Ian Rush
Birthdate: 20.10.1961
Birthplace: St. Asaph Wales
Other clubs: Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United (loan), Wrexham, Sydney Olympic
Bought from: Chester City, Juventus
Signed for LFC: 300000 / £2700000 01.05.1980 / 18.08.1988
International debut: 21.05.1980 vs. Scotland
International caps: Wales 73/28 (67/26 at LFC) - 24.1.1996
|
Liverpool debut: 13.12.1980
Last appearance: 11.05.1996
Debut goal: 30.09.1981
Last goal: 05.05.1996
Contract expiry: 01.07.1987 / 20.05.1996
LFC league games/goals: 469 / 229
Total LFC games/goals: 660 / 346
|
Player profile
Simply the greatest goalscorer in Liverpool's history.
Rushie was born and raised with four sisters and five brothers in a village called St Asaph in North-Wales. He started his career in Wales with Chester and his scoring prowess soon attracted attention from Liverpool and scout Geoff Twentyman was a regular visitor at Chester’s matches. In april 1980 Bob Paisley was convinced enough about his talent to splash out £300,000 on the 19-year-old which was the highest fee ever paid for a youngster at the time in the world. Rush left Chester after scoring 14 goals in 34 matches. Rush was a Everton supporter and when he signed for Liverpool it was the first time he ever had visited Anfield. He made his debut for LFC in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich on 13th of December 1980 replacing Kenny Dalglish in the side, who was out injured. Only his second game was a league cup final no less. Liverpool had drawn against West Ham and had to play another final. Rush had a decent game and rattled the crossbar. Liverpool celebrated a 2-1 win courtesy of Dalglish’s and Hansen’s goals. Rush finished the season with 9 games for Liverpool but still no goals. He was included in the group of players who were chosen to face Real Madrid in European final in Paris but unfortunately for him he didn’t make an appearance.
Rush didn’t get a chance in the first team at the beginning of his first full season and was struggling in the reserves. He also had trouble adopting socially to his new surroundings. He was shy and didn’t like how Kenny Dalglish and the senior players used to wind him and other new recruits up. Ian knocked on Paisley’s door and declared he wanted a chance with first team or else he would leave. Paisley said he was welcome to leave and Rush left his office determined to show him he could score an abundance of goals with the reserves. Paisley’s trick had worked, he never intended to sell Rushie and never alerted any teams about his availability.
Paisley was wondering at first if he had made a wise decision buying him: "He couldn’t score a goal to save his life and what little self confidence he had started to seep away. Once he started scoring he couldn’t stop. At first, they were all walloped in with his right foot. Then he got the odd one with left foot. Soon they they were going in so frequently with either foot that we couldn’t remember which was his strong one. Before we knew he was heading in goals like they were going out of fashion too."
Rush finally broke his duck on the 30th of September 1981 at Anfield vs. Oulu Palloseura from Finland in the European cup. He came on as a sub and scored from short range. David Johnson got injured and Rush had a golden chance to establish himself in the side. It was now or never. Rush scored a brace against Exeter in the league cup and followed that with another two goals in the league vs. Leeds and didn’t stop until he had scored 30 goals that season. The pinnacle was his first goal at Wembley in the league cup final vs. Tottenham. Ronnie Whelan scored two goals in their 3-1 win. Ronnie and Rush entered the side at a similar time and were firm friends. Their time had certainly come.
Few would believe Rush could sustain his current rate of scoring goals the next season, but he proved them all wrong and was voted the league’s most promising player in the 1982-83 season. Rush and Dalglish had formed a lethal partnership and their understanding of each other’s strengths was incredible. Rush was a quick runner and a quick thinker as well. He had made his move long before the opponent had realised. Sure enough Kenny rewarded his run with a brilliant pass and soon the ball was in the net. Kenny described their successful partnership in his autobiography: "Rushie was perceptive and had two good feet. He is one of the most instinctive finishers football has ever seen. My partnership with Rush proved so good because he could run and I could pass. I would just try to put the ball in front of him. Rushie said that he made runs knowing the ball would come to him. That was true but only because his runs were so clever. His run was more important than my pass. Rushie was a good passer himself. He could have been a midfielder because his range of passing was great. Rush was easily the best partner I've ever had. We could have been made for each other."
Rush soon earned the nickname "the Ghost" for the way he ghosted behind defenders. Rushie’s most memorable scoring feat that season was without a doubt his four goals in the derby match against Everton at Goodison Park. He scored four goals, a feat immortalised in song by Liverpool fans all over the world. Liverpool won the same double as the season before, the championship and the league cup.
