Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and John Aldridge joined Nathan Murphy in Kennedy’s Pub in Dublin for a Liverpool special Off The Ball Roadshow, with thanks to William Hill.
In Part 1, the lads discussed their own careers at Liverpool and beyond. This is just a section of the full show, which is available now for Off The Ball members. Go to offtheball/join for details on how to join.
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[Music] football on off the ball with William Hill who you got 18 plus see gambling care. can we give a very big doublin welcome to John Aldridge and Robbie Fowler your start at Liverpool are certainly that first full season after I Rush leaves like again whatever pressure uh might have been there you brush it off think you scored in your first nine League goals when that new season started first n League games you scored 11 goals those I scored the last goal of the Season before I don’t want to do a good you know now Steve Nichols scored six and six at the start of that season so you were scoring a lot of goals yeah he was brilliant money no nich was fantastic yeah no yeah um to be fair when when I joined the club uh like Kenny said you got to wait cuz Ian’s going the end of the season to Juventus so I’m not the patient of people me wife will tell you that um so I was banging me against just a wife that could tell us that I can tell you that as well so so anyway so um wal she got got um he got suspended got sent off against Southampton so I’m playing me full debut uh against Southampton I was in the cup in Southampton League at anfield so I was the true story there so obviously the day comes and I’m waiting this is this is massive day for me and anfield so get your tickets so he need like 20 30 tickets to keep everyone happy so playing Southampton um it wasn’t wasn’t a great game uh I’m I scored the win it was one- nil with 20 minutes to go yam Malby floated this lovely ball free kick far post so I’m about 12 yards out on a get up I put it right across the face of goal Peter shilon D keeper is in go which made it better anyway so it goes in off the far post and and and we’re talking about Euphoria before I’ve gone I’ve gone nuts then road then downfield road then I’ve got giving it loads and all that and next minute you’ve got to go back to the center circle come on we got to go I was just enjoying myself so anyway we go back I run back towards the the Cup end and as I’m running back for the kickoff I looked at the cup there’s 25,000 singing my name and I looked where Bruce was in goal where the goal is the crossbar there above the crossbar Where I Stood every single home game and me in me me te and looked there and all of a sudden I thought my mat are there now standing where we stood looking at me and it was one of those moments where like you know the first your first child born or your first grandchild the better n of them it was brilliant by and honestly because I was like in a dream before then because this was to play philippo was always my ambition when I was a kid and and this is like reality all of a sudden I’ve scored the goal and I’ve seen it it was just a magical moment yeah and did you go big time straight away or did you wait a few weeks before you dumped your old friends no I them off straight away uh that summer is obviously uh one of the great summers in terms of how a club goes through a transfer window and they bring in John Barnes and Peter Beardsley and Ray hton Barnes spans both of your career in probably different ways in that he was that was more the out andout Winger when you arrived and then by the time he finished up when you’re there he’s the sort of controlling midfielder yeah well um what happened is quite funny actually when when when they joined and I kept on didn’t keep on to to Kenny I said I met him I met him in his office and said look you know what why AR you playing he said look you’ve got to be patient cuz Ian’s going the end of the year we we play through the middle now that’s what we played for for some time you know with people in behind he said we’re going to change the the format and the system when you come in because know your 4te um we’re going to get players in we’re going to get the balls out wide we’re getting balls into the box for you so just be patient and and you know and and so went all right then so next next minute he’s he’s changed the format so I’m looking at this team Bruce and goal you’ve got likes of lenson Anson gillesby niichel and FY got Malby and mcmah and Wheeling you’re going wow and all of a sudden I’m getting a ball and I’m looking at Peter Beasley not a great sight but what a player I’m looking at Ray outon genius up there Ray great football brain probably the best out of all the team I’m looking at John Barnes the best player I’ve ever played alongside it’s like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory it was just get the ball as as a old Olden Striker you know L Striker get the ball give it to one of the at it down and just kep the far post and the ball the service I got was Immaculate so so yeah yeah so Kenny changed it Like H to go out wide and and then he sold me and brought rushy back when he played through the middle work that one out I mean just to follow what all was saying is so I obviously got into the team and I mean I was quite lucky where I played with genuine Superstars so I’d grew up on you know Liverpool being a great team all the great players the likes of John Bary and Rush uh yam mby uh Steve nickel um and one who who very rarely gets to mention should was Ronnie wheen Ronnie Wheeland was an incredible player he really was so I’ve made my debut with all these players all these great