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Birthdate:
07.06.1938
Birthplace: Motherwell, Scotland
Other clubs: Motherwell Bridge Works, North Motherwell Athletic, Douglas Water Thistle (all amtateur), Motherwell, Hellenic FC (South Africa), Coventry, Tranmere
Bought from: Motherwell
Signed for LFC: £37500 02.05.1961
International debut: 06.05.1959 vs. West Germany
International caps: 21/9 (14/8 as a LFC player) - 10.04.1965
Liverpool debut:
19.08.1961
Last appearance: 23.01.1971
Debut goal: 30.08.1961
Last goal: 23.01.1971
Contract expiry: February 1971
LFC league games/goals: 336 / 95
Total LFC games/goals: 425 / 118
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Player Notes:
Bought by Bill Shankly for a record fee from Motherwell as the 1960-61 season drew to a close, Ian St. John would prove to be one of the most significant signings ever made by Liverpool Football Club. His contribution to the success that followed later in the decade was colossal. Despite his relative lack of height, Ian was a strong and tricky forward whose timing enabled him to outjump much taller defenders and either create chances for others or finish them off himself. Liverpool had been trying desperately to get out of the Second Division for six years, during which they had finished 3rd four times and 4th twice. St. John and the acquisition of Ron Yeats from Dundee United shortly before the 1961-62 season began would prove to be inspirational signings that helped an extremely settled side cruise to the Second Division title by 8 points from Leyton Orient. "The Saint" only missed two League games, scoring 18 league goals and developing a lethal understanding with Roger Hunt. Liverpool comfortably coped with First Division football, finishing 8th in their first year back in the top league and were unlucky to lose to Leicester City in the FA cup semi-final, for whom Gordon Banks performed heroics.
A year later all Bill Shankly's foresight and tactical shrewdness came to fruition. Liverpool won the First Division championship for the first time for 27 years and Ian contributed 21 league goals, the highest league total he achieved during any single season as a Liverpool player. A year later came his and the club's greatest moment. After over 70 years of trying, Liverpool finally got their hands on the FA cup and Ian's diving header towards the end of extra-time at Wembley flew past Leeds United's goalkeeper Gary Sprake and earned the Scotsman immortality on the red half of Merseyside for that one athletic moment. Ian would collect a second League championship medal a year later to add to his growing collection of Scottish caps but suffered the disappointment of extra-time defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Cup winners' cup final at Hampden Park.
St. John hardly missed a game for the next three seasons but as the 60's closed, Shankly had the difficult task of leaving out some of the players who had served him so well for most of the decade. Now 31 years old, Ian became one of the 'casualties'. He was picked for the first 10 league fixtures of 1969-70 but only played in one of the last thirteen. It was clear that a wonderful Anfield career was drawing to its close. Ian made just a single substitute First Division appearance in 1970-71 but did come off the bench to strike a vital second goal in a home FA cup tie with Swansea on 23rd January 1971. It was the last of his 118 senior goals for Liverpool.
The Saint spent six months in South Africa where he won the championship with Hellenic FC. He went back to England at the end of August to join Coventry before quickly returning to Merseyside to play briefly for Tranmere Rovers under the managership of his former colleague and skipper Ron Yeats. Ian took over as manager of his home town club, Motherwell, in 1973 which he left four years later for a brief but fairly unhappy spell himself as a manager with Portsmouth before becoming Sheffield Wednesday's coach for a year in the late 70's. But his knowledge and passion for football, coupled with a friendly and confident personality, enabled him to break into the world of television and for several years he was a popular figure on ITV in tandem with his former international adversary Jimmy Greaves.
Ian St. John played 425 times for Liverpool's first-team and was without doubt one of the best buys the club ever made. At his peak he was one of the most inspired players in the country and contributed so much to Liverpool's domination of the domestic scene in the middle of the 1960's. |
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