Jan Molby - The midfield maestro

Bob Paisley once said that of all the Liverpool players he had seen, you had the best technique. That’s a big comment.

It’s a big comment. It came very early in my Liverpool career. When they see a big player, they always think of the physical side of his game. My strength was always the technical side of the game. I was brought up in Denmark who are very good at producing excellent technical footballers. It was very normal for me. But it’s nice to have played for Liverpool and for the most successful manager they ever had to say something like that.

Knud Engedahl [Mølby’s coach at Kolding] also said that you are one of the best five footballers to come out of Denmark if not the best.

When I came into the national side, we had one of the best teams in the world. Piontek, the manager at the time felt that with, Frank Arnesen, Michael Laudrup, Søren Lerby, he had one of that type too many. I missed out because of it. Thet were exceptionally good players, but it’s one thing that disappointed me.

You said in your first season in 1984-85 that you wanted to leave because Kevin MacDonald was bought and you were dropped from the side. You had just been bought, 21 years of age and maybe a bit impatient?

Well, I think you are. This wasn’t in the days of rotation and big squads. I played two years at Ajax and was involved with the Danish national side. I knew it was going to be difficult at Liverpool. No disrespect to people who were playing like Kevin MacDonald or John Wark, but I felt I was good enough to be in the team. But it was a typical Liverpool thing. They buy you and put you in the reserves until you’re ready. All of I could think of was that in ’85 Denmark qualified for the World cup in 1986 and of course you wanted to be part of that. The Danish manager was very strict that if you didn’t play you wouldn’t be part of the national squad. Liverpool have always looked on their players as being adults and I think they understood my situation. When Kenny Dalglish became manager he changed me because he had a different role for me to play. Things went on a lot better.

Was the transition from Holland to England difficult?

My first season was a very difficult time all around for Liverpool. In October we were second from bottom. If I had joined a more settled team it would have been easier. We had a lot of problems. Kenny Dalglish was out injured, Ian Rush had a cartilage operation. Souness had left. Phil Neal and Alan Kennedy were coming towards the back end of their careers.

You are the best penalty taker in Liverpool’s history. You took 45 penalties, but missed three…

A quick reply from Mølby: Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Chelsea.

So why did you miss ‘em?

It was three of the finest saves you have ever seen.

So the shots were not just bad?

No, no fantastic saves. I am always disappointed when you talk about Gordon Banks’ save against Pele that you don’t mention the likes of Martin Hodge from Sheffield Wednesday, Dave Beasant from Chelsea and Paul Barron from QPR.

The QPR [5th March 1986] miss was quite costly because it cost us a place in the League Cup final…

The reason we didn’t win that was that Ronnie Whelan and Gary Gillespie scored two own goals not because I missed a penalty.

Your shots were pretty powerful. Were they ever measured?

No. Now and again I can strike a ball, but I get as much pleasure out of creating goals as scoring goals. My strength was that I always wanted the ball and wanted to be a part of creating things and never hid.

One of your most memorable goals was one of two you scored against Manchester United [26th November 1985] but nobody outside the ground has seen that goal because TV was on strike. Rumour has it that Gary Bailey [Man Utd goalkeeper] didn’t see that shot either…

He didn’t see it, but he nearly saw it on the way back. The League cup was a big cup in those days and Manchester United were going to Anfield, having won 11 straight games and were going extremely well. It was a big game and a lot of tension on the ground. To get a goal like that on a night we weren’t playing particularily well was great. It was a very memorable moment.

You remember the West Ham game when you lost a few teeth [20th May 1985]?

I just remember jumping and the next thing I landed on is Alan Hansen’s head and had Swindlehurst’s boot in my face. I was maybe knocked unconscious for ten seconds. They helped me off the pitch. Brucie’s coming around. ‘We’ve got a couple of teeth, Jan’ and I said: ‘What good is that’? So, welcome to English football.

You scored 21 goals in the 1985-86 double season. The FA Cup final was obviously a highlight.

