Igor Bišćan Hall of Fame #7

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

JOHN BARNES

1987/88 - 1996/97

As the veteran John Barnes applied himself industriously to a comparatively unspectacular midfield anchor role during the Reds' attempted mid-nineties renaissance, it was inevitable that he was outshone by the generation of new stars shining incandescently around him. But it should never be forgotten that, not so long before, he had been hailed as one of the most brilliant entertainers to grace British football since the war. More than that, he achieved something which eluded every Anfield player before him: he became, for a while, the national symbol of the game at its most attractive. In the same way that George Best's name was once a byword for soccer excellence, even among people who didn't follow sport, so in the late eighties was that of the Jamaican-born England forward.

As an all-round performer he did not equal Dalglish at his peak, and for sheer pop-idol appeal, he did not match Keegan. But in terms of presence and charisma John left the Scotsman standing, and for all Kevin's admirable qualities, he lacked the magical skills with which the former Watford winger was so plenteously endowed. Thus, it was John Barnes, more than anyone else, who finally bestowed upon Liverpool the glitter and panache which had been the traditional preserve of Spurs and our Manchester rival.

Yet for all the plaudits heaped on his close-cropped head, John was seen as something of a gamble when he headed north for £900,000 in the summer of 1987. His extravagant talents were acknowledged, but at Vicarage Road these had been tempered with inconsistency and there were fears that he was not the Anfield type. Any misgivings, however, withered as John produced a string of scintillating early performances which dazzled even the sceptics. To say he gave the Reds a new dimension is a gross understatement. A big, powerful man blessed with a sublime first touch, he was lethal when he received the ball in a deep left-flank position and ran at defences. He had the guile to gull those who stood in his way, the strength to ride tackles and a deceptive pace which took him loping away from his stricken prey. One moment John would be hemmed in by several opponents, two feints later he would be yards away, jockeying for a shooting chance. And unlike many wingers, he could capitalise on his own approach work, scoring goals from almost any angle or distance. Indeed, so stunning was his marksmanship that some critics reckoned he was best employed as a central striker.

John's reward for his inspired efforts during that first Anfield campaign was a title medal and Footballer of the Year awards from fellow professionals and soccer writers alike. Understandably, much was expected of him in the 1988 European Championships but he disappointed, as he did often in the international arena, looking more like the wayward performer who had alternately thrilled and frustrated in his Watford days. Maybe he needed his regular top-class colleagues to bring the best out of him, for on his return to club duty he was as deadly as ever, apart from the occasional game when he seemed to drift.

Despite his catalogue of gifts, however, John experienced a relatively fallow career interlude, which coincided loosely with the Souness reign. Injuries laid him low and he put on weight, looking sluggish and ill at ease when he did play. Happily, he shed pounds and regained vitality in 1994, confounding the popular belief that he was finished, and became a subtly cohesive link-man, passing so beautifully that he was known to go through an entire game without losing possession.

Yes, there were times when he was overrun by heel-snapping speedsters, and some reckoned he was too cautious, not delivering enough 'killer' balls. There was no denying, either, that the 'miracle man' of yesteryear had gone forever. But in his place was a canny general, offering his precocious young lieutenants much-needed guidance, sometimes with a firmness surprising in one so placid, and it was clear that he had plenty to offer still. However, after he was dropped for the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final second leg against Paris St-Germain in April 1997, it became apparent that he was no longer wanted and come August, by then aged 33, he was freed to pursue an Indian summer at Newcastle. It is to be hoped that those fans who had noisily demanded his exit will now restore him, in their minds, to the place of honour his service merits. Truly, John Barnes was one of Liverpool's finest.

BORN: Jamaica, 7.11.63. GAMES: 399 (4). GOALS: 106.

CLUBS: Watford 81/2-86/7 (233, 65), Liverpool 87/8-96/7, Newcastle United 97/8-99 (26, 6), Charlton Athletic 99 (12, 0), Celtic (0, 0).

HONOURS: League Championship 87/8, 89/90. FA Cup 88/9. League Cup 94/5.

INERNATIONAL CAREER: 79 England caps (83-95).

