Phil Thompson - Coach of his beloved Reds

Image copyright - Skapti Hallgrímsson

After a brilliant career at Liverpool as a player from 1971-1985 Tommo was hired as reserve coach in 1986 replacing Chris Lawler. He stayed on as coach until Souness sacked him infamously in 1993. Tommo returned again to Liverpool as assistant manager in 1998.

We were all training for these Masters games they have on SKY television. It was not far from the ground. All the rumours were that Roy Evans was going to be sacked. SKY television asked me to do something on it and I said no, because there had been too many people discussing his job anyway. One morning I get a phone call just out of the blue from Peter Robinson. He said: 'I'd like you to come to a meeting.' 'When?' He said: 'Right now.' Where do you want to meet? Do you want me to come to Anfield?' He said: 'No, there's too many pressmen there.' Do you know where the chairman lives?' I said: 'Yeah'. 'Can you come up there right now?' I was thinking:' 'What's going on?'. When I got up to the chairman's house they were all sitting there. It was like a funeral. Everybody sat with their heads down. My stomach was turning over with anticipation. What are they offering me here?' They said:'Phil, thanks for coming. Roy has decided that he is resigning. He wants to give Gerard the role of single manager. I said: 'Where do you see me fitting in with this?' They said: 'Well, we would like you to be assistant manager.' I felt absolutely thrilled. Imagine, assistant manager of Liverpool? It was just a dream come true.

Have you ever considered managing another club? You did quite well at Liverpool as acting manager.

I did very well. I took them to 2nd place, six months in charge. I always believed Gerard would be back, fit and healthy. When I left Liverpool I got a couple of offers to get back into the game. I just didn't feel my heart was there at that time. I've gone and done some media stuff at SKY and I think a lot of people look at Phil Thompson now and they know my heart is only at Liverpool. I must admit I enjoy doing my television.

Everybody can remember Houllier's return to management. There was a rather funny incident that took place during the game.

It was the Roma game when Houllier first came back. In the afternoon I bit into an apple and my crown in the bottom row of my teeth had come out. It was on a prong, a piece of metal stake. I just kept pushing it back in, because I had to leave it until the next day to get something done, to get it cemented. It was very very loose. It was a high pressure game we had to win 2-0. After about 10 minutes in the game I go to the touchline. And I go [whistles so loud my ears are still ringing]. My tooth went out like a rocket as I whistled. I could see where it landed. It's gone just on the pitch, probably about 6 inches inside the line. I am on my hands and knees moving the grass apart to find this tooth. Gerard yelled at me: 'Phil, what are you doing?' Get back here'. I turned round and pulled my bottom lip down and held my tooth up. Everybody just burst out laughing and Gerard was killing. The TV actually goes over when it all happened and Martin Tyler actually said: "Even in the height of the seriousness of the game, they can still laugh about it."

I am in good contact with Gérard. We got on very well. He was far more educated than I was, but he realized my passion for Liverpool. My loyalty to him was immense. Throughout his illness he spoke very highly of me and I was very supportive of him.

Gerard's legacy at the club...

Gerard told me at the end of our time: 'Phil, if you ever go to another football club in your work, first thing you must do, because you run the club, is to think: 'What is your legacy?' We changed the face of the football club from being on the front pages and took it to the back pages again. We were a proper football club again. We brought the club back from the players. We left one of the best training grounds in Europe. New people who come in will say: 'What a good job they did' and we did.

People tend to talk of Houllier as a failure. They seem to have short memories.

That gets me very angry. Even in the Liverpool Echo when we finished they had: '10 million pounds of cost to get rid of us.' They had pictures of us in the newspaper like we were criminals. That was absolutely dreadful. We put the smiles back on the faces of the Liverpool fans. We had the first European final for many years. People had only heard of the legends of European finals. We beat Manchester United in the League cup. That wasn't anything to be sniffed at. We had a wonderful day down at Cardiff. Over the few years we were there we gave some fantastic times. We were going down to Cardiff on a regular basis so it wasn't a failure. We were a part of the history of the club. We came, we served, we left. The club needs to move on. If people think that we took the club as far as we can, no problem, maybe it was.

Was it advisable for him to come back when he did...

Gerard nearly gave his life for Liverpool Football Club. He nearly died on the operating table. We did what we thought was right, the doctor and myself. We eased him back in. We didn't want him to come straight back either for the training or the football. We drip-fead him information and time to allow him to get involved. When he came back for the Roma game, it was a very emotional night. Now when I think back, I should have said: 'Right, you've done your duty. You wanted to make sure we got to the next stage, you go back home.' From that day he was back in straight away. Me and the doctor could have handled it a little bit better. 'You've come, go back. You can come in a couple of weeks for another game and then in another couple of weeks.' And left it until the end of the season before he could come back on full-time basis.