It’s a dream to play in a cup final. We used to watch the FA Cup final every year in Denmark. I wanted to be the first Dane to play in an FA Cup final. I didn’t manage that as Jesper Olsen got there twelve months before. But I am probably the one Danish player who had the biggest impact on a cup final being involved in all the three goals. That was undoubtedly the highlight of my footballing career.

Did you think your Liverpool career would take a turn for the worse when Souness took over?

No, not really because Souness had tried to sign me for Glasgow Rangers. The first thing he did when he came to Liverpool was to move me to sweeper. I played two games as a sweeper and then he told me I could go. That only lasted for about six weeks. He had then realised the replacements he had in Don Hutchison, Mike Marsh and Jamie Redknapp weren’t quite ready, so he brought me back into it.

You played as a sweeper as well under Dalglish. Did you like it?

Did I like it? I didn’t mind. I could play in that position, but my preferred position was midfield. Kenny Dalglish never played me a sweeper because of my defensive qualities, but because of my ability to start play from the back so it wasn’t too bad. 

What do you do today?

I work for Danish TV, TV2 as a co-commentator for the UEFA Cup games, European Cup games and the Danish games.

You tried your luck at management?

Yeah, I tried my luck in the lower leagues as a manager and I enjoyed it. The players were very honest and hard working. I know what it takes at the lower levels to be successful. You have to have a big, strong organised team. The teams I managed weren’t like that, but I produced some good footballing teams. If I would go back into manager I would like to work with better players.

Have you been offered a job in Denmark?

I’ve had offers to go back to Denmark, but I’ve been in England for 21 years now. It’s a big part of my life as well as of my wife’s and two children so there are no plans to return to Denmark.

Have you been to Anfield to watch games..

I’ve been to almost every game this season. Last year I went to 13 league games and all the European games.

Were you commentating on the Istanbul game?

I was on holiday in Barbados, running up and down the beach. That’s the best night I had since I left Liverpool.

You had a few good nights at Liverpool?

It was different in those days. It was fun. A very good group of lads. We had a few beers and won a few games.

Is the atmosphere too strict today?

I don’t know whether it’s too strict. As we learn new things we change things. In the end it always comes down to the players. If you have good players you win. Of course fitness and diets and looking after yourself are very important.

You could have been fitter at times?

Yeah, my problem was always that. When I got a good run of games like in ’85-’86. I played nearly every game. I missed a couple through illness but no injuries. It wasn’t a problem, but became one the moment I didn’t play and had a couple of weeks break. The way they used to do things at Liverpool they put you straight back into the first team when you had recovered. The board never complained I wasn’t fit.

There was another Danish outfield player at Liverpool, Torben Piechnik.

Torben’s biggest problem was he didn’t want to listen. He had his own idea how he wanted to play and how he thought Liverpool should play. It became a problem with the manager telling him how he wanted him to play and Torben not wanting to play that way. He defended by dropping off, whereas Liverpool squeezed up, pressurize the opposition. It was only a matter of time before they were going to send him back to Denmark.

Everybody is critizising Hyypia right now and saying his problem is like maybe your problem was perceived that he is too slow, but his reading of the game is second to none.

Yes, you’re right. You don’t need to move if you’re standing in the right position. He is not finished. Liverpool do need one more centre-half because we don’t have anyone else. I still think he can easily comfortably play especially in European games when Liverpool defend deeper. You get Hyypia on the 18 yard line defending and heading balls and nobody gets past him.

You nearly joined Barcelona?

In 1990, yeah. It was as close as it could have been. I played what I thought was my last game for Liverpool against Luton [10th November 1990]. Scored a goal and then went to play for Denmark against Yugoslavia. I thought I was I was going to Barcelona. Kenny Dalglish phoned me up and said they hadn’t agreed a fee and that was it. I didn’t mind coming back at the time but it would have been a great experience. I had a four-year contract on the table with Barcelona. They won the championship four times in Spain and became European champions, so it would have been a good time. It’s perceived as one of the top teams in the world ever with Romario, Stoitchkov, Laudrup and Koeman. It was a fantastic team.