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JOHAN CRUYFF

Among the most enduring footballing images of the 1970’s was that of the Dutch master Johan Cruyff standing out on the left wing, the ball at his feet, confronted by a defender, but apparently unsure of his next move. In an instant he suddenly dragged the ball behind him with his right foot, spun through 180 degrees and sprinted away from his bewildered opponent. It was an outrageous trick, the like of which had never been seen before on the international stage. Only the most gifted - and most confident - of players would attempt such a feat. Cruyff was not lacking in either commodity.

He was born in Amsterdam where his mother worked as the original Ajax cleaner and it was she who persuaded the club's coaches to admit her son into their youth development scheme. On the recommendation of the English coach Vic Buckingham, Ajax offered Cruyff professional terms in 1963. Not only did he score on his club debut but he repeated the achievement in his first international in 1966, snatching a last-minute equaliser against Hungary. Under the influence of new coach Rinus Michels, Ajax developed into one of the most feared sides in Europe with Cruyff, by now a supreme athlete, as the lynchpin of their attacking play. The complete opposite of the traditional English battering ram centre forward, he had vision, pace, exceptional ball control and a licence to roam. He helped Ajax to a hat-trick of European Cup triumphs between 1971 and 1973 and was voted European Footballer of the Year on an unprecedented three occasions (1971, 1973 and 1974).

In 1973 he moved to Barcelona for a world record fee of £922,000 and inspired his new team to the Spanish League title in his first season, highlighted by a 5-0 win away to arch rivals Real Madrid.

At international level the Dutch were on the verge of greatness. Equally at home in midfield, attack or on the wing, Cruyff embodied their philosophy of Total Football, which allowed players to switch roles as circumstances dictated. He was not one to hide his light under a bushel and, as captain, was the loudest voice in an outspoken Dutch side. He had actually been banned from the national team for a year after being sent off in only his second game for Holland but at the 1974 World Cup he was determined to channel his energies in the right direction. No defender in the tournament could get to grips with him. The Dutch would have been popular winners of the World Cup but lost out in the final to host nation West Germany. Cruyff was bitterly disappointed and retired from international football before the next World Cup.

After a spell in the North American Soccer League and then in Spain, he rejoined Ajax and led them to two more League titles before making a shock move to their fierce rivals Feyenoord whom he led to the League and Cup double in 1984.

With 215 Dutch League goals to his name, he took up coaching back at Ajax, and guided the club to European Cup Winners' Cup success in 1987. Having walked out on Ajax in a fit of pique, he replaced Terry Venables at Barcelona and captured a remarkable eleven trophies in his eight years in charge, the highlight being the club's eagerly-awaited first European Cup triumph. However, his dictatorial style of management won him as many enemies as trophies and in 1996 he was unceremoniously sacked. Cruyff was that rarity - a great player who became an inspirational, innovative coach. In short, he was a total footballer.

BORN: Amsterdam, Netherlands. 25.4.47.

CLUBS:  1964–1973 Ajax, 1973–1978 Barcelona, 1979–1980 Los Angeles Aztecs, 1980–1981 Washington Diplomats,1981 Levante, 1981–1983 Ajax, 1983–1984 Feyenoord.

INERNATIONAL CAREER: Netherlands 1966–1977 Caps 48 Goals 33.

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The Igor Bišćan Hall of Fame welcomes you both. YNWA

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First Class Footballers

Royal Mail has created a set of first class stamps which features two iconic Anfield heroes.

The stamps will be released in May and have been produced to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the FA. They were illustrated by artist Andrew Kinsman, who took existing photography of all the players, then created a composite artwork so that when the 11 stamps were placed together they formed a traditional team shot.

The 11 players were chosen for their outstanding record on the pitch and representation of their home countries. All are in the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame.

The team in full is: Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Dave Mackay, John Charles, Bryan Robson, Denis Law, Bobby Charlton, John Barnes, George Best, Jimmy Greaves, Kevin Keegan.

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Little Plastic Men

For those of a certain age you’ll remember when challenging one of your school pals to a game of football in the house on a rainy day consisted of borrowing ya ma’s iron first. The kids of today “don’t know there born”, as my granddad used to say… oh dear I’m getting old.