players um Al those spoke about John Barnes as a left Winger it’s probably one of my big regrets in football that I never got to play with him as a left Winger when he played with me he was a center midfielder and he was brilliant he really was maybe not the John bands that would everyone had seen you know sort of growing up uh you know in the late 880s um you know Maring down the left wing you know putting balls on on a six Spence to to all the know the great Strikers uh and I reckon i’ have scored a lot more goals if if if I was playing with someone like him uh but that’s not taking away anything from John Barnes as a center mid Fielder because he he was he genuinely was incredible he really was well you think by that time though they changed the format it was 3521 so you you have to depend on Jason M which is you got no chance he’s going to watch this in he Jas I’m only I’m only serious and you are as well but that’s was obviously formations were different formations had changed you what mcer on one side sing B on the other side it was John and even obviously even um sticking be me sometimes Rob Jones had played there because obviously Jason was on that side we had obviously John Barnes and Michael Thomas John Barnes or Jamie rnap and MAA was I mean J MAA was my my favorite player to play with um I mean he he was brilliant as well Steve M Steve McManaman uh good mate of mine you know great lad great player genuinely the best I played with but John Barnes controlled the middle of that pitch and um he he he was he was he was brilliant well maybe the best example was you know one of the most famous Premier League goals of all time Kym War’s goal against Newcastle and his role in the buildup to that where he’s involved four or five times and just quick little onws through the middle uh you know not moving as freely as he once did but that brain still operating an overdrive exactly and I always it used to always can bug me because years ago play or people have a perception of footballers playing in certain roles that you can’t play that one or you can’t play a big man small man uh you know you need to play him with him good players can play anywhere and I think John Barnes was the the perfect example of good players can play anywhere he was probably one of the best players we’ve seen uh as as a left Winger but when he played in Midfield I mean you’ve spoke about the the cleverness the the positions he got himself into the the one and two touches round players I mean he he genuinely was a dream to play with I don’t know if we talk enough in this country about Ronnie wheen and how great one Ronnie was during that period can you talk a bit about that and the Ronnie you played with Ron you played and just what it was that made him such an integral part of that team people said he was underrated he was never under he was I don’t think that people mention yet it’s the wrong word he was CH for granted a little bit because he done like a silent job he was a quite he’s a quite assassin you know Robbie uh do you remember Kevin o’ Callahan played for us a few times island in the 80s Kevin’s a lovely lad play for mil wall we played mil wall and uh he’s he’s like I made Jesus this tattle runny done biggest penalty ever go the referee went no penalty he went off afterwards and but if a job needed to be done it didn’t matter who you were what you were Ronnie would do it because he learns off gra Sooners I’m tell you what and that’s I mean graes is right up there with the best Midfield players I’ve ever seen atfield Li and Ronnie Le from him so he he could play he could score goals run his all round game was was absolutely superb it’s funny because you talk about the modern game now modern formations say that you have an eight you have a 10 you have a six you have different players and different gos Ronnie Wheeland played every role he could play a six he could sit in front of a back four and control a game uh he could you know pass the ball he could tackle he could run forward he could play as as an eight to 10 uh he he genuinely was very very well doing probably Injustice there but he was brilliant he really was uh without bringing things down 88 Cup Final what do you like that night because remember at the time the FA Cup Final is the biggest game in English football I everyone talks about you know Kevin Moen the first player to being sent off the first player to miss a penalty how are you how are you that evening off are you are you don’t talk to me for a week after this or are you able to brush it off leave it although leave it leave it you know I not I can laugh about it now but at the time I couldn’t I couldn’t honestly I just F to let everyone single of them just Gra go on yeah uh yeah it was inconsolable for a while after the the game but I thought well look I’ve got to get myself through this till tomorrow so we just got bollocksed no say seriously I went I went just Dr myself silly uh that night because I I just wanted to forget and then next day I done the same again and then on Monday I realized I can’t keep on doing this so you got to front it can I can I ask you question and I mean I missed a a massive penalty for Man City against um middles but I think if we’ have scored it would would have qualify for Europe um massive I mean it was a massive Miss probably like you wasn’t a miss it was a great save right but I look I always look at the positive so when something adverse happens you try and like spin it so it looks great on you and I think again that’s what we do did you look for a any positive you know outcomes from that or no no I couldn’t but the one thing I’ll say when Ken Kenny came on the pitch and he put his arm around me he said look