It wasn’t a big problem because I was still at Liverpool and at that time in 1990 Liverpool was still as good as team as you had anywhere in the world. Nobody knew it was going to be finished in 1990. 

Who was the craziest guy at Liverpool?

Bruce Grobbelaar. He was just crazy at everything. He used to jump over cars, lift cars. Especially when we arrived at Fulham we couldn’t go around the corner with the coach. If there was a car at the corner, Bruce used to go out and lift it and move the car. He was fantastic, but crazy. A very strong man.

What about the accusations of his match fixing. Do you think there’s any truth to that?

He’s been to court three times and found not guilty twice so we don’t need any more evidence. The unfortunate thing is that mud sticks.

How did you feel at Liverpool after you took that six week break in the 1987-88 season?

It was always difficult because everybody was looking at you. It’s the most difficult time of my life. It’s something that I am not proud of but it happened. I can’t deny it, but it wasn’t fun being there and wasn’t fun coming out. It took a long time to get back to daily routine because you always felt people were looking so that was an extremely difficult time.

Did the people at the club back you up?

The manager certainly backed me up. I don’t feel the club did as much as they could have done. I know I did wrong. I was away for 45 days and I didn’t know what was going to happen. They only only sent me a letter saying they had fined me two weeks wages. I felt that wasn’t a problem, but I came out and still didn’t know what was going to happen. But they had a meeting and the manager spoke on my behalf and said ‘If we decide to sack Jan or sell him we need three men to replace him.’ I think the board then decided that that we better keep you.

Was Dalglish the only one who backed you?

The two main people obviously who made the decision was the chairman John Smith and the chief executive Peter Robinson. I always had a good relationship with them. I think they wanted me to realize how serious the problem was. I have to be honest I don’t think they ever really seriously considered getting rid of me but maybe that’s me reading between the lines.

Roy Evans didn’t seem to be flooded with offers he resigned at Liverpool. Always found that strange considering his enormous experience?

It’s always difficult to say no, isn’t it? When he was offered the job he should have done what Ronnie Moran always did, say no. But you could understand. He had been there for so many years and probably felt he was ready.

Did they offer Ronnie Moran the job after Dalglish’s resignation?

Yeah, yeah, in 1991. They always wanted continuity. In hindsight it’s always easy but I don’t think Roy should have taken the job. It was a big job. It took a long time for people to realize what a difficult job it was to be manager of Liverpool and how far behind they had falllen. It wasn’t something that could be put right over six weeks.

Roy admits after he left Liverpool he had offers and he said no. People got the immpression he didn’t want to be in football anymore. I know he thinks that was a mistake. Two weeks after he left Liverpol he should have taken the jobs he was offered but he said no. He wanted a break and didn’t want to go anywhere else.

Liverpool couldn’t recover after Dalglish’s resignation

We knew that the team needed new players. I remember when Kenny Dalglish resigned in ’91 we were top of the league and in the fifth round of the FA cup facing a second replay against Everton. When we came to the ground that morning there were a lot of reporters and we thought we had signed somebody. That’s was what we needed. We needed to sign one or two good players and we would have been ok. But obviously it wasn’t. Everybody was there because Kenny had packed it in.

You reckon he could have got the players?

Kenny put together the team that won the double. It wasn’t filled with the greatest players Liverpool ever had but he put that team together. Then in 1987-88 he put together maybe the best team Liverpool ever had.

Finally, we contacted Ian Rush to have his say on his old mate, Mølby.

Jan Mølby was a fantastic player. I roomed with him for four years at Liverpool and he’s my best mate. Him and Ronnie Whelan were my best mates at Liverpool. I got on really on with Jan and still do now. He’s a big fellow, but when you have got as much skill as Jan Mølby you don’t need to run around a lot.

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