about it. The three contract issues have nothing to do with Hughes. That has to be laid at the door of Fenway Sports Group.
It’s not good enough to say that there was too much uncertainty over Klopp. Or that there was no real sporting director in place after Julian Ward’s departure. With the contracts of players like Mo Salah, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold running down, John W Henry should have got off his arse and sorted things out.
All three can now see what their value is on the open market. On New Year’s Day they can sign a pre contract with a foreign club. The signing on fees involved could make for very, very attractive packages for them to leave Anfield.
The club have always been clear that Alexander-Arnold is the priority. That why wasn’t his deal restructured a year ago, then? Van Dijk is clearly frustrated by the lack of movement. Even Salah, who has been pretty relaxed about the situation, now appears increasingly bemused.
So back to Hughes. He missed his main target in Martin Zubimendi. The ‘opportunistic’ signing of Federico Chiesa might well be good business. The squad is pretty good and, as things stand, Liverpool can afford a slow window.
Unless one, two or even three of the players with waning contracts decide to look elsewhere. Then there’s a massive hole in the team where the backbone used to be.
If this happens, Hughes and Slot will be in the line of fire. The pointing fingers will be aimed at them.
The real blame will lie in Boston. FSG have not been bad owners. In fact, they’ve been pretty good. Yet there are times when they have let the club drift. The contract situation is a grim example of this.
Recruitment, the words, the meaning
Talking of the new recruitment setup with Michael Edwards as chief executive of football, here’s a glossary of terms you will hear with my translation. It may not be entirely serious.
Three-dimensional chess – AI does all our scouting
Opportunistic in the market – Panic buy
We’re relaxed about contract negotiations – We’re not paying him that much!
Promising academy product – Cash cow for sale!
We’d rather wait for the right player – Is there anyone cheaper?
He’s the head coach and not the manager – No one will ever speak to me again like that **** Klopp did.
Further reading
Buy Far Foreign Land, my book about following LFC from the 1970s to Istanbul. £10 UK, £15 Europe, £18 Rest Of World. All including postage, available here. Or become a paid subscriber and read the 18 chapters of the book on substack. Opening chapter is free here
Other Liverpool books, I Don’t Know What It Is But I Love It, the story of the 1983-84 season in the words of the players. Wild tales of drunken excess, on-pitch violence and winning the third of three trophies in the most intimidating atmosphere in Liverpool history. Available here
Two Tribes: Liverpool, Everton and a city on the brink recounts the 1985-86 season, a campaign when the sport rose from the depths of Heysel to Merseyside’s finest hour, an all-Scouse FA Cup final, when Liverpool emerged in triumph with the double. Told by the players. Buy here
Finally, if you’re interested in the culture of the city of Liverpool, try Good Guys Lost, a novel that spans from the 1960s to the 2010s. Get it here