without without your two goals in the semi-final we wouldn’t be here it was nice but not meant all to me no no but that was really nice because he’s probably right you know but but but in in a way it’s no good getting the F unless you win it you know if that makes sense yeah no I’m the reason I’m saying that is because obviously I missed a penalty but I tried to look for the positives and spin it so it was better for me uh I’m you obviously missed a penalty uh if I have scored at Man City would have qualified for obviously European football for the first time in years uh missed the penalty didn’t want to go and do the lap of honor the end of because you actually feel as though you’ve let so many people down genu like him was devastated the more forward about it I thought you know what I can try and spin this so the next year you know playing for Man City obviously um Man City AR in Europe I ended up signing for Liverpool in the January and played in the Champions League so winner winner and if i’ have i’ have scored that penalty I’d have played in Europe and I’d have been cup tied so a nicer sliding do moment so yes it it was I mean it I mean Man City fans won’t like that but it was a spin and it it helped me feel better and and also to make the Man City fans feel better if they had have gone into Europe they might have been to the uh you know the Pres that bought them so if they were in Europe it would have costed more money wouldn’t it you’re you’re responsible for everything that’s happened ever since yeah uh you obviously bounce back from uh 88 and you get the golden the Cup Final in ‘ 89 uh not enough though it turns out for uh Kenny but you did get in some ways the perfect uh departure from Liverpool with your final ever game so your final ever game is the 90 against Crystal like perfect it wasn’t perfect for me because you know um if you look back what it did for Liverpool Russy was gone I came in and and and I only I played 104 games scored 63 goals which is the same as Mo salz now only obviously he’s he’s played many many games more than me obviously but the same I couldn’t do no more um going on that game it was scan consolation I knew like it was pushed out the door when rushy come back and not not no not when rushy come back you knew gone into the game it was your last game yes and everybody there cuz we have the video I hope so cuz he’s walking around again with in his unies let’s let’s just have a look at the video of who are more concerned usually about success than sentiment are sending a on Beasley is almost volunteered to go off now will they let him take the penalty Barnes has taken on that job and Bar says on you go so Aldridge what an entrance it will be if he puts this away he has gone and it’s the biggest tier of the night brilliant and that’s a magnificent do you know what happened after at end of the game like Robbie said Liverpool Football Club the teames I didn’t know what to do at the end of the game the cops all cheer to me like cops me second D type of they’re not just cheering you the noise level when you watch that or off the charts yeah so you see so I didn’t know what to do what a body D is ladies so I decided to throw me boots in and he hey and he threw him back at me no he did obviously didn’t but that walking running off there is one of the most emotional two minutes of my life I was absolutely Gob smacked no when you got your Lo no you say you can’t you can’t swallow that was cuz I knew his the last time I ever wore the LI sh at anfield it was I had to go lock myself in in the toilet after just to calm myself down because I knew at my dream had gone I done my dream you know what I mean and it was really emotional because I I such a massive Li fan used to go home and away on the trains and every game and to do that and uh had to leave under the circumstances it was really really emotional that night yeah I know you would have you would have loved to have stayed for longer but to have achieved what you achieved two and a half years to won what you won to score the amount of goal like you can’t have any regrets from actually that period absolutely I did look I was brought into to replace fantastic play rushy brilliant what what he done and what he scored and all that and and and and a did I got the goal and boot one year and then the second year I think it was one goal short doing it again in less games I couldn’t do anym I did what I was brought in to do what was the conversation you just said you knew what was happening beforehand what was said to you with the with the manager saying that you were gone um when when Kenny said it was gone yeah well it was I tell you what happened we were um we were we play in Real Madrid in a in a in a preseason game I vaguely remember um and and and and it’s going around that Liverpool in talks with real showy that about me in WR anyway um I thought what what’s this all about so I went and seeing Kenny I said look I’ve not going nowhere I don’t I don’t want to really go anywhere and he said well look I made me mind up basically it’s going to be Peter and he leading the line and you know it’s up to you but your age you need to play and this that and the other um so the r was on the wall I know and I’m we were just we were going to the the Cup in in 1990 obviously and and and and I thought well I’m not going to get splinters in me ass as much as I love Liverpool but Liverpool very clever and and and they right to do it because they didn’t want me to go anywhere in in the in in the league to V against them quite rarely so I get that I get that so you know we getting I get shipped abroad um I felt never know with me I felt because cuz you you can’t be you can’t VI against lii and