Was there no role for you after Gerard went? 

The chairman and Rick said they wanted me to stay on, "but until the new manager comes in we can only assume so." I stayed at Melwood. I was taking my belongings. I thought: 'This is not right'. So I took a lot of stuff out of my office and took it home. There's a new guy coming in. He's going to want his own people. The club was very clever because me being a local boy who was very popular with the fans, they didn't want to make it look as though it was the chairman and Rick sacking me. If the new manager would want to bring in his own staff, it would make it a lot easier. That's exactly how it happened.

I had a one hour meeting with Rafa Benítez. He asked me about my role, what I did and how I did it. How we prepared for games. He wrote down loads of stuff and everything. At the end of it, I said: 'Rafa, look, I don't want to be messed about here, mate. I'd rather you being honest with me and if there's nothing down for me, it's not a problem. It happens in football.' He said: 'We don't have the same roles in Spain you have here in England. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Yes, I am going to bring in some of my own people.' I knew by the way he was speaking there was nothing down for me. I came out of there and went to Rick Parry and said: 'Rick, in my office.' I said: 'I'm not daft. I know what's going on here. I think it's best we call it a day.' Rick stumbled on his words... I said: 'Rick, it's not a problem. Don't worry about things. You have given me six great years. I'm more than happy with what I've done at the club. Let's sort out my contract and let's part ways. I'm not going to be bitter or spiteful.' I felt upset the last time when Graeme Souness sacked me because that was more personal. So we ended on good terms.

You talk about Ronnie Moran as your mentor. When you became coach you took up his methods?

Yes. Never pleased, always demanding. Wanting the best out of people. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and whatever Ronnie was always there for you. Through the difficult times and the successes. Ronnie was fantastic to me and helped me regularly. Even when I was assistant manager and manager he would come and to chat about what had happened.

Ronnie Moran could have become Liverpool's manager on a permanent basis

Kenny left and Ronnie took over. I was with the reserves. I stepped up and helped Ronnie and Roy. It was the three of us. Ronnie straight away said: 'I don't want this. I can't handle the press. I can do all the things on the training field, but dealing with the media, signings and everything I don't think.'

After a few good weeks Ronnie decided that: 'I can handle this.' He went to see Peter Robinson and Sir John Smith and he said: 'I can do this. If you want to offer me the job again I'll take it.' They went: 'Ronnie, I wish you had come last week because we've got a new manager. It's Graeme Souness.' Ronnie's chance of being manager at Liverpool ended then and there.

The central defenders must have benefited from your experience in that position?

I was always taught: The centre backs are your main people. People might think think attackers and strikers, yeah that's fantastic. If your centre backs are rock solid the rest of the team can have an off day, but you won't lose a goal. They are your strength and I have always believed in that. If you go and step out, get back in your position, make sure you stay very strong there and organised.

You are looking at the habits and lifestyles of players like Jamie Carragher. Jamie and Stevie loved the social side, but it had to be tempered. Gerard always told Jamie Carragher this: 'You'll always be in my squad. You'll always be in my mind, but you will have to change your habits. If you don't you'll be finished by the time you're 25.' Jamie was just a young lad. I've seen myself in him. He's had a wonderful career and still playing now.

What do you think of the current centre halves, like Sami Hyypia?

Sami has been a fantastic signing. I have great pride in Sami coming to the football club. I went to see him in Nuremberg playing for Finland against Germany. We signed him because we thought he had great potential. At the time we brought Stephane Henchoz at the same time, we didn't think Sami would make the impact straight away. In those first few days of training you were looking at him passing the ball and doing his thing. My goodness, he was like a central midfield player. He had so much ability in his feet and he's 6 ft. 4in. He was so mobile and so quick with his feet and had great passing technique. You went, 'My goodness, this fellow is a player.' We were training and he was heading the ball and you would go 'Ah'. Straight away Sami told you: 'I'm, a great player, I'm going to be in that team straight away' by his performances in training and everything.

Sami turned out better than we expected and he's clever. He is not quick and he has to use his head. He is a wonderful player. He sees things happening early and he gets himself into position. The only thing with Sami is he should have scored more goals for the size of him, he's such a clean header of the ball. Over the years I coached him, I helped him and Stephane. Worked with the likes of Carra when he went to left full-back. It was my job as a defensive coach to work with them. It's a shame people remember players more when they have left the football club. It will happen with Sami Hyppia. But I think now he should have the respect. He IS a legend. He's played ten years at Liverpool as a foreigner and he's been one of our best ever signings.

