Phil Thompson - Kirkby lad who gave his all

The breakthrough...

I was always a midfield player. I was more defence-minded as a midfield player and every now and again if the reserves were short Ronnie Moran played me at centre-half. I played a few games, but I never played centre-half in the first team. When Larry Lloyd got injured and he was out for quite a while we had a guy called Trevor Storton who played and he didn't make a good job of it. Larry tried another comeback, damaged his thigh muscle again so lo and behold out of blue, Bill Shankly said to me: 'I want you to play centre back for the first team.'

That was not just the case of moving one guy back in defence, it shaped a whole new playing style.

Exactly. People always say it was the Dutch who gave Total football. I say it was Liverpool. Emlyn and myself were not centre-halves like Big Yeatsy, big Larry Lloyd just as a stopper. It was now a totally new ball game. It was Ray Clemence rolling the ball out to me or Emlyn and we pass it and we go across one side, we go across the other side. We'd probe and pass. We used to keep the ball for fun in those days. We always used Ray Clemence as an option. Pass it to him and he would throw it to the other side. It was always keeping possession of the ball. The decision shaped the way Liverpool is of now. We won so many trophies. People couldn't get the ball of us for minutes on end.

Bill Shankly was very forward thinking. When I played my very first game when I came on as a substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Tosh had come off injured and Bill Shankly said to me: 'Play behind Kevin Keegan', so it would give us a bit of strength in midfield. So I was like "number 10" as people called. This was very forward thinking. Not many people had gone for that sort of role. It was quite modern and up-to-date in how he saw his tactics.

This is a special picture in '72-'73. We won the title against Leicester and it's the great man paying homage to the fans. Larry Lloyd is playing there. So you are thinking: "Where's Phil Thompson?" Phil Thompson was playing centre midfield in those days. It's a great picture. I'm there with the legend Shanks the Messiah. It's a great picture. I loved the guy.

Any favourite Shankly stories?

My own particular story was from those early days when I was a midfield player. I played a few games and we were playing Arsenal at Anfield. I played the week before and when the teams were announced I was substitute. I was only nineteen. We got beat 2-0, John Radford and Alan Ball scored the goals. After the game Ronnie Moran stopped me in the corridor and he said: 'Have you asked Shanks why you didn't play?' I said: 'Ronnie, I am only 19 years of age. I don't have any sort of rights to be playing regularily.' And he said: 'It's not just that, son. Shanks will think more of you if you go and ask him why didn't you play.' He will think: 'That's what I want to see. A fellow who has got balls.'

I went home and spoke with me mum and said: 'What do you think?' Ronnie was my mentor and she said: 'If Ronnie says that, you should go and do it.' So, Monday morning I pluck up the courage. Shanks is just coming out of his office so I go to him and he says: 'Yes, son. What can I do for you?' 'Can I have a word, boss?' I go into his office and he says: 'Yes, son. What is it?' What can I do for you?' 'I would like to know why I didn't play on Saturday?' 'Jesus Christ, son, you wanna know why you didn't play on Saturday? You should be in here thanking me for not playing ya!' That load of rubbish out there on Saturday are finished. Your Smith, your Callaghan, your Lawler. They are all finished. They're all has-beens. They have no chance. But you, son, are going to play for this football club for many years to come. You are going to captain this football club, you are going to play for your country and don't be surprised if you are going to captain your country. Jesus Christ almighty, son! You should be here on your bended knees thanking me for not playing ya!'

I never said any more words. I just got up. I bowed. I walked out and honestly my head was so big I caught my head on the door frame and felt absolutely ten foot tall. The only problem was he still picked the same team the following week. That was his psychology. That was how clever he was. Shanks built you up and he knew how to do it. But he also knew the other players and he gave them another chance.  

Emlyn was coming to the end of his career at Liverpool. He had been injured and out of the team. It was amazing... Bob made Kenny Dalglish captain. All the players were absolutely astonished. Alan Kennedy, Terry McDermott and everybody were saying to me 'We can't understand why he hasn't made you captain.' I was gobsmacked. Kenny was captain for about 5-6 games and then we were playing Arsenal at home and Bob said: 'I'm changing the captain. Phil is going to be captain.' I was so pleased and thrilled. I can always remember Phil Neal's words to me: 'Tommo, that shouldn't even had been an issue. There is only one person who has the divine right to be captain at this moment in time and that's you.'

On that day we were playing Arsenal at Anfield. I went down the steps at Anfield, touched the sign. I came up the steps. I go out on the pitch, straight over to the edge of the penalty area. What I had in my mind was that my brother, Owen, was on the Kop. I was looking for my brother. I hear everybody laughing. Clapping first and then laughing. I am thinking: 'What's going on here?' I am waving to my brother and I turned round and the players were still in the tunnel. They allowed me to walk out on my own. They were killing themselves laughing.

There were two things. A) We always liked a laugh. B) They knew how important the captaincy was to me. I was extremely proud.

Who was the best laugh?

Terry was a bundle of laughs. Some good stories I have of him you can't print! Terry used to take off and skit Bob Paisley. How he spoke, how he walked with this swagger of his arm from side to side. We used to giggle and have a great laugh.

Bob Paisley was very clever. He allowed us to enjoy ourselves. There were rumours about us socializing too much. If Bob had to, he would say: 'Calm down a bit.' But he knew what made Liverpool great and that was the camaraderie. Once it started taking effect on the pitch, that's when he would have you in his office and give you a rollocking! Discipline was a mainstay in what we did, but we'd like to enjoy us and that's why the bond was so special.