Welcome to my weekly blog “The Igor Bišćan Hall of Fame”
every week I’ll be adding two new additions, one will be a Liverpool Legend or
fans favourite, the other a Player, Manager or Club who have contributed to the
world game we all love (Gary Neville need not worry). Please comment below who
you’d like to see make the IBHoF, here are this weeks entries. YNWA
STEVE NICOL
1982/83 - 1994/95
No player is indispensable at Liverpool. Neither the
departure of Rush nor the retirement of Dalglish left a vacuum which was not
filled swiftly and successfully; that is the Anfield way. But, throughout most
of the eighties and the early nineties, if there was one performer who might
have been missed more than any other, one for whom the manager might have longed
most wistfully, especially in the depths of an injury crisis, that man was
Steve Nicol.
The versatile Scottish international, Footballer of the Year
in 1989, acquitted himself with distinction in every back-four and midfield
position, and epitomised all that was best about the modern Reds. Enthusiastic
and determined, Steve boasted a rich range of soccer assets: his touch on the
ball - despite his need for size 14 boots - was sure and often subtle, his
passing was accurate and imaginative, his tackle was firm. He was rarely found
to lack power in the air or pace in a sprint, he possessed boundless stamina,
and his classy finishing put many a striker to shame.
Steve was imported to Anfield as £300,000 worth of raw
teenage talent from Ayr United in October 1981. Then principally a right-back,
he immediately found himself in the shadow of the consistent Phil Neal and was
consigned to the reserves to complete his soccer education. If there were ever
any doubts about his potential they were quickly stilled in an early Central
League encounter in which he picked up the ball in his own penalty box and beat
five opponents as he ran the length of the field to score the winner.
His initial outings deputising for Neal, on the infrequent
occasions that the England stalwart was injured, bode well for the future.
Despite his inexperience, Steve revelled in the responsibility, revealing an
eagerness for the ball and the initiative to use it constructively, and clearly
it could not be long before he claimed a first-team place. The breakthrough
came in October 1983 when Craig Johnston was injured and Steve slotted into
midfield. His 19 League appearances were enough to earn a title medal and he
went on to play his part in that term's European Cup Final, coming on as
substitute against Roma and volunteering to take Liverpool's first penalty in
the deadlock-breaking shoot-out. He missed, but still took home a winner's
medal.
The following campaign saw him cement his place, mainly at
the expense of Sammy Lee, before he reverted to right-back when Neal left the
club early in the League/FA Cup double campaign of 1985/86. Back in his
original role, Steve was magnificent, but any chance of settling there was
destroyed by groin problems which kept him out of action for two thirds of the
ensuing season. A return to full fitness saw him reach yet greater heights of
form and over the next three years he gave full rein to his adaptability. A competent
spell at centre-back in the absence of Alan Hansen revealed a new aspect of his
talent, though the right side of midfield was perhaps his most effective niche.
From that position he had the scope to be a potent attacking force and
contributed some memorable goals, notably a crisp hat-trick - including a
sublime chip over the advancing 'keeper - at Newcastle in September 1987, and
the sweetest of lobs against Southampton in the FA Cup in February 1990.
The sight of Steve, red hair sticking up dripping with sweat
and huge feet dancing over the ball, became an inspiring and reassuring one for
Reds fans during a period of fabulous success and on into leaner times.
Injuries and the advancing years reduced his effectiveness slightly during his
final days at Anfield, but often his experience proved priceless as the team
underwent a time of transition. When he was freed to join Notts County in
January 1995, Liverpool appeared not to be short of high-quality replacements.
But, as events have proved, rare mettle indeed will be needed to equal the
durability and achievements of Steve Nicol.
BORN: Irvine, Ayrshire. 11.12.61. GAMES: 437 (17). GOALS:
45.
CLUBS: Ayr United 79/80-81/2 (70, 7); Notts County 94/5-95/6
(32, 2); Sheffield Wednesday 95/6-97/8 (49, 0);West Bromwich Albion on loan
97/8 (9, 0).