What about the signings that got away?

Alan Shearer:

Gerard came to me one day and said: 'Phil, we've got a great chance to sign Alan Shearer.' It was always in the press that Newcastle were not going to offer him a new contract. They didn't want to offer him big money because of his age. I think Gerard had seen Alan as a masterstroke that we had with Gary McAllister. He said: 'We are going to sign him'. I said: 'Are you sure, Gerard? Is he maybe not just using us as leverage to get a new deal?' He said: 'I've spoken to him. Come on, we're going to my office now and are going to speak to him.' He put Alan on the conference phone. Alan said: 'I would love playing for Liverpool. I don't think I am going to be offered a new contract here.'

That was great. Then we said: 'How do we go about signing him? Contact was made. 'If you're willing to to let him go, we are willing to sign him.' 'No, no we're going to offer him a new contract. He's not for sale.' We thought: 'Here we go.' Within 24-48 hours Alan Shearer had signed a new contract with Newcastle. Again Gerard put him on the conference phone and he said that he would have loved playing for Liverpool, but he had been offered a new contract and he was signing it. He promised us he had not been using us a leverage to get a new contract, but I beg to differ. I said that to Gerard, I thought he did use us.

Cristiano Ronaldo:

He was not just offered to Liverpool; Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, everybody. His agents were proactive. A guy in particular called Tony Henry who used to play for Manchester City. I went to see Sporting Lisbon play Porto. I had a meeting with Henry and and he said: 'He will only cost you 4 million pounds.' 'What's the salary going to be?' 'He wants one million pounds net.' 'He's 18 years of age and that's way out of his bracket and our bracket', I said. They were saying it could be split over the four years of his contract. I came back and mentioned it to Gerard and we mentioned it to Rick Parry. Rick said: 'I'll have to have a word with the board to try and see if we could do anything. Within a week, me and Gerard were having lunch at Melwood. It came up on Sky Sports News: 'Manchester United have signed Cristiano Ronaldo.' 12,2 million pounds!! Why and where had it jumped in 7 days from 4 million to 12,2 million pounds? It was absolutely incredible.

John Terry:

When we lost out on 4th place to Chelsea in the final game of the 2002-2003 season, they beat us 2-1 down at Stamford Bridge. John Terry had been outstanding. I like to think I know a bit about centre backs and I said while we were doing our lap of honour and they were doing theirs: 'John Terry is fantastic, Gerard. He's brilliant. Get over there and speak to him.' Terry had said he hadn't been offered a new contract and it looked as though he was going to leave. Chelsea were nearly going bust. Gerard then spoke to him: 'Would you like to play for Liverpool?'. Terry said: 'I would do. I would love to play for Liverpool.' Gerard said we would be in touch. We sent our chief scout to see Terry in the players' lounge and he asked: 'Can you let me have your agent's telephone number?' Terry said: 'I'll do more than that. Here's my personal number.' About four days later when Abramowich came to town John Terry signed a new contract and that was it. He was on the verge of coming to us.

Why didn't Liverpool sign Anelka?

Nicolas would have upset the football club. Nicolas is a nice guy, but he's moody. He doesn't mix. There weren't any great problems while he was there, but we had problems with his brothers, his contract and everything. Arséne Wenger rang up Gerard and said: 'Gerard, I have to tell you. Nicolas' brothers have just rang me up and they've asked me to take Nicolas back to Arsenal.' Once his brothers tried to sell Nicolas to Arsenal while he was on loan at us, that was the end.

You didn't buy the right sort of players in 2001-2002 needed for the club to step up from 2nd place.

Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou will always be there as failures, if you want. You live and die by your signings and your results. We spent 20 million pounds on these players. They just never hit it off. Maybe the club was s bit too big for them. They certainly weren't of the calibre that we wanted. That was a shame. When you buy a foreign player and even when you buy an English player, he might be a great player at another club. When they come to your club it can be totally different. The training, the methods and everything. It's sometimes not bad if you can buy a foreign player who's been at a Premiership club. They know what it's all about. 

Diouf has proved himself a good player, but his off the field antics were not what was required at Liverpool Football Club. Bruno and Salif were not good enough. At that particular time we needed the money to be spent more wisely and we just got it wrong. Three players for so much, that's a third of a football team.  

What could have been...

I just think Rafa could have done with me. It's alright when things are nice and everything, but when it's difficult that's when you need somebody with knowledge. I like to think that I'd have a role to play with Rafa.

Interview by Arnie ([email protected]) and SF Gutt. - Copyright - LFChistory.net