The 1983-84 season was perhaps his best season for Liverpool. He scored a breathtaking hat-trick vs. Aston Villa, four goals against Coventry and five against Luton. Liverpool fans would hardly believe if 90 minutes could pass without Rushie scoring a goal. Rush finished off Dinamo Bucharest in the semi-finals in the European cup by scoring two goals. The final was a memorable one and Rush was one of four Liverpool players who scored in the penalty shoot-out and guaranteed their victory. He was a goal machine and noone in Europe could match him. He scored no less than 47 goals that season and was awarded the Golden Boot for being Europe’s top scorer. It was hardly surprising that his fellow professionals in England and the local media would choose him as the best player of the season. He had also destroyed Roger Hunt’s record who scored 41 goals in one season twenty years earlier. He had scored consistently for 3 years and would do so the next 3 years as well.
Rushie had always played his career without sustaining a serious injury, but he was sidelined for the first 14 games the following season. His first game was against Everton but he drew a blank. Only a few days later he was back with a vengeance when he scored a hat-trick against Benfica in the 2nd round of the European cup. Rush repeated his feat from a year earlier when he scored two goals in the semi-final against Panathinakos at Anfield, but the final in Brussels was a tragedy.
Liverpool captured the double in the 1985-86 season with Rush once again playing a key part, scoring two goals in a 3-1 victory over Everton in the first ever Merseyside final. Heartbreak for Liverpool fans worldwide was ahead. Rushie told the LFC faithful before the 1986-87 season that this season was going to be his last before heading for pastures new with Juventus in Italy. Liverpool was going to receive a record fee for a British footballer, £3.2 million. Rushie couldn’t say goodbye without scoring a few goals. Those who feared he wouldn’t give 100% for LFC soon calmed down. He scored 20 goals in his first 20 games of the season. Incredibly Liverpool had never lost a game in which Rushie scored. The tally had reached 145 games when Liverpool faced Arsenal in the league cup final. Rush gave Liverpool the lead but astonishingly Charlie Nicholas replied with two and Arsenal ran out winners. More disappointment was ahead. Everton won the championship. Liverpool and Rush whipped their behind though at Anfield when Rush scored two, his 18th and 19th goal in derby matches, equalling Everton’s Dixie Dean’s record. Rush said goodbye to Anfield by scoring the winning goal in front of the Kop vs. Watford. His last game was a 3-3 draw against Chelsea and of course Rush was on the scoresheet.
The Welshman started his career in Italy brightly and scored 10 goals in 6 pre-season games. He scored 14 goals during the season of which 8 were in the league. To compare him with others, a fellow named Diego Maradona was number one in the scoring charts with 14 league goals and Rush scored as many goals as Marco Van Basten and more than Rudi Voeller. He showed Juve fans what he was capable of when he scored four goals against Pescara in the cup. Injuries and various illnesses and Michel Platini’s decision to quit Juve all played a part. Who was now going to feed the strikers? The club was struggling and Rushie’s stay lasted only this one season. Rushie’s return to Liverpool came as a surprise to everyone and no one realised until he sat down with the manager in front of the stunned press that he had signed for his old club. Majority of the press believed that Liverpool were buying Gary Pallister from Middlesbrough to replace the injured Alan Hansen. The prize was £2.7 million so Liverpool had bought him for £500,000 less.
Rush was struggling in the beginning and clearly was far away from his best condition. In January fans started to see glimpses of the old Rush. He scored in three games in a row but then he got injured and a knee operation meant two months on the sidelines. He came on as a sub in the last games of the season and proved a valuable substitute in the FA Cup final against his old foes Everton. John Aldridge, Ian’s lookalike, made way in the second half having scored the only goal of the game. Stuart McCall equalized in the last seconds of full-time. Rush scored Liverpool’s second with a brilliant shot in the fifth minute of extra-time but that was cancelled by another McCall equalizer in the 102nd minute. Two minutes ater Rushie proved to be the hero of the day when he scored with a dead accurate header and Liverpool won the cup.
Rush was preferred to John Aldridge in the starting line-up the following season and soon critics got on his back after just three games into the season for not having scored already. The pressure was greater because Aldridge, who had been the team’s top scorer the last seasons, was on the bench. Dalglish’s confidence in his old friend was 100%. Aldridge was not happy with the situation and signed for Real Sociedad in Spain where he continued to score on a regular basis. Rush didn’t let Kenny down and finished the season as top scorer with 26 goals. Like clockwork he scored the same amount of goals next season but Dalglish’s resignation spoilt Liverpool’s title chances. Rush sustained an injury along with other key players soon into Souness’ first whole season. He managed to get himself fit for the FA cup final against Sunderland and struck gold as usual on Wembley. He sealed Liverpool’s 2-0 win and his fifth goal in a FA Cup final was an unprecedented achievement.