Nowadays the Xbox and Playstation generation have got it easy, switch it on, throw the disc in, plug in your 14 controllers, select a team, pick your kit and weather conditions, even put yourself in the side and after about 700 goals 48 winners medals later it all can get a little boring.

Well this year the classic football tabletop game Subbuteo returns for a new generation with the help of our own John Barnes at London Toy Fair this year. It was originally dreamt up way back in the late 1940s by Peter Adolph, and it’s invariably the best representation of football that you’ll ever play. They had everything there, from teams and basic sets through to trophies, stands, supporters, scoreboards… if you had the money you could create a field of dreams, but you’d still have a great game even with an entry level package.

Our legendary manager Bill Shankly was big fan of Subbuteo and would use the game in his pre match tactical talks, often removing the oppositions star player and putting him in his pocket telling his players “don’t worry about him he wont get a kick of the ball”. Shanks later became the Subbuteo Club President. A player who won his local table football league would be sent a signed certificate from our great manager.

 The set up is of the game is very simple. Two players control a team of eleven players each and have a set amount of time (ten minutes each way in this case) to score more goals than the other. Players are moved by flicking them about – hence the old advertising tagline “flick to kick” – to get an oversized ball into the goal… and that’s really about it. There’s a few other little rules to consider; you’re only allowed to shoot within a certain area, movement of players is limited, but in general Subbuteo is a gloriously simple game to play.

The game seeped its way into the British public’s consciousness in so many ways. Songs have even been written about it’s majesty including the Merseyside band Half Man Half Biscuit-- more commonly known as HMHB-- wrote a nostalgic tribute to Subbuteo in one of their albums called "All I Want For Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit, but the game faded into near-obscurity in the late nineties. The licence was picked up by Hasbro and seemed to be pretty much a dead horse which was gloriously flogged. No more little plastic guys; we had to put up with ‘photorealistic’ images instead, playing in tiny Urban Arenas. The game as we knew it was gone.

The new Subbuteo has a few improvements. While previously it was quite easy to break an arm or head off your players (50m for a headless center-forward), they’re now made of a more flexible plastic so can withstand a hefty flick. The goals in the new set are nice and sturdy, but the best thing about the new version is the pitch.

Where before you had to devote a fair bit of time ironing out creases on the pitch – not an easy job for a kid – the new pitches are printed up on non-creasing fabric, meaning that getting a game together is the work of moments. This simple change is great; where before it could be a pain to get ready to play, now it’s so much easier. All you need is the space to play, which is admittedly sizable, but I can see plenty of kitchen tables in the future getting repurposed as cup final stadiums.

The new set comes with two full teams, a generic reds versus blues set up, but there’s also a limited range of teams available. Liverpool (including our number 7 in dashing pair of orange boots), the Manc’s, Chavski as well as other sets in various colours, but there’s also a small selection of international sides too. If you fancy enhancing your experience, you can pick up referees, fences (very useful for stopping the ball falling off the table), even different coloured balls. While it’s a limited range of accessories, if the relaunch is successful you can bet that there’ll be more stuff released in future.

Of course, everything is compatible with the older gear – there’s plenty of sites out there that sell old teams for relatively reasonable prices such as the splendid subbuteoworld.co.uk. However, you’ll get everything you need in the Club Edition with no need for any extra outlay – I guarantee you though, after a few plays you’ll be thinking how nice it’d be to have your favourite teams lining up.

It’s a great little game and I’m delighted to see it come back in a proper fashion. It’s such a big part of so many people’s childhoods; even if they’re not the biggest gamers now they’ll have fond memories of playing Subbuteo as a child. Here’s hoping the reissue brings in a whole new generation of players who’ll be able to pull off stuff like this…

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One Love

Seeing as young Jamaican born Raheem Sterling is the new kid on the KOP following in the footsteps of John Barnes before him, I thought I’d add this pic of Bob Marley who was avid footballer. Many of his friends claimed that if Marley hadn’t been so dedicated to his music, he could have made it as a professional.

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