HONOURS: European Cup 83/4. League Championship 83/4, 85/6,
87/8, 89/90. FA Cup 85/6, 88/9, 91/2.
INERNATIONAL CAREER: 27 Scotland caps (84-91).
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ZICO
Ever since Pele's retirement, Brazilian fans had been
waiting for a new ball-juggling genius to come off the conveyor belt. They
eventually found him in Zico, an impudent magician who duly became dubbed 'The
White Pele'. Although he never quite lived up to that billing-certainly not in
terms of World Cup success- his 52 goals in the famous yellow shirt made him
Brazil's second-highest goalscorer behind the great man himself.
The youngest of five footballing brothers, Artur Antunes
Coimbra was born in Rio de Janeiro and signed for Flamengo as a
fifteen-year-old. His skill was not in question, but his physique was.The
coaches deemed him too frail to be able to cope with the rough and tumble of
South American football so they put him on special diets, courses of vitamins
and an intensive weight-training programme. The regime paid off thanks in no
small part to his determination to make it to the top and in 1973 he was at
last considered strong enough to make his first-team debut. Zico had arrived.
He scored over 100 goals in his first two seasons and was
named South American Player of the Year in 1977-an honour he would win on two
further occasions, in 1981 and 1982. Having marked his international debut
against Uruguay in 1976 by scoring with one of his speciality free-kicks, Zico
seemed an automatic choice for the 1978 World Cup but he had his own ideas
about how the game should be played and fell out with coach Claudio Coutinho's
defensive tactics. He was not alone. Brazil started the tournament so slowly -
only drawing with Sweden and Spain - that Coutinho's effigy was burned on the
streets by irate Brazilian supporters. This internal conflict, coupled with a
succession of niggling injuries, caused Zico to watch most of Brazil's games in
Argentina from the bench. And when he did get on, against Sweden, his last-gasp
header from a corner was controversially disallowed by Welsh referee Clive
Thomas who maintained that he had blown the whistle for full-time a split
second before the ball flew into the net.
Better times lay ahead in 1981 when Zico's eleven goals
helped Flamengo win the South American Club Cup (the Copa Libertadores) and
they also went on to capture the World Club Cup, crushing Liverpool 3-0 in
Tokyo. With Zico in sparkling form and Brazil returning to a more attacking
style under Tele Santana, they looked a sound bet for the 1982 World Cup in
Spain. Zico's hat-trick against Bolivia clinched a place in the finals where he
scored four more goals, including the equaliser against Scotland who were eventually
beaten 4-1. His body swerves, sudden changes of pace and dynamic shooting were
a joy to watch but unfortunately for Brazil they came up against Paolo Rossi on
one of his glory days and it was Italy who progressed to the semi-finals.
After 650 goals and four Championship medals with Flamengo,
Zico joined Italian club Udinese for £2.5 million. That year (1983) saw him
voted World Footballer of the Year but by the summer of 1985 he was back with
Flamengo. Injury restricted him to just three substitute appearances at the
1986 World Cup finals. In the quarter-final against France he was brought on
after the fans chanted his name but he promptly missed a crucial penalty and
Brazil were on the way out. It was Zico's last match for his country - a sad
end for such a popular player.
He retired in 1990 - having played 1,047 senior games - and
was appointed Brazil's Sports Minister but a year later he made a surprise
comeback, moving to Kashima Antlers of Japan where he helped to establish the
new J-League. He returned to Brazil in 1997 and was appointed assistant coach
to the national team, serving in that capacity at the following year's World
Cup.
BORN: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 3.3.53.
CLUBS: 1971–1983 Flamengo, 1983–1985 Udinese, 1985–1989
Flamengo, 1991–1994 Kashima Antlers.
INERNATIONAL CAREER: Brazil 1976-1986, Caps 72, Goals 52.
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