score goals for another club not that I wanted to go to another club um so you know you you go to Spain and all that but uh but yeah it really hurt me it really hurt me and uh I’m I’m glad they did go to Spain I felt sorry for me family because my wife’s a big home bear from lipo and a family our family from the south end where we’re from and then I’ve gone to Newport to Oxford and the women can appreciate this uh and then come to Liverpool we come home and I’ve done my job and all of a sudden I’ve got to uppr rout all my family and go to Santa basan which is one of the best places on Earth by the way um so that sounds terrible it’s all right for me but but like women away from the families and you know me moms and dads it’s it’s really tough it’s all right for us we can do it and I have to it was a great place I I love the people they like the artist they like the scouts the fighters they’re proud the passionate great people and and you know what they give me a deal that was was was absolutely ridiculous at the time which which helped as well you know because the future of the family you know and I appreciate it but great people absolutely love the best people there obviously the best days of support to Robbie are when you win a trophy but I think when you talk to Liverpool fans one of the most special days for them was where they were when they heard you were coming back mhm what sort of conversation would we be having tonight if you hadn’t gone back if You’ left Liverpool the first time and there was no return would you you know what I don’t know I really don’t know what I’d be saying yeah I think there would be um I mean like Alo I think loyalty is a two-way street in football and the players will get stick all the time about he should be signing it so he should be playing but sometimes the club don’t want you and he’s just mentioned himself but happened with me so um before I I went uh a few clubs had tried to sign me I think it was Newcastle Aston Villa uh and then I’ve sat in my my M house one night and Jan luuka VI who was a Chelsea manager phoned me up and he went to he said the club have accepted a a bid and I don’t want to go anywhere but like Alo say you know it’s it happens with in football you know if you’re not if you’re Surplus you know they can’t wait to get rid of you they can’t wait to go because they have other plans it’s football and the quicker you get your Ed round as a player it’s it’s much better um and like although I was I hated not playing you know and I didn’t want to get the splint as as he said um we need to play you know we need to try and you know be better ourselves and uh just I think it’s like a mental thing as well isn’t it you need to play because you can’t be you can’t be happy just sitting on letting other people do doing what you think you should be doing uh so I knew my time was up at Liverpool um so that the confidence that you you clearly had no party is thinking I’ll just stick this out for a year 18 months let’s see what happens with the manager no because I wanted to play and I didn’t want to wait for for 12 months 18 months I didn’t really want to do that I wanted to play you know I was don’t forget me wrong about injuries and when you when you have injuries you probably appreciate foot uh football a lot more because obviously you you’ve had time out you know what it’s like anywhere else um but in a way and in a sad sort of way I’m glad it happened because I got to appreciate what other the clubs and allthough mentioned it before uh and this is genuinely not no no slant on no le or um you Manchester City when you go and play for the clubs you realize how special Liverpool is really massive Club Great fans you know everything about it is great um I know managers have certain plans certain ideas of who should be playing who should not sometimes you’re Surplus um went to leads went to Man City but getting a phone call off Rafa bonit saying that you know he want to assign me ironically it was because Liverpool was struggling to score goals again which was what happened you know I were made is that completely out of the blue that out of the blue yeah um I’d sort of I think I’d put it into his head the year before in all honesty when I had see when Liverpool got to um uh the 2005 uh Champions League I think I bumped into Rafa in in in a bar when they were out celebrating and I told him I I’m genuinely said I told him I should be back at Liverpool he’s probably went away thinking who the he you know I mean obviously got him a few more drinks and we were best mates at the end of the night and then uh you know what I I got a phone call out of the blue uh I was playing golf or just about to tea off um phone goes and raap has gone you know we want to sign you I actually thought it was one me made to wind them up um and it turns out it was Rafa you know drove to anfield straight away never never teed off uh and Rafa just said look you know we want to sign you we want to give everyone a little bit of a lift we want to give the players a lift uh they went scoring uh but more importantly we want to give the fans a lift and I was forever grateful for for Rafa for you for bringing me back and it genuinely made it made my career you know you mentioned before about winning trophies scoring goals and I loved every minute of that but getting a chance to resign for Liverpool and appreciating them more the second time was genuinely the best thing that ever happened to me football on off the ball with William Hill who you got 18 plus see gambling care.
1 Comment
Aldo . The say never meet your hero's . Well I met mine in Aldo . What a brilliant man 👏 🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪 YNWA John lad