Rush struggled along with others in Liverpool side the next two seasons. 18 October 1992 Ian made another record his very own. He scored his 287th goal for LFC in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Roger Hunt had to step down from his pedestal as Liverpool’s greatest goalscorer. Souness gave Rushie the captain’s armband he fully deserved in the autumn of 1993. He also received a new and promising strike-partner by the name of Robbie Fowler. They connected well and the Welshman took the young striker under his wing. Robbie said in 1995 about his mentor: "Ever since I made my debut Ian's been a father figure to me on the pitch. He's done it all before and knows the ins and outs of the game. He knows everything about defenders and has told me about the strengths and weaknesses of every one we've played against and that's made a big difference to me. In the games it's the same. He never stops talking, keeps on at me non-stop and that's helped me to develop this season. But I know I've been lucky. I'm learning from the best and if you don't learn from the likes of Ian then who can you learn from?"
Souness resigned in January of 1994 and Roy Evans took over. Rushie scored two against Stoke in the third round as the Reds made their way to the final of Coca Cola Cup in Evans’ first season. He played his 600th game for LFC against Blackburn in the 5th round and celebrated by scoring his 13th hat-trick. Steve McManaman proved instrumental in the final against Bolton and noone was more proud than Rushie to receive the Coca Cola Cup as captain.
In the summer of 1995 Liverpool bought the striking sensation that was Stan Collymore for a record fee. Rush was approaching his 34th birthday and the prediction was this was going to be his final season. Rush continued as captain and figured at the start of the season, but got sidelined through injury. Robbie and Stan established a good rapport and the writing was firmly on the wall for the legend. Rushie’s achievements in the game were acknowledged by the queen at the turn of the year. He was awarded the MBE at Buckingham Palace. One more record gave way before Rushie left Anfield. On the 6th of January 1996 he scored against Rochdale in the 3rd round of the FA cup at Anfield. It was his 42nd goal in the competition and put him one above Denis Law with whom he had shared the record as the competition’s greatest goal-scorer in the 20th century.
On the 27th of April Ian Rush played his farewell game at Anfield. He came on as a sub in 1-0 win against Middlesbrough but couldn’t get on the scoresheet. Rush was applauded by both set of fans. He took his shirt off and threw it into the Kop. "It was an emotional day but also a fantastic day for me. I had no idea of the reception I was going to get until Roy Evans told me before the game. It was a great surprise. The reception I got will live with me forever. I'm sorry I didn't score. The fans were willing me to score and I wanted to score as much as they wanted me to. I wanted to stay on the pitch forever."
He played his final league game vs. Manchester City. Rush scored in a 2-2 draw. He looked forward to his final appearance which was appropriately enough at Wembley. The opponents were Manchester united – the occasion: The FA Cup final, date: 11th of May 1996. "In a perfect world, I would come on and score the winner. But it's the one game where I would happily sit on the bench for 90 minutes until Liverpool had won. There will be very high emotions on the day. I will have to try and keep my head clear for Liverpool, but I want to treasure all the day. You certainly do get more time to think on the bench and it will be the last time there in a Liverpool shirt." Evans was in no doubt he would play some part in the final: "You don't keep someone with his experience on the bench. Wembley would be a fitting end to his Liverpool career, but I don't think there is a fitting venue in the world for Ian to finish off his career." Rush came on as a sub in the 2nd half but a dull game ended 0-1 in utd’s favour.
A few days later Rush announced he was going to join Leeds. He was continually played out of position at Leeds on the wing and only recorded 3 goals for the Yorkshire club. In the summer of 1997 his old mate Dalglish lured him to Newcastle. John Barnes joined him as well. Rush scored two goals for Newcastle and both were historic. He scored his 48th goal in the league cup which equalled Geoff Hurst’s record and his second and last goal of his top flight career came against Everton. Once more his old favourites were his victim. He was loaned out to Sheffield United in the spring. Ian was hired as player-coach af Wrexham in the 1998-99 season. The legendary striker announced his retirement in July 1999, three months short of his 38th birthday.
Rush has passed his FA coaching badges and has travelled around the world to Australia and Iceland amongst other countries where he has taught kids to become accomplished goalscorers trying to pass on the knowledge he has gained during the last 20 years. Houllier also recognised his coaching ability and added him to his staff to teach his strikers how to score goals.
Ian Rush was also a star for his country. He played 73 internationals for Wales and scored 28 goals which is of course a goal-scoring record. His biggest disappointment may be he never got the opportunity to represent his country in the European or the World cup finals. Wales’ superstar Ryan Giggs is amongst his biggest admirers: "As a schoolboy the three strikers I admired most were Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker. But Rushy stood out because he was such an inspiring example to youngsters with so many other assets to his game."